Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 10.djvu/260

 248 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

cusses, in each of the divisions, topics on which we have an abundant literature, and about which all intelligent Americans are supposed to be informed, I wish the two volumes could be published without omissions. There is not a chapter, even if ordinary extracts from the census make up most of the contents, that does not afford some variation of the angle of vision from the one to which we are accustomed.

Of course, it would be easy to cull out from a book covering such a wide field a considerable list of inaccuracies. For example, antedating the movement toward independence from England (Vol. I, p. 70) ; the literally correct, yet practically insufficient, statement about the liberty of the president in constructing his cabinet (I, 151) ; the harmless simplification, " $5,000 und freie Reise," for the emolu- ments of a Congressman (I, 161) ; the too liberal rendering of the clause in the fifth amendment to the constitution, relating to second jeopardy of life or limb (I, 185) ; the vagueness due to omitting the adjective "American" from the sentence (I, 193), "The political existence of the [American] city is entirely dependent upon the state legislature;" the too summary statements about the constitution of our states and cities (I, 196-99) ; the phrase "ein alter Herr," used as synonymous with the recipient of the bachelor's degree in Ameri- can colleges (II, 69) ; the too schematic generalization of the struc- ture of American universities (II, 73) ; the too sweeping statements about American docents (II, 95 ff.) ; the statement (II, 194) that " the [American] state knows no such thing as an obligatory civil marriage." It would perhaps be more correct to say that no Ameri- can state recognizes any marriage as valid except a civil marriage. Since clergymen get their license to solemnize marriages from the state, and simply as clergyman have no such competence except by virtue of the statutes, the proposition will convey to Americans an impression contrary to the facts, although it may not seriously mis- inform Germans. I have not made special search for slips of this kind, and all that I have noticed are very minute flies in the ointment.

Then there are numerous cases of misplaced emphasis in stating facts, or exhibits of only parts of situations. A case in point is this, in the chapter on religion : " Methodism has flourished among the negroes" (II, 199). This is, of course, true, but it suggests that Methodism has not flourished elsewhere. In nearly every instance of this sort the apparent mistake is corrected later, or a hint is given