The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-29
J. fine,ican Traits.
A View of Ourselves as a German
Sees Us.
The FRESHEST Works, by Various Autsons
Reviewed and Noticed, With Gossip
aud Comment.

arship and domestic nc VI JIG 49,,
t-;es 81 is, OF course. ono OF those pooh''
p,h;ch must be read. Nobody cares I
n;cavune for the incendiary opinions OF
.a,oon-bred "Dutchr,en." either here OF
IN The old country; but political events
rake It necessary that n better under-.
standing of each other should be es'ao-
1ished between the ruling classes OF Ger
many. and America: so we neeo 10 ki'o"
what this strong and thoughtful man OIL
che world has to say.
The author, Hugo Munsterburg. was
horn and maturcd in Germany and has
spent the best seven years OF his ll1e IN
tho United States in the chair OF psycho-
,orv at Harvard. He has been accused
O. seeing American life through German
owes with Harvard astignatisrs, as though
xab rad never left the Boston charmed cir
Gle into which he was so fortunate as 10
find himself: but the fact is that ne mas
Travelled again and again. over the couE-
try to place himself IN touch, as lar as
irossiblc, witt. its infinite variety Studying
the subject thus at first hard. he mas
become convinced, as lie indicates III ms
essay ~tne Americans and the Germans.
of the distinct kinship in blood. charac-
ter and ideals lying between the TWO
great peoples with whom his whole HE
is bound up In the end, then. the BOOK
is a, labor of love designed to bring about
a better acquaintance between the two
nations, to Improve their conception OF
~, r1rtfh
high respect and conducc to their world
harmony. The keen. original personality
of the author is reflected in the informal
entertaining tone of his five essays
They surprise one by their freedom
from Teutonic ponderosity and srubbins
attentiveness to minutiac. For instance.
in renlarking upon tho influence which
the millions Of German immigrants ought
TO have had upon American life. he fails
TO quote the statistics upon the subject
He might have gone into it something
like this: 1.-THE records of the Immigra-
ton Bureau of the Treasury Department
TO back TO 1871 From 1921 to 1890 there
we're ls,4S6S66 record immigrants to the
United States, over one-fourth of whom
were from Germany. Before 1921 there
was a large immigration from Germany
but no official record was kept and there
fore we cannot consider it.
From 1871 to 1910 there were $4,000; 1870
to 1850. 1875. 900; 1850 to 1860, $4,000; 1860 to
1870 ST., ooo 1870 to 1850. 10000; 1880 to $780,
i,45l,427; 1890 to 1900. 5c5,152-a total Ger
man immigration of 5,012,579.
according to the theory Of DR.. Nautilus
lie, that people will quadruple by nat
ural propagation in ninety Years. the GU
mulativc German units in the total popu-
1ation Of 16.50O,0o0 Census of 1900, should
be, ETC.. etc. The professor has spared
us pages and pages Of this. Its absence
is refreshing.
Following the general essay, ''The
Americans and the Germans is power
full discussion of Education and 'schol-
arship." luminous ESSAYS, IN which the
problems involved are handled with Wig
orous directness and convincing au-
thoriiy. The matter is controversial;
there is plenty of room for argument; but
IL is good to read his severe denunciation
of the ali too-common tendency to digni-
Nv smattering with the name of educa-
ton; deploring the popular preference for
a nervous versatility rather than a calm
soundness OF learning. He has no sym.
pathy with the rushing mob of school
Performers" faddists and eNperimenters.
On this line of reasoning he makes a
l,;c fiN11
experience as well as upon German ira
ditions, for prescribed courses for under
graduate students, leaving elective selec-
ton to aspirants for postgraduate de-
rrees-that a firm foundation may be
laid, in short, before the superstructure
is begun In conclusion, he makes an
earnest plea for higher standards of edu-
cation and for more productive schol-
arship. Adequate pay and the right
Kind Of men, he says, are what are re-
CURED to invigorate and properly syste-
Matte education in America.
The essay women" is the memorable
one, which appeared in the International
Monthly and caused such a stir in the
1t is not at, all sensational. 1t is, in
fact. a half-hour's quiet reading, which
every sound man would like every thlnh-
ink woman to read, learn and inwardly
digest. 1t indicates very truly the
sphere which the cultivated woman can
dcvelope and adjust to herself. The au-
thor is a friendly critic of American wo-
men. He says Of them.
Sand when the foreigner has met these
new creations at closer range. has cfatted
with them before cosy, open fires. has
danced and bicycled and golfed with
them, has seen their clubs and meetings
md charities, he finds himself discour-
agingiy word-poor when he endeavors to
describe with his imperfect English, the
impression that has been made upon him;
he feels that his vocabulary is not suf-
ficiently provided with complimentary