136 NIN?:TF,EXTH UKPORT. 



makeup, hut to transform the old life; and to acconiplisii this purpose it 

 must reach out into every field of human activity. 



There is a common impression that religion, education, government, 

 and otlier institutions are discrete social structures. Their functions are 

 held to be unrelated, and their positions in society non-intersecting. Each 

 should be circumscribed in the field of its operation in such a way that 

 it will not infringe upon the domain of others. Thus, religion is the 

 function of the church, education that of the schools, law that of the 

 government. The church must not meddle with education, nor with law ; 

 nor may the others transgress their own proper spheres of influence. 

 If this were a correct interpretation of the interrelation of institutions, 

 it might be illustrated as follows, the large outer circle representing tlie 

 field of society, the small inner circles prominent institutions: 



Figure 4. Diagram to illustrate conception tliat religion, education, govern- 

 ment, etc., are discrete social structures. 



But such an inter})retation can scarcely do justice to the real and 

 proper relations of institutions to one another and to society as a whole. 

 It ignores the organic conception of society. There is indeed a peculiar 

 function belonging to each institution, but taken in their ensemble thev 

 should function in unison. Consequently, no one of tliem is to be con- 

 fined to any specialized part of the field of social life ; but rather each 

 should permeate the* whole field. In the figure above, therefore, eacli 

 circle designating an institution should be enlarged until its periplier\ 

 coincides with that of the outer circle as follows : 



Figure .5. Diagram to illustrate proper concei)tion of tlif relations of religion, 

 education, government, etc., in the field of social life. 



