New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-22


REARING UPON CULTURE; By George o Nal AL
.Om sFs toessa a. PIs 6 " and h pPecor
Of the Pygh.olog.ca laboratory IN Mi me s he
Macmillan Company
These volumes may very well be considered
as complementary 10 each other. The one de-
tails the methods OF the new psychology, the
other seeks TO apply the results Of empirical in
vestigaticns to everyday life. Not that Profess
sor Stratton confines himself TO the discussion
Of laboratory work. Part Of his general plan is
TO show US how experimental psychology mas
increased our knowledge Of the human nina
But in the main. Il may be said that ne au-
dresses himself chiefly TO such as are already
versed in the intricacies Of mental research
Professor Royce's volume. on the other hand Is
primarily intended for those thoughtful persons
who with little more than general concep-
ton of what psychology represents, desire 10
know Just why It IS well TO study the SUBJECT
and the practical deductions to be made from
the facts Of psychology. Necessarily, PROFESSOR
Royce's omission Of any detailed statement OF
laboratory work. while he alludes constantly TO
s.ner5nnept as the cornerstone of his psychology
tcaI structure will arouse the interest ana curl
ostty OF his readers. and inpel them to endeavor
70 discover Just what is the nature and extent
OF psychological experiment They will find this
adequately told IN Professor Stratton's work.
but II they first approach II by studying Bald
win and James, two great opponents OF latter
day methods, they viii be greatly aided IN COM
pretending the fun import Of the Investigations
Professor Stratton sets forth
It Is thus obvious, from the standpoint OF the
lay reader. that Professor Royce's volume IS the
more yalua bic of the two. Not that Professor
Royce at all times avoids the extreme technl-
cality visible throughout Professor Stratton's
work. AS a matter OF fact, he goes far deeper
than superficial perusaI will disclose, and he
will undoubtedly vex many psychologists by MS
unique way Of approaching and treating MS
subject, his daring innovations in termlnoiogy'
and above all, by his original subdivision OF the
contents OF consciousness. This, however Is no
vital concern of those TO whom he chleny ao-
aresses himseif-the teachers of young.
What they are anxious to learn is not for eX-
ample, whether intellect and will should be diff
ferentiated or the actual dimensions Of feelng'
but how best to utilize psychological discoveries
an the classroom. This indeed is information
which is obtainable from Professor Royce VINO
brings out with cIearness and precision the
great educatiye function of psychology IN
moulding educational theory.
Such a function was not realized by the old
psychology, which too often failed to take into
account the united growth and mutual de-
pendence Of mind and body relying upon an in
between the old and the new psychology is thus
emphasized by Professor Royce, and enpha-
sized Il should be noted, much more forcibly by
him than by Professor Stratton, who, expert
rsentalist though he be, insists upon the neceS-
eity of making introspection and experiment
work hand IN hand. Both writers lay great
stress upon the services rendered to psychology
by physiology since 1t psychologists who
first undertook the investigation Of the mind by
laboratory methods, and many Of the great
psychologists Of to-day began by being physiolo-
gists. Professor Royce has borrowed largely
from biology as we'll as physiology. in order to
strengthen his psychological theories. and frank
ly acknowledges the debt Professor Stratton
rests his contentious on experimentation. which.
he contends. IS much psychological physI-
illogical. OF course, he has his debts to
acknowledge, but they are debts essentially diff
ferent from those incurred by his speculative
contemporary.
Whatever students may think Of the contro-
versial side of Professor Royce's volume the
fact remains that did it do nothing more than
show teachers how easily they may in esu-
mating the mental caibre of the various pupils
IN their charge. it would render a great service
TO the cause Of education. But he has gone
further than this; he has supplemented his
warning with instruction, with advice as to the
best means Of developing latent capacity Of
aiding the individual TO adapt himself his
environment. His volume thus approaches an
exact statement OF the science Of pedagogy, and
ss such may be studied with profit by all who
intend TO enter the ranks of the teacher Take
for example. Professor Royce's discussion Of the
problems Of memory, phase of our mental life
which. by the way. IS also studied from the edu-
oational standpoint by Professor Stratton The
variations and tricks played us by memory have
been unfolded and analysed by modern psychol-
ogy as never before. and it has been shown that
unless a certain mental affinity is brought about
Il were useless TO attempt 10 enforce the re-
tention Of facts by the mind. The defective
memory of a backward" child should. therefore
rot be arbitrarily dismissed by the teacher as
due TO inattention. hut should be carefully
studied until its secret cause is found when also
VIII often be discovered a means Of putting the
mental life of the child in proper touch with its
environment. and thus effecting a revolution in
SITS memory scope"
Az interesting phase IF development upon
which We not surprised TO find Professor
Royce dwelling is the importance Of the cultiva-
ton OF mental imagery-that is TO say, "imagi-
nation in its psychological sense. As he points
out few teachers remember that our more or
Eanized series Of mental images actually form
part OF our conduct" and as a consequence
suppose that TO train the Imagination Of chill
dren involves something quite different from
training their motor processes" The writer's
contention is that the most wholesome training
Of the imagination is properly 20 be carried out
in connection with the training of conduct
Further. since play activities" are factors in
developing imagination. and hence increasing
mental initiative. 81 is not astonishing to find
Professor Royce emphasizing the usefulness of