ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON PSYCHOLOGY . 203 



the obsen^ations themselves require the constant presence of trained 

 observers, together with the carrying out of systematic and exact 

 measurements. All this is an undertaking of such complexity and 

 magnitude that nothing but a central establishment, where the con- 

 ditions may be made constant and the observers free from other 

 undertakings, would be adequate. This should be undertaken as 

 part of the project, if such be carried out, of an experimental farm 

 established for the investigation of biological and genetic problems. 

 Failing that, however, a psychological station of the sort mentioned 

 might well be established, at very moderate cost, in connection with 

 one of the larger zoological parks of the country, to begin certain 

 well planned researches. Washington presents facilities of this sort, 

 and your Committee urgentlj' recommends that this project be at 

 once entered upon. By doing this the Carnegie Institution would 

 be absolutely the first agency in the field for accomplishing work 

 for which the time is ripe, and for which other agencies are stren- 

 uously exerting themselves in a partial waj^ under their peculiar 

 limitations. The cooperation of Psychology and Zoology in this 

 matter is most desirable. 



The second department of research under this general head of 

 Genetic Psychology is that known as Anthropological Psychology. 

 As the term indicates, this department investigates the psycholog- 

 ical processes — in short, the minds — of races and peoples at every 

 stage of culture. The urgency of the undertaking from the anthro- 

 pological side has been recognized and, in many instances, met by 

 private provision in recent years. It only needs stating that many 

 savage peoples are rapidly disappearing from the earth, carrying 

 with them all that is living of their customs, institutions, supersti- 

 tions, religions, and mental parts in general. This only needs to be 

 stated to convince the intelligent sympathizer with science that it 

 is a principal duty of the modern world to collect facts in chosen 

 regions while these facts still remain to be collected. Hitherto, 

 however, the anthropologists have worked largel}^ without the 

 cooperation of psychologists. Despite the best efforts of anthro- 

 pologists and their full sympathy with the psychological problems, 

 their expeditions have not been properly manned for the carr>nng 

 out of mental researches. Such work may be illustrated by the 

 English expedition sent out by Cambridge University to the Torres 

 Straits, with which a psychologist was sent having a fairly good 

 equipment. The published results fuU}^ justified expectations. 

 Psychological work was also attempted in connection with the recent 



