Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/499

 THE SCOPE OF SOCIAL TECHNOLOGY 485

in some measure, in mitigating, and, in some cases, removing, the evils of intemperance brings up into clear consciousness this law : that the temperance reform is simply a part of the whole process of social pedagogics ; that it cannot be promoted apart from the other movements toward the whole good of all society. We are thus forced to the conclusion that the funda- mental regulative principle is: "Elevate the race at once." The effective means for mitigating the evils of drink are precisely those which are involved in a wise charity, a wise prison reform, a wise housing movement, a wise educational system for all classes, a wise economic movement.

The construction of a program of temperance reform. According to the conclusion just stated assuming that it would be reached by investigation a rational program of temperance reform is nothing more nor less than a system of social peda- gogics, which embraces all the ends of education, all the means of moral training and discipline, all the community means of control and direction ; but which also assigns to different persons and associations a definite task in the program, as each man in an orchestra must play the instrument he knows, but with rela- tion to what others are doing at the same time and in the ren- dering of the same complex composition.

The program of temperance reform, to use an analogy drawn from medical practice, may include a general tonic treatment for the constitution and also specific medication for particular symptoms. Among specific measures those mentioned above are all applicable, each in adaptation to needs and surround- ings.

The experiment. The trial of our hypothesis of practice is; going forward in all European countries and in all the states of the United States. The function of social technology is to give intellectual organization to this experiment ; to make it part of a rational system ; to distinguish between special local conditions and general laws of conduct, and thus give the wisest direction to the application of the regulative rules.

The temperance question may be studied on any scale, and very modest ability may become useful if it applies a large and