196 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVIII. No. 450. 



imperfect or combative tendencies prac- 

 tically came to their American end in the 

 year 1887, when the American Journal of 

 Psychology was founded by President Hall, 

 and Professor George Trumbull Ladd pub- 

 lished his 'Elements of Physiological Psy- 

 chology.' This was the first book to pre- 

 sent a careful, synthetic statement of 

 psycho-physical facts in the English 

 language. Through the double reason of 

 their priority in time and their scientific 

 saneness, these two foundations have had 

 the most influence upon the tenor of later 

 American psychology: the one by its em- 

 phasis upon research, the other for the 

 academic presentation of the new subject 

 and interpretations of the higher mani- 

 festations of mind. For the virtues of a 

 science are largely to be sought in the two 

 directions of original investigation and 

 adequate teaching. The following year, 

 1888, witnessed the establishment of the 

 first American chair for psychology alone 

 with a laboratory at the University of 

 Pennsylvania, with Professor J. McKeen 

 Cattell in the chair. Here, also, I believe, 

 was given the first instruction in experi- 

 mental psychology to undergraduate stu- 

 dents. Our stock in trade was increased 

 in the two years following by the appear- 

 ance of Professor J. Mark Baldwin's 

 'Handbook of Psychology' (first part, 

 1889), and Professor William James's 

 long-awaited 'The Principles of Psychol- 

 ogy' (1890). Here at last came a mighty 

 reinforcement to the psychological impetus, 

 which had been dealing so long in 'first 

 things, ' and whose momentum was growing 

 so rapidly; and here came also that added 

 rich fiavor Avhich has placed American psy- 

 chology upon the high pedestal of literary 

 expression, and made it most palatable to 

 the popular mind, while being descriptively 

 in close accord with the facts. 



In 1891, our esteemed president began 

 the publication of his splendidly organized 

 and selected work, ' A Laboratory Course in 

 Physiological Psychology.' This second 

 great American step in the adoption of a 

 pedagogical method was sure to be taken, 

 and thus early did a pioneer selective 

 teacher enable the transformed science to 

 take its accredited position among uni- 

 versity studies. 



In these varied ways of laboratories, 

 chairs and systematic literature, Americati 

 psychology took on a splendid and resist- 

 less form of organization in the univer- 

 sities and colleges, whence radiated the 

 multiple specialties which were developed 

 by those who followed the leadei-ship of 

 these agencies in our higher education. 

 An additional item taken from a more 

 popular gauge of psychological values 

 offers a fitting opportunity to make the 

 contrasts between the psychology that had 

 been and the psychology that was soon to 

 be. The National Educational Association 

 of the United States, at its Toronto meet- 

 ing in 1891, gave a pinch of attention to 

 experimental psychology. Two round 

 tables, presided over by President Hall, 

 were permitted, but not recognized as a 

 part of the work of the association. The 

 American policy of indebting itself to the 

 Old World continued during these years 

 in the usual double fashion of sending our 

 students abroad for psychological special- 

 ization and by bringing in translations of 

 foreign literature. This double mode of 

 our enrichment has placed a blanket mort- 

 gage, I fear, upon the stability of the 

 confidence of the American academic ad- 

 ministrators in the resources of our own 

 institutions. Certain additional features 

 in the situation ten years ago may be re- 

 served for more fitting mention later. 



