Feb., 1890. 
THE PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY. 
27 
THE PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY.* 
BY CONSTANCE C. W. NADEN. 
Sociology is a branch of science 
which has yet to establish in the public 
mind its right to exist. It is perhaps 
natural that people should resent being 
treated as social units, and that they 
should not like to see their most cher¬ 
ished ideas accounted for on evolutional 
principles — those ideas which surely 
represent eternal truths, and which 
ought to be accepted by all sorts and 
conditions of men, quite irrespective 
of race, habitat, or stage of civilisation. 
The definition, “ Sociology is the science 
of the growth and development of human 
societies,” does indeed sound sufficiently 
inoffensive ; but it is when we descend 
to details that human dignity feels itself 
assailed. “ What!” we may imagine a 
Red Indian demanding of some new and 
heterodox medicine man—“ what! do 
you actually mean to tell me that my 
great-great-grandfather was only a man 
like myself, when I know that he was a dog, and for this 
reason never harness a dog to my sledge. Do you mean 
to tell me that my father’s ghost did not come to me last 
night in my sleep, when I saw him, and heard him—yes, 
and he beat me and gave me a bad pain in my side ? 
Who should know that better than I ? Why, I have the pain 
still! Worse than all, do you actually say that the sacred 
legends of our tribe arose in the first place from mere mis¬ 
understanding of facts or of words ? That our laws, our 
customs, our religion, our very tribal existence grew up like a 
plant, and so may perish ? When we know that these things 
were the work of the Gods and of our fathers ? All this may 
doubtless be very true of the Iroquois, let us say, or of the 
Dacotahs—but it is sheer blasphemy to apply it to us Cliippe- 
ways.” I do not imagine that there are any among this 
audience who will sympathise with the poor Chippeway—yet, 
*An address delivered before the Sociological Section of the Bir¬ 
mingham Natural History and Microscopical Society, on the occasion 
of the opening of the session, Tuesday, 22nd October, 1889. 
