Evening star., 1902-03-08
PSYCHOLOGIC SCIENCE
PROBLEMS OF MIND WHICH EN-
GAGE INVESTIGATORS.
Physical Experiments Most in the
Public Eye, but Search for
Soul Goes On.

From the American Inventor.
Physical scientists are SO active at pres
ent in astonishing the world with new theo-
ries and discoveries in material science and
the applied arts that psychology, the
science of the SOUL Is taking back seat,
at least In the columns Of the daily papers
Marconi, Dumont, Zeppletn. Edison, Tesla,
Newcombe and many others are each hold
ing down the center of stage on which
beats the lime light Of the worlds eye.
Yet. although little is heard of 1t, the study
Of psychology is taking rapid strides, and
the active men engaged in the queer expert
ments that lead no man knows whittier, are
as indefatigable as ever in their attempts
to solve the problems surrounding the mys-
terieS of the mind.
1t is but a short time ago that psychology
was not even accorded place or name
among the sciences, and even today there
are otherwise well-informed people VINO
believe the name to be synonymous with
charlatanism and fraud. That belief how
ever, in no way alters the facts and the
experiments at present in progress are
none the less interesting and vital to the
sum of human knowledge for the expressed
opinion of the ignorant as to their useless
ness.
The Psychic Laboratory.
It may be interesting to enumerate few
of the problems which the modern psychol-
ogist is attempting to solve In his oddly
equipped laboratory. The ancient query
which has rung down unanswered through
the ages, IF man die, shall he live
again?" must, if ever answered at all with
anything more tangible than faith. be an
swered in roundabout way. The first
step to a scientific proof Of Immortality
must be. of course, that the human body
holds something imma terial, something not
born of matter. and something which is
not affected by bodily death or disintegra-
affirm his positive knowledge that he pos
sesses a mind. but lives there a man to-
day who can answer the question. What Is
mind?'
And this is, then, the great end OF psy-
chology, the discovery of the nature OF
mind, what it is, how 1t acts. what laws
govern it, how many does man own, Of
what powers is it, or are they possessed. In
what way are these powers to be developed
and to what unknown uses can these un-
known attributes of the mind be put? A
more practical use of psychology, speaking
in the material sense, is the investigation
of the known and the discovery Of new
laws governing the alterations of mind and
the cure or method of prevention Of these
states. In other words. a greater knowl-
edge of those states Of insanity not caused
by physical injury.
Influence Of Heredity.
further problem, interesting alike to
the practical humanitarian and the man Of
science. is that comprising the laws Of he
redity, that most whimsical influence, which
seems to act in different ways at different
times and to contradict its own statements
as often Cor oftener) as it confirms them.
From heredity to evolution Is but a step,
and there is the chain which connects the
two, the material and the metaphysical,
the science of the world of matter and the
science of the world Of mind. But heredity
Of the mind and character so undeniably in
f1uences the formation of the body and the
race that even the most confirmed mate
rialist is won over to the knowledge that
psychology Is a science; that it's investiga-
tions are valuable and necessary, and that
1t is in the investigation of these unknown
problems that the great mystery will be
answered, If answered 1t Is ever to be.