Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 10.djvu/364

 352 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

on the education of abandoned children, the oldest of which dates back scarcely twenty years, rests on the principle of this knowl- edge. It administers poor-relief to the children, with the aim of preventing the young who grow up under the direction of this law from falling in future years into a condition of poverty. A like tendency is displayed by the societies for the prevention of cruelty to children, the juvenile courts, the promotion of immigration to Canada, the equipment of school ships, etc. The care for disease has a far wider aim than the mere care of the patient. It searches out the lurking-places of disease in order to tear it out by the roots. It is no wonder that new problems have everywhere sprung up, where the light of new sanitary and social knowledge has lit up the corners and holes of poverty, and where the young science of sociology has taught us to understand economic and social phenomena. One need here only call to mind the very recent movement for attacking tuberculosis and the abuse of alcohol. At the same time, this movement against tuberculosis beyond all others makes very manifest how far we are still removed from a healthy condition of affairs, and how today, in spite of every effort, millions of our fellow-beings still live in such unfavorable conditions in respect to lodging, food, and education, that they fall victims in frightful numbers to this disease. No one who knows the circumstances can help seeing that all these meas- ures, such as dispensaries, sanatoriums for consumptives, and administration of poor-relief, have no importance in comparison with the possession of permanent and remunerative employment, which renders possible the procuring of sanitary dwellings and sufficient nourishment, and strengthens the power of resistance against that frightful disease. But just this knowledge points us the way, not indeed of solving the problem of poverty, but of bringing ourselves in some degree nearer its solution, in that we see in this knowledge, which has grown up out of the social sub- soil of our time, the most important sign of progress, and in that we place the furthering of general prosperity and the elevation of the working classes before even the very best measures of poor- relief and charity.