Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 5.djvu/138

 124 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

sociology is to be found in Comte and Benjamin Kidd ! All sociolo- gists concede some sort and degree of credit to Comte for formulating the demand for sociology. Almost without exception — indeed, I do not believe there are any exceptions - the sociologists regard Comte rather as a proposer of the sociological problem than as a very large contributor to its solution. On the other hand, I have yet to learn of the first sociologist of any recognized standing who has ever consented to class Benjamin Kidd among sociologists at all. The author's pro- gram is, therefore, very much like an attempt to discredit electrical engineering by passing in review, first, the writings of Benjamin Frank- lin, and, second, an essay on physics composed by a talented, but untrained, government clerk. The one is obsolete, the other has not arrived.

Mr. Mackintosh discusses, in Part II, " Simple Evolutionism — ■ Spencer, Stephen ;" in Part III, " Darwinism, or Struggle for Exist- ence;" in Part IV, "Hyper-Darwinism — Weismann, Kidd." The argument is not without force in many passages, as related to the par- ticular author in question. It is utterly without appreciation of the perspective in which these authors are to be seen, if generalizations about "biology," or "evolution," or "evolutionary ethics," or "soci- ology" are to be ventured. The author builded better than he knew when (p. 278), in summing up his essay, he referred to it as " wander- ings." A. W. S.

L Anncc sociologique, publice sous la direction d'EiviiLE Durk- HEiM. Deuxieme annee (1897-8). Paris: Felix Alcan, 1899. Pp- 596- Professor Durkheim and his colaborers have rendered a great service to sociology in this publication. Like the first volume, it is largely bibliographical. The two original monographs are : De la defini- tion des phenomenes religieux, Durkheim ; and Essai sur la nature tt la fouction du sacrifice, MM. Hubert and Mauss. The notices of litera- ture that appeared between July, 1897, and June, 1898, occupy 450 pages. The main divisions of the material are placed under the heads: Sociology: (i) general, (2) religious, (3) moral, (4) juridical, (5) criminal, (6) economic, (7) social morphology.

This is one of the indispensable works for a sociological library, although it does not seem to me that the reviewers always have a point of view which presents the most just estimate of the literature.

A. W. S.