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current phenomena, and still less with historical studies, that is to 
say, with what we saw at the outset to he the two real aspects of 
the subject ; while even the schools which pay most attention to 
statistics and to history are still far from basing their labours on 
the foundation of the preliminary sciences. 
§ 27. But is not the preceding criticism altogether too completely 
destructive % In no wise, for it is only levelled against the economic 
systems as systems, each with pretensions to intellectual completeness. 
But when the claim to system and completeness is withdrawn all at 
once become entitled to a respectful examination. Valuable materials 
have been collected, constructive of scientific economics. Statistical 
and historical inquiry have long been in active progress ; wider and 
wider conceptions of the range and place of social science are daily 
gaining ground, while those very schools which we have just been 
criticising for their narrowness of observation have in some respects 
all the more clearly focussed the subjects within their range, and 
have traced for us many of the most important phenomena of 
industry or commerce, of finance or government. And if our 
present limits had admitted of any detailed criticism, it would have 
been easy to show a certain degree of real progress on the part of 
many recent political economists towards the acceptance of scientific 
methods and ideas.* 
And the real claim of the system outlined in the preceding pages 
lies not in its newness, for it indeed contains probably no new ideas 
at all, hut in its serving as far as consistent with truth to represent 
the doctrine of each, and to harmonise the labours of all the schools. 
Thus, for instance, it is one of the most marked advantages of the 
tables that it would he easy to monograph on this principle a city 
or a village, a single household or even an individual, as well as a 
nation, to compare these facts of personal and domestic economy 
among each other, and to generalise bodies of these ; yet this is simply 
a return to the conception from which political economy arose and 
departed, that of the study of household management and law.f 
Again, the postulation of the preliminary sciences, the idea of terri- 
tory yielding matter and energy which manufactures and commerce 
* Ex.gr. Marshall, “ Economics of Industry,” London, 1880. Guyot, “La 
Science Economique,” Paris, 1881. 
f noAtreta, oiKia , oIkos, vo/ios. 
