disappearance of the segmentary type the system of morality proper to it has disappeared also, and with unexampled rapidity. A system of morality proper to the organized social type has not developed fast enough to fill its place. Tradition has lost its force; the individual is emancipated from the collective judgment. Our first need at present is to make ourselves a system of morality appropriate to our conditions. Such a system cannot, indeed, be improvised in the silence of the study. It must build itself up bit by bit under the pressure of those conditions which make it necessary. Still reflection may point out the goal towards which it should aim.
It is possible to dissent at several points from M. Durkheim's positions, e.g., from his assumption of a substantially homogeneous society, a horde, in which the division of labor did not exist. But after admitting this assumption, the reader will find that his positions are in general well defended and that his main argument is carefully thought out and cogently presented.
From the preface we learn that this work is "the fruit of twenty years and more of study and experience," and that it is designed as a hand-book for the use of social science classes and clubs, and for the guidance of individuals who wish to become intelligent students or workers in the field of social effort. The method is general enough to bring the subject-matter into relation with modern conceptions of the nature and conditions of dependency and crime, without at all losing sight of the practical aim in the interest of scientific discussion. In spirit, the book is earnest but dispassionate, and the point of view is that, of one whose theoretical studies have been constantly tested and modified by much personal contact with the classes of which he writes. A wide range of topics is covered in short, suggestive chapters, supplemented by lists of longer works useful for consultation. Part I, on Dependents, has special reference to the treatment of incapacity in the United States, and excellent criticisms and suggestions are made regarding common forms of charity and of public aid, for example, that very mixed good, the county poor-house. The longest portion (Part III) deals with crime and its social treatment, and includes, among others, three chapters on criminal anthropology, an historical chapter on criminal laws and customs, and three chapters dealing respectively with the anticipation, prevention, and punishment of crime. The final part (Part IV) aims to give a simple sketch, with a few illustrations under each head, of an orderly and systematic treatment of reforms based on the pathology of society regarded as an organism. The author has not attempted to contribute directly to the theory of any form of social evil or to decide upon anything more than the immediate practical value of the
