NATURE OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCE. 515 



the oblique prismatic system; no favoring conditions will enable the 

 fragment of a polype to take on the structure of a mollusk. 



Amoncr such social ao-Qrre^ates as inferior creatures fall into, more 

 or less definitely, the same truth holds. Whether they live in a mere 

 assemblage, or whether they live in something like an organized union, 

 with division of labor among its members, as happens in many cases, 

 is unquestionably determined by the properties of the units. Given 

 the structures and consequent instincts of the individuals as we find 

 them, and the community they form will inevitably present certain 

 traits ; and no community having such traits can be formed out of in- 

 dividuals having other structures and instincts. 



o 



Those who have been brought up in the belief that there is one law 

 for the rest of the universe and another law for mankind, will doubtless 

 be astonished by the proposal to include aggregates of men in this 

 generalization. And yet that the ju'operties of the units determine 

 the properties of the whole they make up, evidently holds of societies 

 as of other things. A general survey of tribes and nations, past and 

 present, shows cleai-ly enough that it is so ; and a brief consideration 

 of the conditions shows, with no less clearness, that it must be so. 



Ignoring for the moment the special traits of races and individuals, 

 observe the traits common to members of the species at large ; and 

 consider how these must affect their relations when associated. 



They have all needs for food, and have corresponding desires. To 

 all of them exertion is a physiological expense ; must bring a certain 

 return in nutriment, if it is not to be detrimental ; and is accompanied 

 by repugnance when pushed beyond this limit, or even before reaching 

 it. They are all of them liable to bodily injury, with accompanying 

 pain, from various extreme physical actions ; and they are liable to 

 emotional pains, of positive and negative kinds, from one another's ac- 

 tions. As says Shylock, insisting on that human nature which Jews 

 have in common with Christians : 



"Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, 

 affections, passions ? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, sub- 

 ject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by 

 the same winter and summer, as a Christian is ? If you prick us, do we not 

 bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and 

 if you wrong us. shall we not revenge ? If we are like you in the rest, we will 

 resemble you in that." 



Conspicuous, however, as is this possession of certain fundamental 

 qualities by all individuals, there is no adequate recognition of the 

 truth that from these individual qualities must result certain qualities 

 in an assemblage of individuals ; that in proportion as the individuals 

 forming one assemblage are like in their qualities to the individuals 

 forming another assemblage, the two assemblages will have likenesses; 



