New-York tribune., 1901-12-09
A FRIENDLY CRITIC.
PROFESSOR MUENsTERBERG ON OUR
COUNTRYMEN.

In this volume Professor Munsterberg has COZ
lected five essays which aroused Iluch i'eieo'
and no little controversy as they successis.'
appeared in The Atlantic Monthly anu A"e
international Monthly" In this more peih'0-
nenr form, they are likely to rekindle the discus
sion which has altogether lost Its orlsiiia'
light and heat It is to be hoped that they VIII,
for they touch with the seeming ease OF mas
terry on subjects in which Intelligent Americans
ought to be profoundly interested, and they are
written IN an altogether admirable spirit INC
word touch" may suggest that the CONTACT is
light and superficial. but II is used rather ii
Difference to the authors description OF mis-
work than with acceptance Of his MODEST esu-
mate In reality evidence OF his penetrating
scrutiny and deep reflection appears on every
page. We have seldom read a book on contro-
versial topics SO transparently disinterested,
and that quality OF IL is peculiarly notable IN
view Of it's foreign authorship. PROFESSOR
MGnsterberg has conferred upon the land OF his
adoption benefit which deserves to be mace
permanently fruitful by a wide acknowledgment
of its timeliness excellence and essential
generosity.
In an engaging preface the author solicts a
benevolent consideration OF his opinions con-
cerning American institutions and characters
tics by saying that these papers were written
expressly for US; that he is about to put pe1ore
the German public entire book on American
life, q book which is far less fragmentary than
this, and deals in a detailed way with the politi-
CAL economical intellectual and social aspects
of American culture" and that so far as he is
able TO control its circulation neither volume
shall cross the ocean in search of readers for
whom it was not intended and whom it might
not profit We do not know how far his pub
Fishers have entered into this arrangement. but,
while the authors good *aith is beyond sus-
picion it will be surprising # the result fulfils
his amiable design. Indeed, though 1t might not
be quite friendly to Illustrate his wishes, We
could consider it unpatriotic or otherwise
immoral TO send this book TO Germany. pro-
vided the preface went with It.
One of the few conclusions expressed by Pro-
fessor Miinsterberg with which hesitate to
agree bears the relation of premise to much
that follows and is therefore Of special import
ance He feels that Germany and the United
States. although they are connected by innu-
able ties from the past and will need each
others goodwill still more in the years to
come materially affected by "a kind Of
antipathy. half-ethcal. half-esthetic aver
sion AS expressed in that phrase, the opinion
may not seriously at fault: but there are
many indications that the author is convinced
of the prevalence of graver misconceptions, mis-
understandings and disffkes than he has full
warrant for attrbuting 10 Americans, whatever
the German attitude and temper may be. This
assumption colors to some extent all five Of the
essays composing this voume-"The Americans
and the Germans Education Scholarship"
Women and American Democracy" It is
nowhere disagreeab1y intruded, and We do not
even know that it tends to impair the value Of
the exposition but it does suggest the thought
that the author somewhat inconsistency assigns
TOO much Importance TO f1ippant, impertinent
and reckless writers and speakers who are
really Incapable and probably not desirous of
doing serious mischief. while at the same time
ne expresses a suitable contempt for such ts-
noble frivolities-
Space forbids any attempt to summarize these
liberal and genial but searching and unfatter-
ing papers From first to last Professor Min
sterbergs purpose is TO tell u.s. rot what we
might like to hear, but what he thinks we ought
10 know, or to know more thoroughly; and from
first TO last he is successful Or shall we make
single exception. and while yielding to no one
in admiration Of American womanhood, just
family hint that in two or three sentences re-
lating TO that delightful topic there is shade
more romance than philosophy? Doubtless in
the articles Education and Scholarship
there are things which sting a little But
the irritation is wholesome. We have room to
make only quotation, relating to a single
feature Of the subject, but that feature always
important, has Of late become ominously con-
spicucus, and the illustration employed is Won
derfully Illuminating:
Are elective studies really elected at all? I
mean, do they really represent the deeper desires
and demands Of the individual, do they not
simply express the cumulation of a hundred
chance influences? I have Intentionally fingered
the story Of my shifting interests in my boy
hood: il is more or less the story OF every half
way intelligent boy girl A little bit of tai
ent, petty caprice favored by accident n
tagious craze fad, chance demand for
something of which scarcely the outside is
known-ail these whrr and buzz in every boy
hood: but follow such superficial moods
would mean the dissolution of all organized
life and education would be an empty word.
Election which is more than a chance grasping
presupposes first Of all acquaintance with the
object Of our choice Even in the college
thirds of the elections haphazard, controlled
by accidental motives: election of courses de-
mands wide view and broad knowledge of the
the whole field The lower the level on which
the choice is made. the more external and mis-
leading the motives which direct it A he'll
ter skelter chase of the unknown is election.
il a man who does know French goes into
a restaurant where the bill of fare is given in
the French language, and points to one line
and TO another, not knowing whether his order
is fish roast or pudding, the waiter will bring
him a meal, but we cannot say that he has
elected his courses.
We meant to copy only the foregoing para
graph. but it reminds of another which we
cannot forbear TO quote, referring to the work
OF the German gymnasium:
1 know il would be wrong to explain our being
three years ahead of New-England boy merely
from the scholarly preparation of teachers,
A second factor which is hardly less important
stands clear before my mind, too-the help
which the school found in homes / do not
mean that we were helped in our work but the
teachers were silently helped by the spirit which
prevailed in our homes with regard to the school
work. The school had the right of way;
parents reinforced our belief in the work and
our respect for the teachers A reprimand in
the school a shadow home life;
word Of praise in the school ray of n
shine for the household. The excellent school
books the wise plans for the uptuilding of the