THE EIGHT WAY IN PSYCHOLOGY. 



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is becoming, is in process of evolution. This too is an immediate 

 certainty. The self is becoming good or bad, wise or foolish,, 

 happy or miserable. Why do we want to understand ourselves ? 

 Surely that we may become good, wise, happy. The kind of 

 knowledge most necessary for us is regulative knowledge — and... 

 perhaps, for us, no other kind is possible. 



Discussion. 



The thanks of the meeting were voted to the author of the paper, 

 and a discussion followed. 



Dr. Schofteld considered that the author by his suggestion puts 

 us on a very high intellectual platform. He thought that the 

 radical defect of the present psychology was its tendency to limit 

 mind to consciousness. It was this narrow concept which limits; 

 " the psychological mind " to less than half its real extent, that 

 called forth Prof. James' scathing description of its present 

 condition. He says that it is a study of raw facts ; a wrangle 

 about opinions, but has not a single law ; that it is in the condition, 

 of physics before Galileo, or chemistry before Lavoisier. 



Colonel Alves said : It is well-known that as regards the moral 

 character that the exercises of the soul very speedily make a great 

 reformation in character. That is unlike mental or physical talents.. 

 For instance, a person without talents for music or painting would, 

 never make much progress. 



I do not know what the practical result of a paper like this is. 



What is the result 1 ? It seems to me that what we know in 

 practical psychology is that we must first begin at both ends. 

 There is only one thing that will reach deepest needs. It is well- 

 known and it is a new birth. There is no doubt many people live 

 in very good stable houses that last their time, though the founda- 

 tion is only on the sand, but once the superstructure has been 

 ruined nothing can be rebuilt except on the solid foundation of the 

 new birth. There is a necessity for building on that foundation- 

 al! those who work with our Christian teachers have very speedilv 

 agreed as to how the same physical element can be developed and 

 trained when we are on a solid foundation. It is not much use 



