Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 10.djvu/570

 554 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

priate, conclusion. In chap. 14 the author examines the principle of population in the communistic society, which is a subject hardly touched upon by Kropotkin. His conclusion is clearly in favor of collectivism. The ideal is the anarchistic communism, but it is an ideal which will never be reached so he says not even in a theoretical infinite. We fully agree with this conclusion.

A. AND H. HAMON.

The Principles of Relief. By EDWARD T. DEVINE, PH.D., LL.D. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1904. Pp. 495.

One of the most competent leaders of intelligent philanthropy, a man with the highest academic equipment at the basis of a long, varied, and successful career in the administration of the Charity Organization Society of New York city, has done well to give to the public the ripe results of his reflections. While a certain amount of repetition of thoughts already published was inevitable in a system- atic treatise, every chapter and paragraph has its justification. In Part I (pp. 1-181) there is a strong, clear, logical presentation of the essential " principles of relief," and it is here that we come in contact with the matured conclusions of a mind trained in modern scientific method as well as in the varied experiences of practical labors. The fundamental and most fruitful idea of this discussion is that there is a normal standard of living which can be known and approximately measured, and that all relief work is to be judged by its success in aiding social debtors to find their place in a normal and well-balanced life. Most citizens are able to attain this standard without special help from charity, but many others would either perish or become degraded without such assistance.

Following the clear statement of this central thought is a sane and convincing analysis of the regulative principles which should guide charitable persons and associations in their work. The groups of special problems are treated under the heads : elimination of dis- ease, the housing problem, relief of families in homes, breaking up of families, dependent children, dependent adults, family desertion, intemperance, industrial displacement, immigration, discrimination in relief.

In Part II (pp. 185-266) is printed a most interesting and instructive collection of typical relief problems, taken mainly from cases recorded in the Registration Bureau of the New York Charity