576 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXV. No. 641 



The 'economic man' of the text-books is 

 unlike the actual man (and woman) of 

 society, because he is often swayed by a 

 group of impulses, emotions and psychic 

 phases which have little reference to his 

 gain or loss and range into the irrational 

 or pathological. Many illustrations might 

 be given from history or from current 

 events. The inflation of stock-exchange 

 dealings, real-estate booms; speculative 

 'buying for a rise' in commodities, holi- 

 day gifts, bargain-counter rushes; wed- 

 ding, funeral and religious expenditures. 

 The imitation of the crowd seems a large 

 factor, and in spite of the spread of knowl- 

 edge and useful inventions, the range of 

 rise and fall in prices is more extreme and 

 the psychic factors equally important. 



Econotnic and Social Conditions of Porto 

 Rico: John L. Hogan, New York. 

 The main need of this people is now in- 

 itiative and leadership in lines of product- 

 ive enterprises with which the Porto Ricans 

 ai-e themselves more or less acquainted and 

 which are based on utilizing their natural 

 resources and their climatic advantages, as 

 in the growing of tropical fruits, canning 

 vegetable products, etc. Their talent as 

 lace-makers is a fine art that is being devel- 

 oped by at least one company which is 

 introducing the needlework of Porto Rican 

 women and children to the markets of the 

 United States. The government has suc- 

 ceeded only moderately in promoting pros- 

 perity ; the main reliance is now and always 

 on far-sighted private enterprise. 



The Charter and Work of the Board of 



Education of St. Louis: Calvin M. 



Woodward, St. Louis. 



The discussion of the subject included 



details of the charter, the reasons for its 



adoption, the organization and work of the 



board, its non-partisan character and how 



it is maintained. Some obvious fruits of 



the general policy adopted by the board 

 were described. The reports of the board 

 give much information on these topics. 



Ethical Training for Efficient Citizenship: 



Felix Adler, New York. 



An outline of the qualities which have 

 been regarded as essential for good citizen- 

 ship, from the days of Plato (see his 'Re- 

 public') and Aristotle (see his 'Politics') 

 to the present time. 



Training for Physical Efficiency as an Aim 



of Education: G. 0. Brewster, New 



York. 



Present methods of physical training aim 

 to improve the body in both normal and 

 abnormal conditions. Exercises known as 

 hygienic and corrective are employed to 

 this end. The highest aim of education is 

 the development of reason, and reason must 

 have facts as a basis. In present methods 

 of physical education I have been unable to 

 discover reason, inasmuch as there are no 

 facts or definite knowledge of the chief sub- 

 ject under consideration employed. The 

 chief consideration is the individual, and a 

 definite knowledge of himself is necessary 

 to a reasonable understanding of his work 

 in physical education. The smattering of 

 physiology and hygiene, which the pupil 

 receives during the formative period of 

 life, aims to conceal rather than reveal the 

 facts of life, from fecundation to birth and 

 from birth to death. 



Our aim is supposedly to leave better 

 men and women in our places than we are, 

 and to accomplish this result we must give 

 them the benefit of our mistakes through 

 our lack of knowledge or whatever cause 

 regardless of pride and personal feeling. 



In my experience in school teaching and 

 the practise of medicine in this city, I came 

 to feel that ignorance of the structure and 

 functions of the body was accountable for 

 the majority of humanity's ills. 



