846 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



high ideals, he pointed out the inevitable 

 injury which had come from imagining 

 these ideals to be incapable of either 

 lift or expansion. Other lecturers, who 

 have devoted themselves to the study 

 of special faiths, supplemented the dis- 

 courses of Prof. Toy. 



In economics, with incidental excur- 

 sions into the political sphere, the chief 

 expositions were by Prof. H. C. Adams, 

 of Michigan University. He graphi- 

 cally sketched the history of recent in- 

 dustrial development, and showed how 

 new exigencies had arisen for which 

 adaptations of law and organization 

 were necessary. An era when the mass- 

 ing of machinery is necessary to pro- 

 duction, and when monopolies raise 

 their heads on every side, is not to be 

 justly ruled by institutions dating from 

 a time when manufacture was armed 

 with simple tools, and in which over a 

 race of small producers free competition 

 reigned. He viewed with sympathy 

 the growth of trades-unions, regarding 

 them as the chief agency for securing 

 rightful wages. For monopolies he con- 

 sidered the fit check to be the commis- 

 sion, State or Federal, such as now 

 supervises railroads. Publicity of trans- 

 actions would educate public opinion to 

 demanding public rights. His elucida- 

 tion of the functions of a commission, 

 and his declaration of faith in its prin- 

 ciples, were candidly accompanied by 

 the opinion that so far the Interstate 

 Commerce Commission had not justified 

 its existence. Its four years of life had 

 been too short for legal definition of its 

 powers ; it lacked authority to give its 

 opinions effect. President Andrews, of 

 Brown University, in a series of three 

 lectures, set forth " the social plaint," 

 socialism's remedy, and " the better 

 way." His account of the evils under 

 which the masses suffer included every- 

 thing that intelligent discontent can say. 

 To his rapid survey of socialistic doc- 

 trine no socialist could demur. In his 

 view the woes of society will be cured 

 not in one way but many, and along 



paths in which important steps have 

 been already taken ; for example, in prof- 

 it-sharing and other modes of co-oper- 

 ation. He would reform taxation by 

 making the chief levies on land values, 

 and on the great franchises whose profit 

 is of public creation. In the development 

 of statistical inquiry he saw prospect of 

 relief from industrial crises through an 

 organized adjustment of supply to an 

 ascertained demand. He looked with 

 hope on the beginning which has been 

 made in teaching people how to buy 

 food and cook it, and how to expend their 

 earnings to most advantage. The lessons 

 in practical thrift now introduced in a 

 few schools he deemed worthy of gen- 

 eral adoption. In this department of 

 economics men of authority described 

 co-operation, factory legislation, the re- 

 lief of crowded cities, and modern agra- 

 rian movements, including the Farmers' 

 Alliance. 



In ethics proper the principal lect- 

 urer was Prof. Felix Adler, who, draw- 

 ing upon his experience with ethical 

 classes in New York, delineated how 

 right conduct may be taught. On the 

 threshold of his subject he confronted 

 the question as to how morals can be 

 taught apart from religion. He averred 

 that a most important body of moral 

 doctrine exists as the common heritage, 

 not only of all religions, but of all men 

 of sound mind and heart. On this he 

 would proceed, teaching authoritatively 

 and ignoring the consideration of sanc- 

 tions, whether religious or philosophi- 

 cal, which indeed young minds can 

 not weigh. He then outlined the mo- 

 tives of good conduct, the ethicization 

 of the feelings, the duties of self-con- 

 trol, self-improvement, veracity, justice, 

 and charity. Following this came treat- 

 ment of the ethics of the family, of pro- 

 fessional and business life, of citizen- 

 ship. He indicated the aid which stories 

 afford in teaching young classes; which 

 biography, proverbial and scriptural lit- 

 erature, and history contribute in ad- 

 vanced classes. Throughout the course 



