Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 2.djvu/877

 A PROGRAMME FOR SOCIAL STUDY 86 1

the utilization of the powers of nature, all of which themselves increase the production of wealth, are the results of previous accumulations. Wealth is also essential to all intellectual and aesthetic development. The study of a social group may reveal the fact that the chief necessity is a sufficient amount of wealth to support existence and allow leisure for self-improvement. The man or the class of men who have to work twelve hours a day are not likely to be greatly interested in literature, science, or art. It is all very well to tell such men that they must culti- vate their minds and familiarize themselves with the great thoughts of the world, but such homiletic advice might well be spared. "To those who have neither time nor taste for intellec- tual or aesthetic culture," says Clapperton, "it is to me pure irony to tell them that they want perception, and require to know the best that has been thought and said in the world, when they know their real want is happiness ; and happiness with them means more of the necessaries of life, and more of life's sweet humanities ; some freedom from anxiety and care, some leisure from constant and too monotonous toil." Well- meaning persons sometimes carry to the poor the thoughts of Shakespeare and the wisdom of Emerson when they would far better provide the opportunity to earn a side of bacon or a sack of flour. Above the door of one of the New York missions is the sign "Soup, Soap, and Salvation," and this to my mind expresses the rational order of reformative effort. Much more might be said of the influences of wealth upon population, but it is beyond my purpose. I desire simply to call attention to its obvious influence, and to the fact that whatever may be our object of study family, group or community these influences may be discovered.

We have now the third element, population, which we may briefly consider, and for our present purpose it will be better to begin with the final elements in our analysis, namely, individuals. It needs no acute observer to discover that no two persons arc exactly alike. Differences of race, temperament, age, sex, etc., must be carefully considered in any thought concerning the