CONGRESS OF ARTS AND SCIENCE. 17 



which has exerted a profound influence alike upon educational theory 

 and upon religious thought, and withal a practical student and expert 

 adviser in conspicuously active touch with the complex organization of 

 instruction in our schools. Commissioner Harris doubtless traced 

 the history of social culture from its first beginnings, as the unfolding 

 temporal expression of an immanent purpose realizing itself through 

 the instrumentality of human institutions, and having therefore from 

 the start a unity of aim, at once natural and divine, namely, the per- 

 fection of spiritual citizenship in a rational society of personal selves. 



Thus it was, in a general way, that these ' seven wise men ' opened 

 the gates of their respective fields of science. It is unfortunate that 

 the aspiring listener was limited to the choice of a single one of this 

 series. These men and their discourses have been chosen for specific 

 characterization because they furnish a clue to the diversities as well as 

 to the unities which pervaded the whole of the congress. 



The divisional addresses over, the twenty-four departments were 

 free to open fire. These were operated, eight at a time, at three inter- 

 vals, scheduled for the late mornings and for the early and the late 

 afternoons, respectively. It was thus possible for, say, the philosopher 

 to do his duty by his own department at 11.15 while enjoying that of 

 psvchology at 2, with the freedom after 4 to choose between education, 

 religion, sociology or some department farther afield, or yet again, to 

 see something of the fair ! 



Xo account of the departments can be given which would be at all 

 representative. Their titles have been already indicated under each of 

 the divisions. It should be recorded that in general the departmental 

 meetings were conducted by Americans, one in the chair and two with 

 prepared addresses respectively on fundamental conceptions and 

 methods, and on the history of progress during the last century. In 

 some cases the fundamental character of the conceptions and methods 

 discussed might be opened to question, and in others the ancient 

 habit of beginning any history with Adam was not successfully in- 

 hibited, yet on the whole these departmental discourses did conform 

 to the specifications prescribed, and the two addresses nicely supple- 

 mented each other. It remains only to illustrate the personnel a 

 little more fully. 



Taking philosophy as the first on the program, its chairman was 

 Professor Borden P. Bowne, of Boston -University, valued for his con- 

 servative temper, constructive scholarship, and the keen, clear and in- 

 teresting analysis long familiar to a group of grateful students and 

 readers. The historical paper was presented by Professor George 

 Trumbull Ladd, celebrated for the comprehensiveness and thoroughness 

 of his productive erudition over the whole field of mental and moral 

 philosophy and as one who helped to lay the cornerstone of experi- 

 mental psychology in America, whose name is honorably associated with 



Veil.. I. XVI. -2. 



