Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/94

 80 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

public servants, and as the people become upright and patriotic in character.

The characteristics of a technical and a business problem, whether for city, state, or nation, being thus established, what is the nature of an ethical or political problem ?

Society is made up of individuals working each in his spe- cial field. Division of labor is the main device for creating wealth. The product is not the work of one man or of one set of men, but of society as a whole. Everything that the indi- vidual man uses in his work and in his pleasures, the tools with which he works, the food, clothing, luxuries which he enjoys, even the language with which he thinks, is the joint product of all society past and present. These are all simply the services which his fellow-men everywhere are contributing to his life. Society is mutual service. But the motive which leads each individual to contribute his share to the joint pro- duct is mainly the share which he and those whom he loves can get in return. Society is opportunity. Freedom is the command over the services of others. But in acquiring this opportunity and this freedom the lone individual is helpless against the pressure of others. Consequently everywhere we find that those with common interests are compelled to join together to gain the power which united effort secures. If their interest is urgent enough and their demands are* not granted, they will resort to compulsion. History is full of the uprisings of sects and classes, of riots and wars, brought about by this struggle to share in larger degree the freedom and opportunities which society vouchsafes. This struggle, however, is not always violent. It may be constitutional. That is, the machinery of government may be so constructed and the suffrage so extended that different sects and classes may get a share of social services by simply getting control of the constituted authorities through well-recognized channels and without resorting to violence. This, we have seen, is the injection of order into coercion. But, in either case, whether violently or orderly, it must be noted, the resort is to com- pulsion. The power of compulsion, wherever it exists, is the