INVENTION AND PRODUCTION 251 
artificial checks imposed by social control. The monogamic 
family has no other justification than this, — the regulation of the 
increase of population in the interest of social efficiency. Abolish 
private property and the logic of the situation, as many socialists 
assert, makes probable the disintegration of the domestic institu- 
tion. But with private property, family pride is a great incentive 
to the production of wealth.! 
As the utilization of every possible motive is necessary to secure 
maximum productivity, all socialistic schemes that look to the 
abolition of private property or of competition and economic 
reward, are considered disastrous. 
In his introduction to Sociology and Social Progress emphasis is 
given to the power of idealization as one of the important psychic 
factors in the development of civilization. ‘‘ This may be de- 
fined not very inaccurately as the power of making believe, —a 
factor which sociologists have scarcely appreciated as yet... . 
One of the greatest resources of the human mind is its ability to 
persuade itself that what is necessary is noble, or dignified, or 
honorable, or pleasant.” The idealization of war in the military 
stage of civilization, and the idealization of work in more recent 
times are given as illustrations. ‘‘ Work is still a necessity as 
imperious as war ever was. Looked at frankly and truthfully 
work is a disagreeable necessity and not a good in itself. Yet by 
persuading ourselves that work is a blessing, that it is dignified 
and honorable, our willingness to work is materially increased, 
and therefore the process of adaptation is facilitated; in other 
words, progress is accelerated. For this reason, he who in any 
age helps to idealize those factors and forces upon which the prog- 
ress of his age depends, is perhaps the most useful man, the most 
powerful agent, in the promotion of human well-being, even 
though from the strictly realistic point of view he only succeeds 
in making things appear other than they really are. From the 
1 Class lectures; cf. Principles of Rural Economics, p. 337. Professor Carver 
seems to have overlooked the function of the monogamic family in the process of 
social adaptation. The children, closely resembling the parents, are easily assimi- 
lated to the customs of the family group and by this means to those of the larger 
social group; moreover the monogamic family has great possibilities in training for 
social efficiency. 
