Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/537

 THE SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY 523

showed in great detail how different parts of the associational process interpenetrate each other and together maintain the entire individual and social life-process. He was far ahead of his time in prevision of the scientific and practical demand for this analysis. It has been the rule, ever since the first edition of his work appeared, to abuse and misrepresent it and its author in a fashion which indicates more plainly than anything else that people had not read the volume. They could not have originated or repeated such stupid judgments if they had made themselves familiar at first hand with the treatise itself. There are numerous and gratifying signs that the provincialism manifested in this treatment of Schaeffle is giving place to more critical and liberal appreciation. The respect with which such a man as Schmoller, 1 for instance, refers to Schaeffle shows that people who have less ability to make up sane opinions on the merits of evidence, but who are not above echoing second- hand judgments, will soon be obliged to acquire a new set of estimates of Bau und Leben?

At the same time it must be repeated that Schaeffle's analysis is, after all, only an incident in progress toward teleological analysis and classification of associations within states.

In accordance with all that has preceded, we may make a somewhat specific prospectus of the sort of knowledge which has to be gained before we shall have the materials for respect- able beginnings of national sociology. Let us assume at the start a basis of generalization no wider than that which would be furnished by the facts about the five nations com- monly known as the foremost political powers of the world, viz.: Russia, Germany, France, Great Britain, and the United States. In each case the knowledge that we need would have to be sufficient to fill out the following schedules :

1 Vid. Grundriss der allgemcinen Volkswirtschaftslehre, erster Teil, pp. 63, 72, 123, et passim.


 * Vid. Bau und Leben, second edition, Book I, chaps. 2-5.