Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 3.djvu/124

 REVIEWS.

Dynamic Sociology, or applied social science, as based upon stat- ical sociology, and the less complex sciences. By LESTER F. WARD. Second edition, 2 vols. D. Appleton & Co. $5.

IN 1883 men who had no use for a priori speculation, and were try- in ir to get a positive system of knowledge, had, aside from Herbert Spencer's proposals, no god nor hope in the world. Dynamic Sociol- ogy was a startling assertion that positivism is not necessarily indiffer- entism, nor Manchesterism, nor fatalism. The author's positivism was so uncomprising that it was frequently construed as crass materialism. He nevertheless declared that human progress need not forever be mere mechanical gravitation, nor fortunate turning-out of unintelli- gent human action. Progress is the proper product of invention. The final social art is organization of knowledge into feeling, to the end that well-organized feeling may create and control rational prog- ress and procure happiness.

The work was of the grade which has to educate its own constitu- ency. It was not composed in a diplomatic spirit. It contained needless obiter dicta which distracted the attention and aroused the antagonism of cautious readers. It betrayed psychological and theo- logical opinions which caused many to throw the volumes aside in dis- gust without getting at the substance of the argument. There were few who were so much interested in finding a clue to sociology that they held their judgment in abeyance long enough to take in the thought as a whole, and who were patient enough to weigh its essen- tials apart from its accidents. Those few have found so much in the work that some of them at least believe it will find its level among the rare monuments of human thought. It certainly anticipated all the questions of any consequence that have been discussed by sociol- ogists since its publication, and so far as its purely sociological con- tents are concerned the trend of opinion has steadily accredited Ward's prescience.

I take several important exceptions to the conclusions in social pedagogy at which the work arrives. There is special need of

no