414 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



to attempt to give here an exposition 

 of James's attitude in philosophy. 

 Pragmatism — the term was first used 

 by James's friend, Charles S. Peirce, 

 in this journal — is called on the title 

 page of his book " a new name for an 

 old way of thinking." It is largely 

 the method of science applied to phi- 

 losophy, but it is after all what James 

 thought and said and wrote. His per- 

 sonality and its expression, the intel- 

 lect swayed by the will and the emo- 

 tions, have made a deep impression 

 not only on professional philosophy, 

 but in the world of men. 



James inherited his brilliant liter- 

 ary skill from his father and shared 

 it with his brother. His education 

 was long and irregular. He did not 

 graduate from Harvard, but studied 

 art and was with Agassiz in Brazil. 

 From 1872 to 1880 he was instructor 

 and assistant professor of comparative 

 anatomy and physiology at Harvard, 

 then professor of philosophy, then of 

 psychology and then again of philos- 

 ophy. 



It is not probable that James left 

 unpublished manuscripts, but his let- 

 ters would form a volume of surpass- 

 ing interest, though it may be that 

 they are too personal for publication. 

 The writer ventures to reproduce the 

 concluding parts of the last two which 

 he received, the one from Cambridge 

 and the other from Bad Nauheim, 

 where he had gone for treatment of 



the disease that so soon proved fatal. 

 James at first declined on account of 

 his health to accept the active presi- 

 dency of the International Congress of 

 Psychology to be held in this country. 

 ! There was no one else to take the 

 place, so when difficulties arose he 

 played his part with characteristic 

 loyalty and self-sacrifice. 



NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL 

 SCIENTIFIC CONGRESSES 

 Among the various gatherings of sci- 

 entific men held during the present 

 summer two American meetings and 

 several international congresses were 

 of special importance. The national 

 conservation congress held at St. Paul 

 at the beginning of September was a 

 truly notable event, bringing together 

 men eminent in various pursuits to 

 consider problems which are essen- 

 tially scientific in character. Presi- 

 dent Taft's admirable address — printed 

 in the present issue of the Monthly 

 in its authorized form — shows how 

 carefully he has considered questions 

 which touch public policy on one side 

 and science on the other. Mr. Taft 

 stated that he inherited the policy of 

 conservation from his predecessor, and 

 Mr. Roosevelt and several leading 

 members of his administration, Mr. 

 Pinchot, Mr. Garfield and Mr. Wilson, 

 took an active part in the proceedings. 

 Governors of states and many men 

 prominent in education, in philan- 





