Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 9.djvu/51

 SOCIOLOGY AND HOMER. 1

SOME people resent the intrusion of the dismal sciences into fields which they say are too good for materialistic exploitation. This repellent attitude is rather more clearly exhibited by lovers of the oldest Greek and Hebrew literatures than by partisans of more recent productions. The reasons for this are clear enough, upon a little reflection. Both the aesthetic and the religious feelings are here peculiarly vulnerable ; and it is a fact that indiscreet, uncandid, or insufficiently instructed investigators have often afforded plenty of justification for a hostility and suspicion which we now deplore.

As far as mere literature and literary feelings are concerned, it appears not unreasonable that Homer might be made a test case. Since Homer stands so high in the estimation of even the fastidious, sociology, by demonstrating some sufficient reason for entering his field, might cause its right to enter other literary inclosures to be admitted, one might say, a fortiori. In any case, I think it can be shown, not only that Homer is invaluable to the science of society, but also that this science is able to render Homer, even to his literary sponsors, more real and enjoyable. The latter contention is one which must be demonstrated by actual performance ; but the former may be set before sociolo- gists themselves by reasoning along more general lines.

Sociological evidence as to primitive societies is, broadly speaking, either inferential or direct ; inferential, when the wit- nesses are inanimate relics of a past, lost, in this case, to written record and to tradition ; direct, when the outlines of the past are preserved by one or both of these agencies. Speaking generally, the latter form of evidence is more satisfactory, and under it Homer would come. Again, this direct evidence is either actual record, or tradition ; and Homer would, of course, be ranged under the latter category.

It would be a hard matter to pronounce upon the compara-

r See article on "Sociology and Epic" in this JOURNAL for May, 1900.

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