284 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



nizes the necessity of a psychological point of view and technique ; law 

 has caught a glimpse of the fact that it has to deal with human nature ; 

 the ministry has hit upon the fact that the soul which is to be saved 

 and made like unto the divine is the human mind; the merchant has 

 discovered that impression, attention, interest, satisfaction and action 

 in salesmanship can be enhanced by knowledge of the laws of human 

 nature; the manufacturer is beginning to realize that skill, invention, 

 economy of process, etc., can be improved by knowledge of the nature 

 and laws of the psychophysic organism; the great wave of interest in 

 the conservation movement which is sweeping over this country reveals 

 the fact that the most serious depredations we have to check are the in- 

 roads upon the human mind, and the most precious resource which the 

 country has to conserve is the mental energy of the race; preventive 

 medicine and eugenics invoke the science of the mind to decrease ills 

 and increase power, happiness and beauty of mind. 



In short there is a very great demand for applied psychology. The 

 world believes in it. What, then, shall be our attitude toward this de- 

 mand ? I venture to suggest a point of view in the following four prop- 

 ositions : 



1. The facts of psychology are fast becoming common knowledge 

 which will profoundly influence thought and action. Men in all walks 

 of life will apply their knowledge of mental life; but, be they ever so 

 well grounded in this science, psychology is not their calling, and they 

 will treat it merely as one of many points of view in their broad out- 

 look. 



2. All psychology is more or less practical. The psychology of the 

 class-room is not a mere decorative frill, and we are not all the time 

 tuning our fiddles in the academic laboratory ; but the primary aim and 

 ambition in all is academical, and it should be. 



3. Research in pure science is farsighted, and thus ultimately of the 

 greatest service. The work must be fundamental. This is its chief 

 merit and distinguishing trait. If the investigator who gave Marconi 

 the principles of wireless telegraphy had aimed directly at the saving 

 of ships at sea, he would probably have failed; but he devoted himself 

 to the mastery of an abstract principle and laid a large foundation. 

 Countless achievements may be built upon this foundation. 



4. There remains a distinct field for the consulting psychologist, an 

 expert in psychology who may be employed as adviser in matters per- 

 taining to the ascertained facts of mental life with reference to their 

 bearing upon a given practical situation, or may be employed to search 

 for or verify such facts by special investigation. He is the Marconi of 

 psychology ; the man who works out the application. 



For convenience we may divide the field open to the consulting 

 psychologist into four large divisions, namely, (1) mental pathology. 



