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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXII. No. 811 



synthetic a priori, but constructive. This is 

 true of all mathematical demonstrations, in- 

 eluding the method of reasoning by recur- 

 rence, which is only one form and a relatively 

 rare one. He further distinguishes between 

 the mathematics of functions of three or more 

 variables and the geometry of space. Intui- 

 tive geometry is not a mathematical, but a 

 natural science. Finally he holds that M. 

 Poineare has often wrongly been classed as a 

 pragmatist. 



9. A. Binet and Th. Simon: Language and 

 Thought (56 pp.). — By means of their 

 " metric scale of intelligence," described 

 above, the authors are able to determine the 

 degree of intelligence of a mentally deficient 

 person, as equivalent to that of a normal 

 child of such or such an age. The study of 

 imbeciles, idiots, etc., makes it possible to de- 

 termine exactly what intellectual acquisitions 

 would be possible for a normal child of any 

 particular age, giving results which can not 

 be obtained from the study of the child him- 

 self, because his continuing development car- 

 ries him beyond the level that one desires to 

 study before he has exhausted all its possibil- 

 ities. Applying this new psychogenic method, 

 the authors believe that they have established 

 by means of precise observations the fact 

 that " there exists thought without images, 

 and without words, and that thought itself 

 consists of an intellectual feeling (un senti- 

 ment intellectuel)." This vague feeling be- 

 comes precise and detailed, when it produces 

 images, words and acts; but these latter come 

 after the thought. 



10. 0. Chabot: Hygiene and Pedagogy 

 (15 pp.). — Modern civilization presents this 

 antinomy: there are more and more things 

 which must be learned in order to keep up 

 with the times or gain a livelihood; but the 

 accomplishment of this necessary labor is 

 vain if it ruins the health of the present gen- 

 eration and the future of the race. Schol- 

 astic hygiene has a large role to play. But 

 it must be within limits. It would be a mis- 

 take, for instance, to condemn work in the 

 schools according to the fatigue that it pro- 

 duces. Hygienic regulations must not inter- 



fere with the right of the teacher to regulate 

 the work of the scholars who are weU, and to 

 determine in what manner a mind or a char- 

 acter is to be formed. 



11. G. Cantecor: Pragmatism (25 pp.). — 

 After examining at length its origin, its con- 

 tent and its value, the author finds in prag- 

 matism neither definite problem, nor method- 

 ical discussion, nor exact solutions, but only 

 vague affirmations, equivocal statements, 

 hasty improvisations. 



12. E. Maigre: A Study of Eeflection (10 

 pp.). — Experiments of "Watt, Aeh and Messer 

 show that a predetermined relationship influ- 

 ences an association usually in a subconscious 

 manner. Binet arrives at a similar conclu- 

 sion. Lindley, however, and others hold that 

 a problem is solved by repeated conscious 

 trials, setting out from the given data. These 

 divergent results may be due to the extreme 

 simplicity of the problems given by the first 

 mentioned experimenters. It is clear that the 

 effort of thought becomes more and more vol- 

 untary and conscious, in proportion as a prob- 

 lem is complicated, as is illustrated by re- 

 searches of Biihler and Gard. The author's 

 own observations confirm and complete these 

 results. He believes that it is a feeling (senti- 

 ment) on the part of the subject that arrests 

 the associative mechanism when it has led to 

 an association which does not conform to the 

 problem, and that leads to new associations, 

 rather than to a repetition of the old, when 

 one starts again from the first idea. The re- 

 turn itself to the first idea may be a voluntary 

 or an automatic act. Souriau's theory that 

 " by reflection we find more easily ideas apart 

 from the subject that occupies us than on the 

 subject itself," may be occasionally true, but 

 it is no more worthy of being generally fol- 

 lowed than would be a theory that it is neces- 

 sary to solve all problems in sleep because 

 some solutions are found in that way. 



13. A. Binet: A Test of Experimental 

 Cheiromancy (15 pp.). — For many years M. 

 Binet has been studying the various external 

 physical signs, such as form of the head, 

 physiognomy, handwriting, that give some 

 indications in regard to intelligence and 



