^34 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



LITERARY NOTICES. 



The Emotions and the AVill. By Alex- 

 ander Bain, LL. D., Professor of Logic 

 ia the University of Abeideen. Pp. 

 604. Price, $5. Kew Yorlc : D. Apple- 

 ton & Co. 



The author of this work stands among 

 the very foremost in the school of modern 

 scientific psychology, which has its chief 

 development in Great Britain. His two 

 principal works, " The Senses and Intel- 

 lect " and " The Emotions and the Will," 

 are widely known as giving the only com- 

 plete and systematic account of mental phe- 

 nomena from a modern point of view. As 

 we know iiothing of mind, except as an 

 organic manifestation as physically em- 

 bodied and working- its effects through a 

 complex and wonderful vital machinery 

 no exposition of it can be regarded as scien- 

 tific or complete that leaves the material 

 side of the phenomena out of account. We 

 have often insisted upon this, and must 

 continue to do so ; for the importance of 

 the truth is only equaled by the inveteracy 

 with which the futile and exhausted meta- 

 physical method is still clung to in the 

 general study of mind. There is hardly a 

 chapter of either of Dr. Bain's books that 

 is not a virtual demonstration of the ne- 

 cessity of including the physical accom- 

 paniments of mind in any treatment of 

 it that claims to be scientific in method, 

 and valuable in application. The general 

 adoption of these works as college and 

 high-school text-books would give a new 

 and valuable element to our higher culture. 

 Mental philosophy would then become 

 what it ought to be, a study of human 

 character, and such an analysis and under- 

 standing of the constitution of man as 

 would give us a better interpretation than 

 hitherto of his relations to surrounding Na- 

 ture. 



The third edition of " The Emotions 

 and the Will " has been thoroughly revised 

 at every point. Although it may seem a 

 hopeless task to introduce quantitative in- 

 quiries involving much precision into psy- 

 chology, yet, as Dr. Bain remarks, it is 

 essential to the scientific handling of the 

 subject, and he has accordingly given much 

 attention to the problem of degrees of in- 



tensity and force in regard to the feelings, 

 and to the extension and improvement of 

 the means adopted in this branch of psychi- 

 cal investigation. 



But perhans the most significant feature 

 of the new edition of this work is its recon- 

 struction with reference to the doctrine of 

 evolution. As the eminent comparative anat- 

 omist of Germany, Gegenbauer, reorganized 

 his great biological work so as to bring it 

 into harmony with evolutionary views, and 

 as Sir Charles Lyell recast his " Principles 

 of Geology " so as to base it upon the doc- 

 trine of development and descent. Dr. Bain 

 has now done the same thing with his elab- 

 orate treatise upon the Uiind. Herbert 

 Spencer had indeed grounded psychology 

 upon evolution in a remarkable work pub- 

 lished twenty years ago ; but it was far in 

 advance of the thought of the time, and 

 even progressive psychologists have but 

 slowly come up to his position. Prof. Baia 

 fully recognizes the eminence and authority 

 of Mr. Spencer in this field of psychologi- 

 cal investigation. 



The Teacher's Handbook for the Insti- 

 tute AND THE Class-Room. By William 

 F. Phelps, M. A., Principal of the State 

 Normal School, Winona, Minnesota. 

 Pp. 333. Price, $1.50. New York : A. 

 S. Barnes & Co. 



This little work by an experienced edu- 

 cator, who is also an enthusiast in his pro- 

 fession, may be regarded as the outcome 

 of the mos^ advanced and perfected meth- 

 ods of instruction in the American school 

 system. It is a text-book for teachers in 

 acquiring the art of their vocation, and aims 

 to familiarize them both with the theoreti- 

 cal principles and the practical processes 

 by which general education should be con- 

 ducted in schools, under the control of the 

 state. Prof. Phelps is an ardent advocate 

 of state education, and urges it on the usu- 

 al ground of political necessity in a popu- 

 lar government. And whatever question 

 there may be as to the right or wrong, or 

 the good and bad of this policy, we have 

 entered upon it, and are committed to it, 

 and nothing remains but to meet the re- 

 sponsibilities and discharge the duties that 

 grow out of it. Such a system inevitably 

 results in comprehensive organization. 

 With system in study there comes grada- 



