Page:The Economic Journal Volume 1.djvu/790

 768 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL De Martiis, who has written the best book I happen to know of on Socialism in A,tiquity, has not got the share of attention due to him. But, who would not have erred in one or the other sense in a book of this nature, on the merits of which every reader will judge differently ? It is a very difficult and even a very disagreeable task to have to speak of living authors, as it is highly probable that the man you have blamed will be anything but amiable if he has to give an opinion upon you; while the man you have praised will not be your friend for all that, because he'll think you have not praised him enough; and the friends of the friends will all join in a chorus. For v. Schullern's book, Italians ought to be very grateful, consider- ing it is for them a most friendly introduction to a numerous group of scientific men acquainted with German and not understanding a word of Italian. But foreigners, too, ought to greet his book cordially, considering that amidst much chaff there is also a good deal of corn in modern Italian economics, which is worth more notice than it receives.  Sciences do not progress solely through the exertions of men of genius, but also through the labours of men simply talented, who work out the details of an original thought, and test it in every direction. This latter class comprises many modern Italian writers. Many economical problems have been analysed more minutely in Italy than elsewhere, and others have as rich a bibliography as abroad. Questions concerning the definition of wealth and of commodities, and particularly the problems connected with material and immaterial wealth, have been discussed by Ferrara and his disciples in a more philosophical spirit and thoroughgoing manner than this has been done later by Wagner and Sex, and other Germans. By the same, the theory of cost of production has been criticised in an exhaustive fashion, and Ferrara and Minghetti exposed the action of substitution values long before it was recognised abroad. Messedaglia, Loria, and De Viti are in monetary questions authorities. Loria has a broad historical and philosophical mind, and his theory of the action of economical forces in modelling societies is so full of talented aperqus, that it merits a translation. In public finance, De Viti, Mazzola, Conigliani, Ricca- Salerno, and Graziani have created a literature which cannot be dis- regarded by the specialists of this branch. Cognetti's History of Socialism in .4ntiquity has been already mentioned; it contains chapters on Socialism in China, which are of the highest interest, and have been built upon a material which had not yet been exploited; he has also written a History of American Socialism and a treatise on Primitive Ecowmic Societies, both based on a cautious study of first sources. In Statistics, I really am not conscious of any national bias, if I say  To justify this assertion I'll mention here only sixteen names of men from v. Schullern's book, such as would have a much greater credit abroad than they have if they were to write in a language more generally known than Italian is: Messe- daglia, Ferrara, Cossa, Loria, De Viti, Cognetti, lIazzola, Ricca-Salerno, Nazzani, Ferraris, Conigliani, Graziani, Toniolo, Wollemborg, Fornari, Lampertico. In v. Schullern's book fifty-three living Italian economists are analysed.