October 26, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



527 



theory of value — to these accounting can 

 teach nothing. 



On this conception of economics, after a 

 century of research and discussion, Profes- 

 sor Hollander holds that we have not as yet 

 developed any scientific conception of in- 

 dustrial society. Many others agree with 

 him. Economics as a branch of science is 

 rather concerned with the group activities 

 of man toward individual and social gain. 

 The point of view is that (1) of economic 

 factors, (2) of economic relations (a) to the 

 material world and (&) to institutions both 

 social and economic, and (3) the forms of 

 economic income, including private and 

 public incomes. 



Already considerable progress has been 

 made in this direction by others than econ- 

 omists, especially by the student of history 

 and public law. Scientific economics con- 

 siders data as related to (1) organization, 

 (2) problems of administration, and (3) 

 methods and technique. We must lay aside 

 dogma and classify data to get an intelli- 

 gent grasp of affairs. 



Accountancy is to scientific economics 

 what the clinic is to medicine. The ex- 

 amination made by the professional ac- 

 countant is for purposes of prescription. 

 A record of the diagnosis, of the prescrip- 

 tion, of the remedial result, and of the his- 

 tory of the performance of normal physi- 

 ological functions recorded in the accounts, 

 may be taken as the data upon which broad 

 scientific generalization may be based; this 

 broad generalization should be made by the 

 economist. 



Structure of Cities: Richard M. Hurd, 

 President, Lawyers' Mortgage Company, 

 New York. 



Cities grow and conform to economic 

 law. The point of origin is that of contact 

 with the outer world. In its organization 

 from 40 to 70 per cent, of the area is used 

 for streets, the balance is devoted to three 



uses : Business, residences and public build- 

 ings. The distribution of business utilities 

 is purely economic, land going to the 

 highest bidder. Residence areas are based 

 on social considerations. Growth is axial 

 or central — around centers or around the 

 circumference. 



Central growth has two main aspects; 

 first general growth in all directions from 

 the point of origin and second local growth 

 around subcenters within the city, such as 

 transportation termini, public buildings, ex- 

 changes, factories and hotels. As a city 

 grows the centralizing influence of public 

 buildings steadily diminishes while its ex- 

 changes assume increasing importance, 

 these varying in character according to the 

 leading business transacted in the city. 

 Normal growth consists of the gradual 

 aggregation of buildings of the same char- 

 acter due to the gregariousness of mankind 

 and the saving in time from the close juxta- 

 position of buildings. Continuity is a vital 

 feature of all growth, whether central or 

 axial, every break causing a weakness in 

 the structure similar to the loss of a link 

 in a chain. An internal movement which 

 constantly goes on is the gathering together 

 of similar forms of business into special 

 districts. 



There are three main causes of changes 

 in a city 's structure ; increase of population, 

 increase of wealth and new transportation 

 facilities. Increase of population without 

 increase of wealth would normally tend 

 only to a gradual extension of buildings of 

 the existing character over a larger area. 

 Increase of wealth, however, causes con- 

 tinual rebuilding within the city, old-fash- 

 ioned shops, dingy offices and plain resi- 

 dences being supplanted by buildings of a 

 new standard of magnificence. New and 

 improved methods of transportation draw 

 residences beyond the city's limits, concen- 

 trate business in higher buildings at the 

 center and establish new axes of travel as 



