156 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. VL, No. 133. 



fore now recommended, in circular No. 5, an 

 investigation of possible thought-transference 

 in case of the ideas of geometrical forms, the 

 first set of experiments reported on in appen- 

 dix B having especiall}' dealt with conceptions 

 of number and color. 



' Results,' we sa}', the sensation-seeking 

 public cannot just yet find. But then the word 

 ^ results,' as we here quote it, is not identical 

 in meaning with what science usuall}" calls re- 

 sults. For man}' people, ps3xhical research is 

 nothing, unless it finds wonders ; and b}' ' re- 

 sults ' such people mean something to marvel 

 at. But psychology is not concerned to find 

 marvels ; and the negative outcome of these 

 experiments, as thus far developed, is neither 

 disappointing nor fruitless. The existence of 

 thought-transference of some sort has, indeed, 

 so far been neither proved nor disproved by 

 the work of the society. And, as was known 

 at the outset, the range within which thought- 

 transference can noticeably operate, has long 

 been shown by the practical tests of dail}' 

 business and social life to be at least a decid- 

 edly limited range ; since, as a fact, we find it 

 constantly possible to keep important secrets 

 of all common sorts from curious intruders by 

 the simple device of strict silence concerning 

 them. Yet even the negative answer of the 

 experiments is, so far as it goes, alread}' a 

 valuable answer; and, most important of all, 

 the lines of experiment now begun alread}' 

 promise to prove frutiful beyond the range of 

 the direct discussion of thought-transference. 



As is shown in the report on the answers to 

 circular No. 4, the eflTort to discover the exist- 

 ence of thought-transference in case of the 

 number-concepts has led to the observation 

 of certain tendencies in the mind of at least one 

 ' percipient,' to follow certain systems of asso- 

 ciation in giving his numbers. Minute as 

 seems at first sight the importance of such 

 observations, it is out of just such facts that 

 fruitful generalizations have grown elsewhere 

 in the sciences of experience ; and so it may 

 be here. In fact, if we may venture a guess 

 as to the future, it would be the verj- presump- 

 tuous conjecture, that the societ}^ ma}' find its 

 search for thought-transference, and for other 

 phenomena of the mental El Dorado, as that 

 region is now popularly conceived, a search in 

 the end somewhat like the well-known quest 

 upon which Saul went, just before he found his 

 kingdom. In short, — guesses about the future 

 results aside, — there is so much to be done for 

 the theoretical and practical needs of psychol- 

 og}', so much experimental research necessary 

 for the formation of a science that mav vet 



have vast influence upon the art of education, 

 upon the treatment of the insane, and upon 

 the policy of society towards criminals, that all 

 experimental beginnings of such a science in 

 any direction must be greeted with satisfac- 

 tion. If thought-transference is in an}^ mental 

 region a fact, we shall rejoice to find it ; but, 

 if these investigations render it less probable 

 rather than more so, they are still certain, un- 

 der their present, cautious, and yet highh^ 

 liberal management, to lead to other psycho- 

 logical discoveries that will be worth far more, 

 ver}- possibly, than the ones first sought. 

 Let us hope that the members and the public 

 will recognize more and more, as Lime goes on, 

 the wisdom that led the earliest founders of 

 the society to define its object broadly as " the 

 systematic study of the laws of mental action." 

 In this programme there is no sign of any un- 

 scientific limitation of work to the ' uncommon ' 

 or ' marvellous,' or ' little recognized,' phe- 

 nomena of mind ; although these too, when 

 one meets with them, are to be cordiall}' wel- 

 comed. But the societ}' simph^ starts out to 

 do scientific work without prejudice, and with 

 scientific co-operation and patience. This first 

 number is of course confined in its range of 

 work ; but the co-operation is well shown, and 

 the patience in the discussion of the least ex- 

 citing details is noteworthy and deeply instruc- 

 tive. 



In addition to the mentioned papers, we find 

 in appendix C a discussion of the " Possibility 

 of errors in scientific researches, due to 

 thought-transference," by Prof. E. C. Picker- 

 ing. This paper treats of a test offered by the 

 systematic observations on the magnitudes of 

 the stars, for determining the existence or 

 non-existence of thought-transference between 

 the recorder and the observer. The result of 

 the special application of this method to obser- 

 vations made at Cambridge, is, for the present, 

 negative ; but further application is promised. 

 The whole pamphlet is unassuming, clearly 

 written, and, to any sober student, helpful. 



ATLAS OF PLANT-DISEASES. 



The first number of this work, by Dr. Zim- 

 mermann, consists of two folio plates, with 

 thirty micro-photographs of different stages of 

 three common species of Puccinia, together 

 with a short notice of fungi, as the cause of 

 diseases on plants, with special reference to 

 the Uredineae. The text is well adapted to the 



Atlas der pflanzenkrankheiten welch p dnrch pilze hevor- 

 gerufen werden. By Dr. O. E. R. Zimmeumann. Halle, 1885. 



