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SOCIOLOGY. 
part of both the capitalist and the operative, and their agreement 
upon common principles of social action. They must learn that social 
phenomena are as much the expression of natural laws as any others; 
that no social arrangements can be permament unless they harmonise 
with the requirements of social statics and dynamics ; and that in the 
nature of things there is an arbiter whose decisions execute themselves. 
“ But this knowledge is only to be obtained by the application of the 
methods of investigation adopted in physical researches to the investi¬ 
gation of the phenomena of society. Hence, I confess I should like to 
see one addition made to the excellent scheme of education propounded 
for the College, in the shape of provision for the teaching of Sociology. 
For though we are all agreed that party politics are to have no place 
in the instruction of the College, yet in this country, practically 
governed as it is now by universal suffrage, every man who does his 
duty must exercise political functions ; and if the evils which are 
inseparable from the good of political liberty are to be checked—if the 
perpetual oscillation of nations between anarchy and despotism is to 
be replaced by the steady march of self-restraining freedom—it will 
be because men will gradually bring themselves to deal with political as 
they now deal with scientific questions; to be as ashamed of undue haste 
and partisan prejudice in the one case as in the other, and to believe 
that the machinery of society is at least as delicate as that of a 
spinning-jenny, and not more likely to be improved by the meddling 
of those who have not taken the trouble to master the principles of 
its action.” 
The recurrence of the word politics in Mr. Herbert Spencer’s 
letter and its postscript, and in the preceding reference to it, may 
possibly lead some to suspect that we are in some sense a political 
society. Such, of course, is not the case. We are all students of 
Sociology, and the basis of our formation is as expressed in our circular. 
“The Section originated in a wish to unite, for the purpose of 
mutual help, those who were already students of Mr. Herbert Spencer’s 
system, but were unknown to each other, and to introduce to the 
Synthetic Philosophy those already engaged in some special biological 
study, but as yet unfamiliar with the principles common to all 
departments of Natural History.” 
The Science of Society admits of very wide generalisations which 
no other science offers, and it cannot be doubted that perhaps among 
the many interesting questions arising out of that study. Education, 
Religion, Politics, Art, Science, and Literature, will all have a share 
of attention. Apropos of this I venture to quote a few of the conclud¬ 
ing words of Mr. Herbert Spencer to his work on the study of 
Sociology. He says :—“ And here let me point out distinctly the 
truth already implied, that studying Sociology scientifically leads to 
fairer appreciations of different parties, political, religious, and other. 
The conception initiated and developed by Social Science is at the 
same time Radical and Conservative—Radical to a degree beyond 
