November 16, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



475 



measurement of all i^henomena that can be 

 measui'ed is needed. The survey method 

 is, indeed, but a name for the proper com- 

 bination of all inductive methods in the 

 scientific study of the social life. But 

 therein lies its promise of becoming an ade- 

 quate method for the social sciences of the 

 future; for no method will be adequate in 

 their complex field which is not synthetic. 

 As their inductive instrument the survey 

 method of studying social facts will not 

 preclude the social sciences from making 

 full use of psj'chology, biology and geog- 

 raphy. For social facts could not be in- 

 terpreted, as we have seen, without the use 

 of these antecedent natural sciences; and 

 hence any method to be fully scientific 

 must be a synthesis of inductive results 



It may be objected that the use of such 

 a complex, synthetic method in the social 

 sciences will be beyond the ability of ordi- 

 nary minds. That I do not believe. To be 

 sure, the level of scholarship in the social 

 sciences will have to be raised before it can 

 be used successfully. I am not, however, 

 among those who believe that the present 

 level of scholarship in the social sciences is 

 lower than in the so-called natural sciences. 

 I believe the contrary. But I would urge 

 that the grave responsibility resting upon 

 us as leaders of social thought, as well as 

 the complexity of the problems with which 

 we deal, demands higher standards of 

 scholarship among us than among the 

 students of the natural sciences. In this 

 grave crisis of our civilization it is time 

 that we recognize this fact. It particularly 

 demands that we be more than mere special- 

 ists in economics or administration, in his- 

 tory or anthropology, in education or law; 

 but that we have that breadth and depth 

 of scholarship which will enable us to see 

 on all sides of, and to the bottom of, our 

 particular problem. 



The practical difficulties, however, of em- 



ploying such a comprehensive, synthetic in- 

 strument of social investigation can not be 

 ignored. The survey method of social in- 

 yestigation is still very far from being de- 

 veloped to the point which I have described. 

 It can not be so developed without the aid 

 of governmental and educational agencies. 

 It is the same with the social sciences as 

 with all sciences, that they can not flourish 

 without the aid and encouragement of so- 

 ciety at large, especially through govern- 

 mental and educational institutions. I be- 

 lieve, however, that such aid will be forth- 

 coming if we keep our standards of schol- 

 arship sufficiently high, and work together 

 to show the need for the development of aU 

 the social sciences. 



In this crisis, therefore, let us who are 

 students of social life close up our ranks 

 and work together for the establishment 

 and diffusion of that accurate social knowl- 

 edge for lack of which the world seems al- 

 most on the point of perishing; for this 

 crisis has clearly demonstrated that it is 

 to the social sciences, not to the physical 

 sciences, to which the world must look for 

 its salvation. And it is upon us who are 

 students of the social sciences that the re- 

 sponsibility for their future development 

 and usefulness to humanity must rest. 

 Chaeles a. Ellwood 



TJniversitt of Missouri 



WORK OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH 

 COUNCIL 



MLv.TOR E. A. MiLLiKAN, vice-chairman of 

 the ISTational Eesearch Council, wrote, on Sep- 

 tember 7, a letter to Dr. Gary T. Hutchinson, 

 secretary of the Engineering Foundation, re- 

 viewing- the work of the council. The letter 

 as "edited for publication" in the Proceed- 

 ings of the American Institute of Electrical 

 Engineers is as follows : 



The following is a statement of some of the work 

 of the National Eesearch Council, condensed with 

 dilficulty on account of the great variety and scope 

 of the council's activities. 



