The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-06
THOUGHT PROCESSES IN
 FRANCE AND GERMANY

On account of the address delivered hv MT Boutroux, professor of philosophy At the Sorbonne and member of the French academy. before the Berlin university is given in the columns of the Temps, says the New York Herald. The subject of the address was the nature of thought pro- cesses in France and Germany.
 M. Bouthroux turned his attention first to Germany. He said that the first thing which puzzled the French in their con- sideration of German thought was the very evident existence of two completelv different mental attitudes. which could best be described by the words idealjsm and realism. Idea1ism seemed to char acterize the Germany of yesterday. while realism applied to the Germany of to- day.
 To understand this apparent contradic- ton was a difficult problem. After care full consideration, however 1t would be seen that these two tendencies were not contradictory the one to the other The genius oe the Germans was a unity. hut a unity which was formed of the two tendencies to idealism and realism which complimented each other German thought was governed by It's conception of infinity, the whole. The aim of Ger
 
 with the whole, which manifested itself in the organization of the life of the community. This explained the tendency to specialization among the German peo- pie, each individual being penetrated with the Idea that he should confine himself to the restricted field of work. Turning to the French thought processes MT. Boutroux said that the impression of the Germans was that of an alternation between passive submission and claims to independence. From this originated the German opinion of the French as Tickle and variable. It had even been said in Germany that the French genius was of a negative character. In spite of appearances, however, there existed In the French mind a dominant positive idea, and that idea was of man.
 The French ideal was essentially a hu- man one. Since man manifested intelli- gence and sentiment. the French oscil- lated between these two characteristics This conception of the French mentality has proved accurate by certain consid- erations, among which was the manner in which philosophy. ethics. natural science and art had been sequalized fin the eighteenth century. To the French man the standard above all others by which everything should be measured was that of the good and enlightened man. The French language Illustrated eiaS tenucHcy III the genus Of the nation, Formed in the salons of the eighteenth century and controlled in the present day by the academy, which Mir Bou- troux described as salon minus femi- nine influence, its characteristics consist ed of clarity and logical condolences
 The manner in which these two modes of thought. the German and the French, could best exert beneficient influence on each other formed the third part of MT. Boutroux's discourse He was care ful to point out that any amalgamation would not be advantageous. that the na- lions must preserve their respective geni- us. This would not prevent the French from learning to develop an attraction toward the infinte-a process which their own great philosopher, Pascal, had rec commended to them. They could also learn the lesson of the effacement of the individual in the welfare of the com munity. Neither would the Germans be prevented from observing carefully the efforts of the French to realize as an end in Itself, the culture of men which forms basis for the drawing together of the human race and which is essential to competency in every direction.