October 1, 1886.] 



SCIENCE. 



303 



dictata of consciousness to be the whole sphere of 

 psychology, started with these and reasoned out a 

 complete so-called science, the new psychology mod- 

 estly starts with physiological experiments, and re- 

 cords the psychological results. It works from with- 

 out inward. It begins with external conditions which 

 it can control, and, by subjecting these to as exact and 

 accurate measurements as are known in modern sci- 

 ence, it observes the corresponding mental phenome- 

 na. We can conceive of almost any other criticism be- 

 ing brought against psychophysics than that it is unsci- 

 entific or inaccurate. Whether it is a fruitful study, 

 or has thus far repaid the immense labor expended 

 upon it, may be questioned ; but that it is character- 

 ized by the most patient research, the most precise 

 measurements, the most cautious conclusions, and a 

 scientific spirit that the old psychology never ap- 

 proached, cannot be reasonably denied. 



As regards the psychopbysic law of Weber, under 

 the following statement it has been generally ac- 

 cepted, and found useful and suggestive : " The dif- 

 ference between two excitations, must, in order that 

 the differences in sensation be equally appreciable, 

 grow proportionally to the magnitude of the excita- 

 tions." The mathematical statement of the same by 

 Techner — "The sensation grows as the logarithm 

 of the excitation" — has given I'ise to the question 

 whether differences in sensations can be expressed in 

 terms of quantitative measurements. This objection 

 is urged by Zeller, and rejected by Wundt. It im- 

 plies the old error of a physical world without, and a 

 spiritual world within, which have nothing in com- 

 mon. While Wundt's position here is theoretically 

 correct, the question may nevertheless be raised, 

 whether, ultimately, differences in sensations are not 

 ■qualitative rather than quantitative differences. 



Geo. T. White. 



Science for a livelihood. 



I have just read the communications of C. B. of 

 New York and W. F. Flint of New Hampshire in 

 Nos. 188 and 189 of Science, under the above head- 

 ing, in which there is a strain of lament over the 

 frugal table which the field of science has spread for 

 ambitious young men who desire to live, or at least 

 exist, on a purely scientific diet. As I deem the sub- 

 ject of vital interest to nearly every young man with 

 scientific tendencies about to choose a profession, I 

 desire to add a few words. 



I graduated in the spring of 1884 from a scientific 

 department of the Kansas state university. After 

 taking a pretty thorough general course of study as 

 an undergraduate, I fini.shed my work by spending 

 two years in 'the Natural history laboratory, under 

 the direction of Prof. F. H. Snow. If I did not re- 

 ceive a ' good ' or 'first-rate scientific education.' I 

 did, at least, master a few principles, and laid a 

 foundation for future work and study. During my 

 last year in the laboratory, I had the refusal of two 

 positions as teacher of natural history, both of which 

 paid good living salaries. Within a year's time after 

 graduation, I was offered three positions, with no 

 salary less than twelve hundred dollars. Meanwhile 

 I had not made a single application for a position. 



George F. Gaumer, Annie E. Mozley, and Eichard 

 Foster graduated from the same department while I 

 was in the lower classes, and all three have held 

 good positions. Gaumer went to Cuba, then to Yu- 

 catan, and afterwards to various parts of Central 



America. On his return, after an absence of three 

 years, he reported fine success, particularly in a 

 financial way. He cleared twenty-five hundred dol- 

 lars by selling specimens of the golden turkey, and 

 increased his finances in various ways as a collecting 

 naturalist. But this was only a small part of his 

 success. He collected many rare birds and insects, 

 some of which were new to science, and returned 

 with a reputation as a rising young naturalist, to re- 

 ceive an appointment as professor of natural history 

 in the University of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Richard 

 Foster speaks for himself as professor of natural his- 

 tory in Howard university, Washington, D.C. 



W. C. Stevens graduated from the natural his- 

 tory department in 1885, and immediately received 

 a good position as a teacher of natural history. J. D. 

 McLaren graduated from the same department with 

 the class of '86, and in less than a month's time his 

 scientific training secured him a position as teacher 

 at a hundred and fifteen dollars per month. W. H. 

 Brown, member of the senior class, who has spent 

 but a single year in the department, went to the 

 Smithsonian institute tc^spend a month of his sum- 

 mer vacation, and learn what he could by observa- 

 tion, expecting to return, however, and resume his 

 work in the laboratory. But, alas ! news soon came 

 that his enthusiasm and skill had secured him a good 

 place with increasing wages. 



As much, if not more, might be said of the 

 students of the other scientific departments of the 

 university. All the graduates from the ' course in 

 chemistry and physics ' are professors enjoying envi- 

 able positions as well as good salaries. Many of the 

 advanced undergraduate students from this course 

 hold respectable positions, and receive good wages. 



I must be brief as possible, but not so brief as to 

 omit the civil engineering department, the graduates 

 of which receive larger salaries, perhaps, than those 

 laboring in other scientific fields. The most surpris- 

 ing thing about this department is, that there is such 

 a present demand for the young men, that nearly all 

 of them are called into the field to hold responsible 

 positions, and receive remunerative wages before 

 they have finished their work in the department. 



As regards the ' wealth ' and ' friends ' of the 

 young men of whom I have spoken, allow me to say 

 that all of the graduates, with a possible single ex- 

 ception, were farmer boys who earned with their 

 own hands most if not all the money which kept 

 them at the university. And the only ' friends ' they 

 had ' to forward them in their chosen fields ' were 

 those which industry and good progress won for 

 them in those fields. 



I think the facts will bear me out in saying that 

 no (Jlass of Kansas young men are doing better, or 

 have more brilliant prospects, than those which have 

 done good work in the scientific departments of the 

 university. L. L. Dyche. 



Lawrence, Kan., Sept. 20. 



Photography of the solar corona. 



Accounts have appeai-ed in your journal, of my 

 attempts to photograph the corona of the sun without 

 an eclipse. Many of the plates obtained presented 

 appearances which, not to myself only, but to several 

 scientific men who must certainly be considered to be 

 among those who are exceptionally competent to give 

 an opinion on this point, seemed to be most probably 

 due to the corona. Plates taken in England about 



