STUDENTS AXD THE RURAL PROBLEM 207 



colleges, asks Mr. Stcl/le, and find them limiting their 

 students to the study of medical agencies, and making 

 no provision for the courses in hygiene, diagnosis, or 

 clinical practice, what should be the verdict we would 

 give ? 



Of these 80 seminaries, not more than one dozen had 

 anything like an adequate course in the matter of 

 sociolosrv'. Even of these Mr. Stelzle makes this criti- 

 cism : They handicap the study of social problems by 

 otfering incentives to follow other courses. Yet prac- 

 tically every seminary responding was convinced of the 

 value of sociological training for the theological student, 

 although there were some notable exceptions. 



Thus we come to our third general head, that there is 

 an imperative call, based not upon such opinion, but 

 upon fact, which opinion follows slowly, for courses in 

 the teaching of sociology in our universities — in case 

 of their failure, in our colleges — and for courses of 

 training in social service in our colleges. For we live 

 in a recently made world. Down to the dawn of the 

 nineteenth century the work of the world was done by 

 muscular power. Each man was independent in his 

 u.se of this power. Then came steam with more effi- 

 cient power. But its efficiency varied with the scale 

 upon which it was utilized. Therefore men concen- 

 trated for its utilization. This brought interdepen- 

 dence instead of independence among men. ^Nfen are 

 massed and organized as never before. And that is 

 the new civilization. 



But we live also in a still more recently made world 

 of service. In l!ilO the Russell Sage Foundation pub- 

 lished the results of ;in investigation of the s<jcial 

 movements organized i>ii ;i national senle in the Ignited 



