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Centenary of Founder of Science of National Psychology

August 21, 1924
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Preparations are being made here for the celebration of the centenary of Professor Dr. Moritz Lazarus, the founder of the Science of National Psychology, which occurs on September 15th.

Professor Lazarus was born in Posen on September 15th, 1824, and died at Meran, in the Tyrol, in April, 1903. He applied the laws of the psychology, of the individual to the nation and to mankind, thus establishing a new branch of research which he termed “Voelkerpsychologie” (national Psychology). In an article entitled “On the Conception and the Possibility of a National Psychology as a Science” published in 1851, he said the foundation for the study of this science. Nine years later, in collaboration with his freiend and brother-in-law, Hermann Steinthal, the famous philologist and philosopher, he established the “Zeitschrift fuer Voelkersssychologie and Sprachwissenschaft”. In 1860, Lazarus was called to the Univerty of Berne as Professor of Psychology. In 1867 he was appointed Teacher of Philosophy at the Royal Military Academy in Berlin, and in 1874 Professor of Philosophy at Berlin University.

Prof, Lazarus took an active part in Jewish life, being for many years on the Board of the Berlin Jewish community. He was also Vice-President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Germany, President of the Berlin branch of the Alliance Israelite, a founder of the School of Jewish Studies in Berlin and in many other Jewish committees and organizations. Hewwas one of the most prominent Jewish apologists of his time, devoting much of his writing to combating anti-Semitism.

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