Excerpt from The Wellesley Prelude, Vol. 1: January 25, 1890

Institutions of a country like Germany is of interest always to educators, but is especially so when it comes prefaced with an avowal of intended reform in peda gogics. The translato1 calls our attention to his belief that psychology 15 the only sure basis for a' sound ped agogical practice; that current psy chologies are apt to fail to excite any general vital interest in the subject of the training of the mind, because failing to touch the experience bof the student; and that Dr. Dlindner' 5 work is full of vitality, and is a direct; incitation to introspec tion on the one hand, and to further study on the other. Whether the book as presented to us combines all these rare qualities or not, will doubtless be proved by its reception by Dractical educators; but from once reading we should judge that the opportunity was still open for some greatb Genius to write a psychology Which should be entirely inspiring. The work is well planned, and the treatment _of the subjects, essentially scientific. The author 3 avowed aim is to begin with experience and never get away from it. The first part, which treats, under the general head of Knowledge, of the production of sense concepts, reproduction' and mem ory, the intellect, and self-consciousness takes up half of the volume; and 15 followed by a short part on The Feelings, in which the classification 18 quite universal; and by a masterly closing part of some fifty pages on Striving, or Impulse to zd'action, treating of desires, impulses, passions, the will. Tlie terminology as well as the classification Seems at times quite independent of all precedent. The terms are used consistently, and on'the whole the meaning is clear; but they are used peculiarly, and it seems as if they unnecessarily differ from current psychological phraseology. This is prob ably partially the fault: of the translator. The author aims atsimplicity ofexpression; but the English of the translation is often obscured by quite rounbdabout ex pressions. A system of addenda is used which, while it is an improvement upon the method of numberless appendices which so many authors use, and which are as inconveniently objectionable as all notes in the back of students' books are apt to be is yet open to critic ism. At the end Of each section from one to five Remarks are added in fine print, and like post scripts in a letter, the remarks sometimes contain the pith of the subject, and might easily be incorporated ln the main body of the section. However, are more those of style and manner than of substance, and after all has been said, the work is yet an addition in many ways to our list of pyschological text-books. It contains the most approved latest the ories worked out in an excellently logical manner; it is fully abreast of the times: and it claims to embody all that is best in the Herbartian School of thinkers, seek ing to add its influence to their aim of reducing educa tion to a true science.

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