Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 2.djvu/687

 LE PLAY METHOD OF .SOCIAL OBSERVATION 671

to the international congress of Berne in 1895 *he first part of it, which contains the statement of his method and the applica- tion which he made of it to the laboring classes of Belgium.

The account book and the "quet" r are the two character- istic features of the method followed by Dr. Engel in his learned researches. We do not doubt that in his hands it may produce good results ; but, in spite of the authority which it claims for itself, we could not recommend the general use of it without reservations. In the first place, the account-book method excludes all persons who do not keep accounts and who are governed by their life, instead of governing it. They eat as they earn, "sometimes more, sometimes less," and do not trouble themselves to keep accounts. But the account-book method is not even free from other criticisms. It may be vitiated by vol- untary dissimulations, by unconscious errors, or by omissions which mislead the observer. The notebook of expenses is a mirror whose sincerity is oftentimes indiscreet. Again, families do not often classify scientifically their expenditures, but group together in a lump, as a single sum, the expenses corresponding to a unique fact, like a journey. They will omit also and this is a grave fault expenses and receipts in kind, which in most ordinary budgets play a considerable part. In fine, account books constitute, if well kept, precious documents, but they will not take the place of direct observation ; they ought almost always to be verified and if necessary completed and corrected by the oral method, which is besides the only applicable method in the innumerable cases in which account books are a failure or do not merit credence.

(3) The oral mttliod (the method described above in Part II) consists in installing oneself in the midst of, or at least near, the family whose monograph it is wished to prepare, in gaining its friendship and confidence; then in interrogating it with tact, getting it to relate its history, and obtaining from it the ele- ments of its budget of receipts and expenditures.

'The "quet" is the unit of consumption adopted by Engel. It is an abbrevia- tion of the name of the great Belgian statistician, Quetelet. It corresponds to the amount consumed by a child during the Bret year after birth.