Evening star., 1898-07-07
power Is not In proportion to the mental ef-
fort he is forced to- make, but is deter
minsd by natural physical growth
Mental Fatirue

power Is not In proportion to the mental ef-
fort he is forced to- make, but is deter
ninsd by natural physical growth.
Mental Fatigue.
Prof Shaw. in treating upon mental ia
tigue, said: 1t was a question whether the
Investigations into It have resulted in any
new guiding knowledge. They have en-
phasizsd some conclusions which were the
outcome Of practical. everyday. observation
on the part of careful teachers The diff
Guilty with these Investigations is the terms
In which the investigators propose to meas
ure fatigue and thus determine it's laws.
Fatigue, he was inclined TO think must be
considered or regarded as an individual
thing. Studies which are difficult for one
pupil are not so for another. Minds differ
greatly in their power TO acquire the differ
ent kinds of knowledge. Whatever kind
of knowledge is difficult for given mind
to acquire, any attempt to gain that kind
of knowledge is followed very quickly by
fatigue.
There were a great many questions he
said, still unsettled in relation to fatigue.
There was some difference of opinion as to
whether gymnastics increases fatigue or
whether a period of gymnastics afforded
opportunity for recuperation on the part of
the pupil The conclusions, pro and con,
may be due to the kind of gymnastics
given. The manner of the teacher may be
an important factor in causing fatigue.
Pupils should, he thought be given
very short periods of intense work, this to
be followed by period of rest and re-
cuperation. The best way in which this
latter can be achieved is to give the child
during these periods of recreation and re-
pose the utmost physical freedom to do as
he wishes and to follow his own bent.
During the session President De Gramo
announced the following committees, which
will report this afternoon:
On nominations-Dr. John w. Cook, Illi-
nois; DR. Edward r. Shaw, New York, and
TNr- IL al 1nn ,rs
On neutrality-suspicious. Murray Butler
New York; James H Baker, Colorado, and
James M. Green, New Jersey.
Psychology and Education.
The night session was devoted to an in
terestirg interchange of views on the rela-
tons of psychology to education.
Prof. Josiah Royce of Howard University,
the first speaker, discussed exhaustively
the intricate subject and proceeded to show
how the psychologist and the teacher could
best cooperate with each other.
Il think he said, that we need a new
kind of intermediate scholar and official
a man whose business it shall be to mediate
between the teaching profession and the
work of the laboratory PSYCHOLOGIST NV
proposition is that in the large cities there
shall appear in the office of the superin-
tendent of instruction a person whom
should call a consulting psychologist. Such
a man need not be a, genius, out an ordi-
~
Such man could show the teachers in your
city schools more in six months about the
practical relations of empirical psychology
and teaching than they will ever get out
of years of those dreary courses of public
lectures on psychology for teachers to
which they nowadays pathetically lis
ten
Other Contributions.
Mr.. VIM. T. Harris, United States COM
missioner of education, followed in a brief
paper on Rational Psychology" agreeing
with Prof. Royce, and the session closed
with paper on physiological Psychol-
ogy' by Prof. w. Lightner Wilmer of the
University of Pennsylvania. The newer psy-
chology, he said, presented many difficult
problems and tends to make the profession
of teaching more difficult, because now
opinions were not asked for, but proofs
were demanded. He. hoped to see as the
result of the present efforts an awakening
to the really Important mental problems Of
the day as set forth by Commissioner Har-
ris and the many other leaders in educa-
tional thought, who are doing so much for
the public school system day by day.
After discussion by the council members
the session adjourned.