The sun., 1910-01-29
THE BOOSTERS ARE BOOSTED
INTO HIGHER CULTURE PLANE
M, PROF. MUNSTERBERG.

Nf" 81 - --
wbRe. CIub Rxpefimented WITH Relation
T. Besween stimuli. and Sensations tie
~ Waaked Of the Need Tor Ideals In
~ ssostnsss ssSAte--GeWspers the Rcalist.
RroE Hugo Monsterberg OF Harvard
Univefeity isr well acquainted with bsy-
chpsensorial phenomena OF precepts not
produced by periphersl sensory impress
sions and he knows also the principles Of
psyohodynamics. treating of the quantita-
tive relation between sensations and their
stjrpu&. consequently he. was just the man
to fisein the wilderness OF unfoiled necks
at the Beest Club dinner at the Hotel Astor
sstnfEht and say few kind words about
calttife and ideals, Because the relation
between stimuli and sensations was every
where. apparent among the 200 members
ofs the Boost Club the Harvard psycholo-
gist speech was all the more in the nature
Of d delicate laboratory experiment.
Prof MNlnsterberg admitted at the very
outset that when he received the invita-
ton Of the Boost Club TO be one OF its
speakers he'was not at all sure about the
nature sof the organization, 1t might
have something 70 do with; Wholesale
shoes and hastings. or something else that
did not appear readily in the name. But
Prof, Munsterberg had only to come
down from Cambridge. as he himself
gracfously admitted. and investigate at
first hand 10 learn that here was gather
ing Of energetic young optimists whose
one and sole motto is Boost: Don't
Knock ,s. ~.
So the Harvard psychologist said few
words on culture, opening with the opinion
that being a Harvard man he was now
subject TO suspicion wherever he went,
especially after the sad experience which
was not enjoyed by President Lowell at
st. Louis the other night, where. when IL
became known that President Lowell had
missed his train from Chicago ara could
not attend a banquet at which he was
expected to make a speech. a daring per-
son put on a mustache and tried TO get
away with a Lowell speech anyway
But the mustache fell OF,
your optimism and boosting. as you
call 1t in your delightful American idiom,
is not good for much" continued Prof
Mtinsterberg. -if it happens to be this
lazy. nabby optimism that doesn't care
IL things are not going right and IL there
Is all sorts OF charlatanism in the world.
Nine. PAladino and caught her with
the goods. She did some Vmcanny things
with. various wTithinEs and SCREENINGS.
but, had detective on the floor andhe
caught her doing thipgs with her foot.
Every business man in America seems
TO me to be too little Interested in anything
outsids OF his business; He is too little
Interested IN art, In literature, in the
Progress OF science, and in this respect
arises the distinction between the Euro
pean, business man and the American.
All the culture and pursuit of the higher
things in life your American business
man has given over to his wife TO take
care Of. The culture of the country is
almoat exclusively in the hands. Of the
women. The man goes only after the
dollars, cternally after the dollars. He 10
too little open to the opportunities of the
higher life When he comes home tired
from his business his sesthetic stimulus
is represented by comic opera or vaude-
ville. 49, =.
The professor said that even in mis-
business the worker on this side OF the
water sees too much Of the selfish aspect
OF pure competition even while he misses
the ideals OF business. The American
business man is also too prone TO drift
haphazardly into his vocation without
stopping to ponder the values of the
various vocations open to all.
Every vocation has it's idell side.
which should be sought over the adven-
titious phase" he concluded. Too little
thought In given over here 70 the ideals
inherent in the work.you do. There is an
ideal in every business which gives mean
ing to everything you do il only you seek
to grasp it,
Samuel 6ompers was one who fol-
lowed Prof. Munsterberger, but he did
not deal with ideals. he talked about
grinding little children's bones into dol
lars, driving the light Of love out Of the
workin gman's home and other unpleasant
things. Others who interrupted the CO.
operation between stimuli and sensations
by talking were Major-Gen. Charles =,
Roe, Henry r. Towne. Rufus b. CowinR,
Edward Lauterbach. Charles A. Towne,
Frederic X. Coudert and Gen. Horstio
C.King J. Clyde Oswald presided.
Among some OF those who dined were
F. p. Seymour, A. W. Cotton, Magazine
Coke. j. II. Chidester. Z. p. Freeman'
@. q; Brockway. E: $, Lyon. Robert Wear,
/. e. Waldeck. Samuel Legg. W. H,
Ingersell. Mr.. Gregory. r, G. Stoddard.
H. d. Vought, Robert H. Forbes and
George W. Gerlach.