18 SOCIOLOGY. 



part of both the capitalist and the operative, and their agreement 

 upon common principles of social action. They must learn that social 

 phenomena are as much the expression of natural laws as any others ; 

 that no social arrangements can be permament unless they hannouise 

 with the requirements of social statics and dynamics ; and that in the 

 nature of things there is an arbiter whose decisions execute themselves. 



" But this knowledge is only to be obtained by the application of the 

 methods of investigation adopted in physical researches to the investi- 

 gation of the phenomena of society. Hence, I confess I should like to 

 sec one addition made to the excellent scheme of education propounded 

 for the College, in the shape of provision for the teaching of Sociology. 

 For though we are all agreed that party politics are to have no place 

 in the instruction of the College, yet in this country, practically 

 governed as it is now by universal suffrage, every man who docs his 

 duty must exei'cise political functions ; and if the evils which are 

 inseparable from the good of political liberty are to be checked — if the 

 perpetual oscillation of nations between anarchy and despotism is to 

 be replaced by the steady march of self-restraining freedom — it will 

 be because men will gradually bring themselves to deal with political as 

 they now deal with scientific questions ; to be as ashamed of undue haste 

 and partisan prejudice in the one case as in the other, and to believe 

 that the machinery of society is at least as delicate as that of a 

 spinning-jenny, and not more likely to be improved by tlie meddling 

 of those who have not taken the trouble to master the principles of 

 its action." 



The recurrence of the word politics in Mr. Herbert Spencer's 

 letter and its postscript, and in the preceding reference to it, may 

 possibly lead some to suspect that we are in some sense a political 

 society. Such, of course, is not the case. We are all students of 

 Sociology, and the basis of our formation is as expressed in our circular. 



"The Section originated in a wish to unite, for the purpose of 

 mutual help, those who were already students of Mr. Herbert Spencer's 

 system, but were unknown to each other, and to introduce to the 

 Synthetic Philosophy those already engaged in some special biological 

 study, but as yet unfamiliar with the principles common to all 

 departments of Natural History." 



The Science of Society admits of very wide generalisations which 

 no other science offers, and it cannot be doubted that perhaps among 

 the many interesting questions arising out of that study. Education, 

 Religion, Politics, Art, Science, and Literature, will all have a share 

 of attention. Apropos of this I venture to quote a few of the conclud- 

 ing words of Mr. Herbert Silencer to his work on the study of 

 Sociology. He says : — " And here let me point out distinctly the 

 truth already implied, that studying Sociology scientifically leads to 

 fairer appreciations of different parties, political, religious, and other. 

 The conception initiated and developed by Social Science is at the 

 same time Ra-lical and Conservative — Radical to a degree beyond 



