284 The American Naturalist. [March, 
PSYCHOLOGY. 
The American Society for Psychical Research—Is a thing 
of the past. It was disbanded as a separate organization when 
its fifth and last annual meeting was held in the lecture room of the 
Boston Society of Natural History, and it became a branch of the 
English society. Prof. William James presided at the meeting, 
which was attended by about 200 members and associate members and 
their friends, Secretary Hodgson read the records of the last meeting, 
the certificate of the auditors that the financial statement for the year 
ending in 1889 was correct, and the report of the treasurer for the year 
just closed. By the latter it appeared that the receipts were $3898, the 
expenses $3542, and the balance on hand $356. Mr. W. L. Parker 
and Dr. Morton Prince were appointed to audit this account. 
Dr. E. G. Gardiner was then called upon by the president to give 
the views of the council of administration in regard to a proposition 
that the American society become a branch of the English organiza- 
tion. He said that the council found, some time ago, that the society 
was not receiving a sufficient amount of funds to properly carry on its 
work of psychical research. The members were asked if they would 
submit to an increase in their dues; but few of them agreed to this, 
and though a number of donations were received from friends, their 
sum was not large enough for the needs of ‘the society, At this 
juncture the council communicated with the English society, which 
offered to form a branch in this country, of which any member or asso- 
ciate member of the American organization might become a member 
on the payment of annual dues amounting to $3. The English 
members are required to pay $5 per annum, but these in this country 
would have all the privileges of those in England, except that of voting, 
and would get copies of all the publications of the society, including 
the monthly journal and the annual proceedings. It was the desire of 
English society to retain the American secretary, and it had guaranteed 
his salary for one year, but it would have to receive financial aid from 
America to continue employing him after the expiration of that time. 
Three American vice-presidents—Prof. S. P. Langley of the Smith- 
sonian Institute, Prof. William James of Cambridge, and Prof. H. P. 
Bowditch of the Harvard Medical School—have already been elected, 
and they would form an advisory board for this country. 
Dr. Gardiner said there seemed to be no choice but to disband, for 
the society did not have the money to go on. It would cost less to 
maintain a branch of the English society than it would to support a 

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