Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/256

 242 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

break the sacerdotal spell, they gave men the Bible and bade them look therein for the way of life.

After safety from foes and from the Unseen, man's next desire is for the security of his daily bread. For most men this depends upon the willingness of someone to buy their wares or their labor, i. e., upon patronage. The Wealthy, then, who as luxurious idlers spend money and make trade, or as captains of industry and lords of enterprise, employ the labor and organize the prosperity of kingdoms, will never be without great social power. From the dependence of the working many upon the moneyed few flows a patronal authority which sends its tinge far into law, religion, morals, and policy. For, when any class of men play the part of earthly providence to the multitude, their views as to what ought to be praised or blamed, com- manded or forbidden, cannot but affect the character of social control.

The state is, in theory at least, a channel and not a source of power. It is supposed to be a device by which social power is collected, transmitted, and applied so as to do work. But, as a matter of fact, the state, when it becomes paternal and develops on the administrative side, is able, in a measure, to guide the society it professes to obey. With its hierarchy of officials and its army of functionaries the state gets a halo of its own and becomes an independent center of social power. And here again we can see that such a concentration of influence is a measure of man's need and trust. For the prestige of officialdom is not wholly a matter of numbers and pay. The more the state helps the citizen when he cannot help himself, protecting him from disease, foes, criminals, rivals abroad and monopolists at home, the more he will look to it for guidance. While, conversely, the more he uses it merely as a convenient alternative to self-help or free association, the less will he accept its lead. 1

Another radiant point in society is the Mandarinate, or the body of scholarly and learned men who have in some formal way been tested, accredited, and labeled. Such are the man- darins of China, the pundits of India, the gelehrte of Germany,

1 See PEARSON, National Life and Character, pp. 236-9.