The San Francisco call., 1906-07-15
Lecturer Launches Strange Word at Class
and Gray Matter Seethes in Study OF 1t.
"ANSCHAULICH" 1T IS MEANING SOMETHING MENTAL
1t and the Abstract Would Be
Of No Use to Each Other
if They Were Apart

BERKELEY, July Hundreds of
pedagogues who daily sit at the feet
OF Professor John Adams, one of the
big men from Europe connected with
the faculty OF the summer session at
the university. were treated TO a new
sensation this morning when the dis
tinguished scholar from London passed
out the word "anschaulich" for their
consideration, using ii ninety-two
times in a lecture entitled The Incl
dence OF the Anschaulich." Professor
Adams urged his students to believe
that the word represented an i'm
portant process. Of mental action which
students OF psychology must grasp be-
fore they can do much in the way of
educating the young idea
from London. Il was with easy grace
and nonchalance that the London
sevant dropped the word scores OF
times IN his lecture, but his breathless
hearers. most Of them school teachers
and accustomed TO being regarded as
almost ornniscient. took the hurdle of
-anschaulich" with no such easy stride
as he did. There was buzzing of
tongues on the campus after the lee
ture was over. Dear teacher was
properly puzzled. The most trying
problem yet flung at her from the lee
ture platform was due to be tackled.
Teacher said 10 teacher IF in London
'anschsulsch' is the latest and gener-
ally approved term in psychology and
pedagogy. then California has no re-
course but 10 get proper hold upon
the big, strange word and wrestle
nightly TO master It." Professor
Adams assured his palpitating stu
dents that until "anschaulich" is under
stood and taken into account where
mental processes are being studied all
other effort practically will be wasted.
This is portion of what the Cali
fornia school teachers heard from
Professor Adams about "anschaulich"
and what they are still striving might
sly TO digest:
INCIDENCE OF THE ANSCHAULICH.
The process by which the mind as
Stimulates the external world and molds
Itself upon the model of that world may
be roughly divided into two stages
the acQuisitive and the elaborative.
At the earliest stages the first need is
material 70 work upon; az the later
stages the working up of this material
takes the prominent place. The point
OF actual contact between the mind and
the material without the mind is the
sphere of direct perception. There is so
much confusion in the use of the Eng
lish words sensation" and "percep-
ton, that the untranslatable word
anschauiich" appears TO be the best
expression Of this initial interaction
between mind ard the matter upon
which il acts. Most OF our ordinary
intellectual life-where by intellectual
IS nOL meant the higher life Of thought
but that aspect Of the ordinary life
that deals with the results Of the ans
chaulich rather than with the anschau-
Itch fself-is carried on with the mini
mum reference 10 the material acquired
al first hand by tho organs of sense
This appears TO some teachers TO be q
thing TO be oeploTe I'd. They feel that
we get too FAR away from what they
deal too largely with the mere actions
OF thought Tnis feeling is al the bot
ton o. those reactions that are contin-
uaily recurring 2 and driving us back to
the real Such cries IS things and
words" back TO nature" avoid book
ishness." owe all their power 70 a GER
tain misconception Of the place and
function OF the anSchaulich.
The kindergarten system. for exam
PIE, owes not little Of its influence to
this craving for frst-hand contact with
nature IT IS 2o- for q moment sug-
this desire TO give prominence TO the
anschaUlich. but there is distinct dan
ger OF nlfscon cepticn in the process. At
Iempts are being made for example to
continue the kindergarten system
right through the school. Such at
tempts must. always result in failure,
except IN so far as they resolve them
selves intO schemes for maintaining the
kindergarten spirit throughout the
whole OF education. To carry on the
anschaClich methods Of the kindergar-
ten into the higher classes could re-
growth. There is a place for the ans
chaulich. bur there is also a place for
what in default of a better name we
may call the abstract.