March 2, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



333 



is the uecessary result of the growth of 

 physical science — of our ability to state 

 things as interconnected parts of a me- 

 chanism. Physical science has for the time 

 being far outrun psychical. We have mas- 

 tered the physical mechanism sufficiently to 

 turn out possible ^oods ; we have not gained 

 a knowledge of the conditions through which 

 possible values become actual in life, and so 

 are still at the mercy of habit, of haphazard, 

 and hence of force. 



Psychology, after all, simply states the 

 mechanism through which conscious value 

 and meaning are introduced into human 

 experience. As it makes its way, and is 

 progressively applied to history and all the 

 social sciences, weoan anticipate no other 

 outcome than increasing control in the eth- 

 ical sphere — the nature and extent of which 

 can be best judged by considering the revo- 

 lution that has taken place in the control 

 of physical nature through a knowledge of 

 her oixier. Psj'chology will never provide 

 ready-made materials and prescriptions for 

 the ethical life, any more than physics dic- 

 tates off-hand the steam engine and the 

 dynamo. But science, both physical and 

 psychological, makes known the conditions 

 upon which certain results depend, and 

 therefore puts at the disposal of life a 

 method for controlling them. Psychology 

 will never tell us just what to do ethically, 

 nor just how to do it. But it will aiford us 

 insight into the conditions which control 

 the formation and execution of aims, and 

 thus enable human effort to expend itself 

 sanely, rationally and with assurance. We 

 are not called upon to be either boasters or 

 sentimentalists regarding the possibilities 

 of our science. It is best, for the most parb, 

 that we should stick to our particular jobs 

 of investigation and reflection as they come 

 to us. But we certainly are entitled in 

 this daily work to be sustained by the con- 

 viction that we are not working in indiffer- 

 ence to or at cross-purposes with the prac- 



tical strivings of our common humanity. 

 The psychologist, in his most remote and 

 technical occupation with mechanism, is 

 contributing his bit to that ordered knowl- 

 edge which alone enables mankind to se- 

 cure a larger and to direct a more equal 

 flow of values in life. 



John Dewey. 

 Univeesity of Chicago. 



THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. 



The twelfth annual session of the Marine 

 Biological Laboratory at Woods Holl, 

 Mass., which was held during the past 

 summer, was lacking in none of the ele- 

 ments of interest and success which have 

 made former sessions notable, while several 

 new and valuable features were added last 

 year for the first time. In addition to the 

 regular courses of instruction in Zoology, 

 Embryology and Botany, there was given 

 last year, under the direction of Professor 

 Loeb, a course on Comparative Physiology. 

 Such a course can be given advanta- 

 geously only at the seashore where living 

 animals of all classes may be had in abun- 

 dance. In the organization of this course 

 the Woods Holl Laboratory has taken a 

 unique and advanced position which can- 

 not fail to yield valuable results not 

 only to research but also to physiological 

 instruction throughout the country. An- 

 other notable feature was the course of 

 lectures and demonstrations in Compara- 

 tive Psychology given by Dr. Thorndike. 

 This coui'se was followed with the keenest 

 interest by a large number of persons at 

 Woods Holl. The general lectures, a vol- 

 ume of which is published annually, were 

 unusually numerous and valuable. The fa- 

 cilities for dredging in deep water and for 

 making extensive collecting trips were 

 never before so good, thanks to the courte- 

 sies of the Fish Commission Station. The 

 United States Fish Commission steamer, 

 Fishhaivk and schooner Grampus, were sta- 



