James E. Homans, editor

“ All these races are united and assimilated here — not by a common racial origin, but by a common national task. They must work out in unity the destiny of a nation, to which all the leading countries of Europe have contributed their most enterprising elements, as bearers of their particular traits and ideals.” The author of these words did not dream at the time of his writing how soon the bitter need would arise for him to bring home this lesson to America. ”

“ In 1892 a letter arrived from William James calling Professor Münsterberg to Harvard, as director of the psychological laboratory. Tempted by the prospect of directing work in a fully-equipped laboratory, and with a young man's eagerness to become acquainted with the new world, then but little known to Germans, Hugo Münsterberg accepted the call to Harvard, but only for three trial years, with the full intention to return, when the three years of adventure should be over, to his life work in German universities. ”

“ The application of psychology to industrial life Münsterberg introduced first in his German work, “Psychologie und Wirtschaftsleben,” and its English translation, “Psychology and Industrial Efficiency.” Then followed a more comprehensive German work on applied psychology, “Grundzüge der Psychotechnik” (Leipzig, 1914) . Finally, “Psychology and Social Sanity” (Doubleday, Page, N. Y., 1914) helps toward the solution of various social problems, and “The Photoplay” is an esthetic as well as psychological study of the artistic possibilities of the photo-drama. ”

“ Of this book, in contrast to the “American Traits,” the author said in the Preface: “Not as a German, but as a psychologist I have begun to take sides as to problems which stir the nation.” In “American Patriotism” (1913) , a collection of essays in the style of “American Problems,” the author has returned to his task of interpreting German ideals, as in the chapters: “The Germany of Today,” “The German Woman,” and “The Germans at School.” Finally, within the period from the outbreak of the war until his death, fall the three books inspired by the war and the war's effect on America. ”

“ There are plenty of international problems which are neither political nor economic, and so cannot be handled either by embassies or consulates — problems of copyright that concern the author, problems of the comparative standards of scholarship that perplex the student — and for the solution of these the staff of the America-Institute was at work. ”

“ In the year 1911-12 he made novel experiments on the reactions of telephone operators, motormen, etc., for the purpose of determining how psychology could be applied to industrial life, and through his researches, and his presentation of them to the public, a decided active interest in the application of psychological methods to the choice of vocations, and to the regulation of industrial work, spread through the country. ”

“ The enthusiastic reception of this book in spheres outside of the circle of scholars for which it was intended induced the author to rewrite it in English and at the same time adapt it to his American public. It appeared as the “Eternal Values” (1909) . ”

“ In 1887, when his student life was completed, he married and settled in Freiburg, Baden, the beautiful town in the Black Forest, as “Privatdocent” of philosophy at the university, where, in 1891, he was made assistant professor. ”