318 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



actions and interactions which make up life in society are 

 so complex and interrelated that only by grasping the root 

 principles which govern the control of all human relations 

 can the social problem be solved. The preservation and pro- 

 gress of civilization demand a wise and harmonious valuation 

 by all the members of society of the ideas and ideals which 

 constitute both our social heritage from the past and our goal 

 of endeavor for the future. It is necessary to select ideas and 

 ideals for eliminination or perpetuation, to get all the members 

 of society to agree on a program of conservation for the approved 

 ideas and ideals, and then to devise means to put this program 

 into practical effect. The various elements in the problem are 

 analyzed, and individualistic capitalism and materialism are 

 found to lie at the bottom of much of the social chaos. A 

 revaluation of family life, of government, of religion, of morality 

 is called for if Western civilization is to survive. This can not 

 be accomplished by revolutionary or one-sided methods, but by 

 a gradual process of education, particularly of the young, in 

 right ideas of social relations. The need of the hour is for 

 scientifically trained social leaders. 



2. Societal Evolution • A study of the Evolutionary Basis of 

 the Science of Society. By Albert Galloway Keller. Pp. 

 xi, 338. New York, 1915 (The Macmillan Company). — In this 

 book Professor Keller raises the question whether the formula 

 of Darwinian evolution is applicable to the development of 

 human society in anything more than a vague and analogical 

 sense. He answers this question in the affirmative, and proceeds 

 to justify his answer. Recognizing that the human type of 

 evolution is now mental and societal, instead of individual and 

 physical as with the lower animals, the author takes up in turn 

 each of the four elements of Darwinian evolution— variation, 

 selection, transmission, and adaptation — and shows how each 

 exists in human society and each plays a role in societal evolution 

 essentially identical with that which it performs in the sort of 

 evolution dealt with by Darwin. Thus the social scientists are 

 afforded a rational justification for using this valuable and 

 illuminating formula freely and with confidence in their own 

 special field. The study is built upon Professor Sumner's well- 

 known conception of the mores, and the influence of Sumner is 

 clearly manifest and frankly acknowledged throughout, although 

 the author's conclusion is different from that reached by Sumner. 



3. British Association for the Advancement of Science. — The 

 annual meeting of the British Association will be held at Man- 

 chester from Sept. 7 to 11: Professor Arthur Schuster is the 

 president. 



4. American Association for the Advancement of Science. — 

 The Pacific Coast Meeting of the American Association was held 

 in San Francisco during the week of August 2d. Numerous 

 affiliated societies had sessions at the same time. 



