414 THE POPULAR 
to attempt to give here an exposition 
of James’s attitude in philosophy. 
Pragmatism—the term was first used 
by James’s friend, Charles 8S. Peirce, 
in this journal—is called on the title 
page of his book “a new name for an 
old way of thinking.” It is largely 
the method of science applied to phi- 
losophy, but it is after all what James 
thought and said and wrote. His per- 
sonality and its expression, the intel- 
lect swayed by the will and the emo- 
tions, have made a deep impression 
not only on professional philosophy, 
but in the world of men. 
James inherited his brilliant liter- 
ary skill from his father and shared 
it with his brother. His education 
was long and irregular. He did not 
graduate from Harvard, but studied 
art and was with Agassiz in Brazil. 
From 1872 to 1880 he was instructor 
and assistant professor of comparative 
anatomy and physiology at Harvard, 
then professor of philosophy, then of 
psychology and then again of philos- 
ophy. 
It is not probable that James left 
unpublished manuscripts, but his let- 
ters would form a volume of surpass- 
ing interest, though it may be that 
they are too personal for publication. 
The writer ventures to reproduce the 
concluding parts of the last two which 
he received, the one from Cambridge 
and the other from Bad Nauheim, 
where he had gone for treatment of 
Sle ke i 
SCIENCH MONTHLY 
the disease that so soon proved fatal. 
James at first declined on account of 
his health to accept the active presi- | 
dency of the International Corgress of 
Psychology to be held in this country. 
There was no one else to take the 
place, so when difficulties arose he 
played his part with characteristic 
loyalty and self-sacrifice. 
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL 
SCIENTIFIC CONGRESSES 
Amone the various gatherings of sci- 
entific men held during the present 
summer two American meetings and 
several international congresses were 
of special importance. The national 
conservation congress held at St. Paul 
at the beginning of September was a 
truly notable event, bringing together 
men eminent in various pursuits to 
consider problems which are essen- 
tially scientific in character. Presi- 
dent Taft’s admirable address—printed 
in the present issue of the MonTHLy 
in its authorized form—shows how 
carefully he has considered questions 
which touch public policy on one side 
and science on the other. Mr. Taft 
stated that he inherited the policy of 
conservation from his predecessor, and 
“Mr. Roosevelt and several leading 
members of his administration, Mr. 
Pinchot, Mr. Garfield and Mr. Wilson, 
took an active part in the proceedings. 
Governors of states and many men 
prominent in education, in philan- 

