Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 3.djvu/669

 SOCIAL CONTROL 655

tute civilizatiofi in the person, the power of the society to influence the valuations of its members can avail but little.

To the influence of conventionality and the influence of the Mite must be added the force of tradition. Whatever once dom- inates society acquires in time authority and prestige by reason of the dovetailing of generations into each other. The imper- sonal products of the past institutions, beliefs, valuations become semi-independent factors, working along with living men and women in shaping the life of the present. The natural ascendency of the old over the young assures social valuations of vastly more power over the generation that receives them than they can ever gain over the generation that originates them. Becoming fixed in literary and artistic traditions, religious sys- tems, moral theories, and worldly wisdom, they are skillfully brought to bear on the minds of the young in home and church and school and social life, till they become a staunch but unseen prop of the social order.

III.

Just how will social valuations be employed ?

In the first place, the qualities prized by society become " virtues " and are held to be of intrinsic value. Those quali- ties by which a people overcomes its enemies and maintains an orderly common life courage, justice, honesty, fidelity are conceived as ends in themselves. In all early wisdom they are naively compared to gems, jewels, fine gold, king's treasures, or beautiful damsels. Later on they are lifted quite away from ordinary goods and become incomparable "moral values." It is then that qualities become " good " and " bad " instead of merely "good" and "evil." Hut by so much as our striving away from "evil " exceeds in energy our striving away from the " bad," by so much is control of values to be esteemed above control of moral notions. For the power to award, praise, or dispraise is the power to create good and evil, and the power to create good and evil is the power to guide the choosing of men.

In the second place, those pleasures which are anti-social,