Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1924-06-07
PROF. NELSON WILLIAMS ON
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL BASIS
OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.
(By Archer S. Mitchell)

(By Archer S. MitchelD
IF questioned, large majority
of the most intelligent men and
women of the race would say that
the greatest bar to the progress OF
the Negro is ignorance and hence
the greatest need Of the race Is the
right sort of education, and yet
there are comparatively few men of
outstanding ability who are willing
to commit themselves to the work
Of teaching as profession. A happy
exception to this rule Is Prof. Nelson
Williams, CIR" of Richmond, 1nstruc-
tor in history in Armstrong High
School. In the language Of his pu.
pi,s-"He knows his stuff"
Prof. Williams is an NJ. A. Of Co.
lumbia University and member Of
the Alumni of the Graduate Schools
of that University. He Is fellow
also Of the American Sociological
Society. His expert knowledge in
religious education, as well, has been
freely given to this community for
a number Of years.
An outline of his scholarly adj
dress delivered last Friday night be-
fore the Attacks Athletic and Lit
erary Society of Richmond, on the
Psychological Basis Of Religious Ed
ucation" was enthusiastically re-
ceived by this intelligent group Of
students of social science. Mr.. Dohn
l.. Ballard is president.
fn11nuuc.
%. Consciousness Is evolution
airy. (a) Mind and body evolve to-
gether. Mind determines the direc-
ton of the body and racial ideals.
Consciousness is an evolution from
insufficiency to sufficiency.
(b) Dominance Of environment by
consciousness. A conscious control
of building ideals. The senses evolve
around this control of conscious
notifications. Prophets and teach
ers modify and thus shape this rev.
dictionary conscious ideal. Out of
consciousness come the mental
ideals not so much as TO what"
Biology says, as Ito what we are"
but, rather not what conscious Psy-
chOlogy says what we are" but
what we are to be-"
(c) Conscious volution-Individ-
ual idea1ism. and racial tendencies
are modified, then, conscious selec-
tion-elimination Human conscious
ness is constructing a human build
ing-A higher consciousness is con-
structing and maintaining an ideal
building.
(d) A sufficiency not found In the
senses. Man is dust; Consciousness
Is God.
(2) Are the problems of Religious
Education based on the acceptance
of the doctrine of recapitulation? No.
D taJ Man is not what his exper-
fence has been. (b) Man is not
what his race experiences have been
nor the sum Of these experiences.
Co Life selfexisting before the child
was. Embryogeny Development
Ontogony (child) -Phyllogeny (race)
The theory assumes that each indi-
vidual passes through the racial
steps of development. The race once
dwelled in trees, caves, etc. The
child need not and should not do so
for development.
(d) What the race was doing at
certain time (adult life) cannot de-
termine what the child is doing at
a certain time. Adult life of race
and the child life of a child will
not fit recapitulatory in terms of
development. (e) Not sustained by
Biology. Nature has many short
cuts. Cd Nature drops (2) out un-
used material. The child con-
scious animal co.
go Conscious Selection Maintains
After Modification by (a) Natural
short cuts. (b) Dropping out what
is not desirable. (c) Eliminating
crudeness. (d) Utility-modifying
symbyosis. (e) Multiplication by ex
perience. co Self evaluation. (g)
Environmental adjustment. CHI Ideal
adjustment. Cd Ethical discipline OF
ideal adjustment.
(4) Imitation In Education
Ideal Race" (a) No ground for 8
perfect biological adjustment. (b)
Instructive tendencies are eminent
Co An impulse from without (out
side stimuli.) (d) A regulating med
ium OF thought expansion. (e) A
sense Of fitness. 'iEnergerisms.
(f) The sense of fulhllment. Get
ting a grip on the thing-Judgment
IA Dior.oI.oo tho cate ond idoaa n