482 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



which original production commenced. Out of a list of thirty-five it 

 would seem as if only seven that is, just one fifth published before 

 twenty. Eighteen more commenced their literary career between 

 twenty and thirty ; four more between thirty and forty ; leaving six 

 who began to write after forty. 



With respect to the age at which a position of eminence is reached, 

 our present group shows still wider variations than the previous ones. 

 An inspection of a series of thirty-five writers gives the following re- 

 sults : only seven, or one fifth, won distinction before twenty-five ; 

 nine more before thirty ; sixteen more before forty ; leaving three un- 

 rewarded till after this date. 



I may add that where as often happens in the case of scholars 

 and historians a wide reputation is at once secured by a masterpiece, 

 the appearance of this commonly falls in the thirties at the earliest. 

 Niebuhr's first volume was published when he was thirty-nine ; Thirl- 

 wall's when he was thirty-eight ; Grote's, though conceived about 

 thirty, not till fifty-two. On the other hand, literary critics as 

 Addison, Diderot, Lessing have frequently obtained recognition by 

 some excellent piece of work before thirty. Nineteenth Century. 



[ To be continued.] 



-+++- 



THE PEOGEESS OF PSYCHICAL EESEAECH. 



By NICHOLAS MURRAY BUTLER, M.A., Ph.D., 



ACTING PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY, ETHICS, AND PSYCHOLOGY IN COLUMBIA COLLEGE. 



THEEE was a time when philosophy might have been defined as 

 the science of human activity, so all-comprehensive was it. The 

 ambitious Greek who would attach his name to a philosophical system 

 must include in his scheme all that could be known, done, and specu- 

 lated about God, the world, and man. In the course of time and the 

 specialization of the sciences this view of philosophy fell away, and 

 was replaced by the more exact and narrower conception of modern 

 times. 



But it is a question whether science, particularistic in its early his- 

 tory, is not aiming to reach the position which philosophy has retired 

 from. If we take science to mean classified knowledge, then this in- 

 crease of its field is but natural, and marks the progress of man's 

 domination over the external world. 



The last bit of territory which science has invaded, and which, in 

 time, it hopes to claim for its own, is an especially interesting one ; 

 and, in response to the many inquiries, credulous and skeptical, which 

 are raised, both in public and in private, we wish to give a brief 

 sketch of the progress which science has thus far made in its new 

 field. 



