874 The American Naturalist. [September, 
In light of so explicit a disclaimer I must withdraw the objection- 
able word and ascribe the omissions in part to fundamental differences 
.between Professor Baldwin’s thought and my own, and in part to the 
limitations of space. I need only say that after writing but before 
printing the review in question I carefully reread those portions of 
Professor Baldwin’s larger work which dealt with the topics I had in 
mind and failed to find what I sought. And while most of us, I fancy, 
bring our general psychology with us when we attempt to master a 
technical treatise like Professor Baldwin’s, we do not all feel justified 
in ascribing to an author doctrines which his words, taken in their 
most obvious sense, would seem to exclude, however important those 
doctrines seem to the reader, or however widely they are accepted by 
others.— W. R. N. 
«'The Psychic Factor.” By CmarLeEs Van Norpen, D.D, 
LL. D.’—Tbis is a somewhat disappointing book. At the outset it 
challenges interest. The author finds the justification for its appear- 
ance “in the unsettled condition of the metaphysical world, in the mar- 
velous strides of biological and psychological discovery, and the utter 
demoralization of the old psychology,” and endeavors to cover in 217 
pages the whole field of comparative and analytic psychology, with a 
glance aside at supernormal and pathological phenomena. The book 
is written in a vigorous and attractive style and the author betrays an 
enviable command of fact and illustration. Furthermore, it is of in- 
terest as being one of the earliest attempts to incorporate the tentative 
results of current psychical research into a textbook on psychology. 
The earlier chapters sketch in a few words some of the more inter- 
esting manifestations of consciousness in lower forms of life, and trace 
the evolution of the nervous system. In the second section on con- 
sciousness in general, the author endeavors to escape from current 
psychological conceptions and to deal with attention, with the “en- 
chaining and grouping function of consciousness ” and with the influ- 
ence of mental states on organic functions from a point of view more in 
harmony with the newer psychology. The third section, on subcon- 
sciousness, endeayors to bring the phenomena of hypnosis, secondary 
personality, ete.. into line with the phenomena of normal sleep. But 
telepathy and clairvoyance, although acknowledged, remain patches 
on the garment of the author’s thought. His treatment of sensation 
calls for no especial comment, and in his analysis of the “ cognitive 
powers,” of feeling and of will, Dr. Van Norden frankly relapses into 
the old psychology which he regards as so utterly demoralized. 
2? New York, D. Appleton & Co., 1884. 
