The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-01


meant by social science. Scholars understand when
my, or physics generally, or when we speak OF the
science OF law, or theology or medicine; but when
We talk OF science thar selects human society as
its subject and includes In its departments all that
affects society for good or ILL., we seem TO many like
those in dream; 1t is remarkable that in the classi
1cation which the celebrated French philosopher,
Auguste Comte, made only few years since, of
what in his opinion are all possible departments OF
human knowledge, he included what he denomnated
sociology, not an existing science, but as some
thing that might, In distant hereafter, be developed
into department OF knowledge"
Society the Judge described aptly as an
organism (which might be said to have life.
Now, it is with this living organism, with
these habits, diseases, opinions, capabilities,
and every ything that acts upon social happi-
ness and development; with all that has been
discovered, or that yet may be known, which
tends to elevate and advance human society,
that social science has to do"
The field, as will be seen, is wide enough
even in European countries where the social
structures contain few component parts, aud
during centuries have hardened into definite
shapes, of which the defects have grown
patent and obtrusive with time. The science
is more difficult than any other because of
its v8gueness, and more thickly beset with
problems. What must it be in this country,
then, which is, after all, seething caldron,
into which have been thrown every race,
political creed, religion, and theory under
heaven, to war or fuse together as they
nay chance, under a system of government
alien to the majority of them How to
bring fusion instead of war; how to detect
and cure their diseases; how to rightly esti-
mate and place the relation of each to each,
are but parts of the work that offers itself
to our social science philosopher. Where
such breadth of standing ground is permitted,
it would be impossible for body of learned
and practical men, such as assembled last
week in Philadelphia, to attempt to exchange
opinions without offering many ideas both
rational and valuable. They should have re-
membered, however, that the danger lay in
the wide limits of the subject, which would
be likely to cause any search after truth to
degenerate into vague, indefinite discussion.
OF all sciences, sociology should have its
principles most firmly based on immutable
truth, and should be most precise and acou-
rate in their application. An error in mathe-
III atics or physics will perforce right itself
but social science deals with human ac-
ton, thrusts its hold into vital spiritual
principles, as the physician deals with the
life of the body. mistake in one case is as
fatal and irremediable as the other and so
much the grever as it affects the existence
Of masses Of men instead of individuals.
| The first effort of these gentlemen who are
endeavoring, from the purest motives, we
among us, should have been to ground it
thoroughly fixed axioms, to narrow its
| bounds as much as possible, and then con-
centrate their efforts on certain given points.
| This was not the case in the meeting Just
| closed. While there was an undoubted dis
play Of ability, research, aud force, there
| was an utter want of any concentration of
| purpose. 1t is true that the leading minds
of the association endeavored to direct its
| o,,,lof& fho
| form. But civil service reform is a surface
matter, after all. The other members, as
might be expected when the gates of
entry were thrown so wide to every sub ject,
each pressed in, riding his favorite hobby.
One was impressed with the idea that the
most fatal disease which threatened the body
polite was the incomplete mode of taking the
oensus; another old sontlennon had some
| favorite ideas about the testimony of experts
q third pressed new map of the United
States on the country as all that was needed
to urge humanity on its progress. There was
too, sufficient vague building up of ina
| gipary Utopias to draw upon them the ridi.
cule they seemed to fear. England was
civilly invited to admit our manufactures al
the same duty as her own iron and Indian
tissues, and to abrogate entails and primo
geniture, and promised in return the abolish
ment of Fenianism and instant admission t
and meat twice day.
In spite of these errors, however, the Asso
citation is accomplishing good work, if onl.
in drawing the attention of thinking peopl
to the subjects which it attempts to grasp.
PRIVATE MASKED BATTERIES.
From the N. Y. Times.
The curious homicide in Twenty-thir
street, few nights ago, whereby a suppose
burglar was killed in attempting to brea
into the shop of gunsmith, opens up an in
teresting question of legal and moral right
The circumstances of the case are still fres
in the minds of our readers. The worth
gunsmith had been put to much pecuniar
loss and vexation of spirit by repeated noe
turnal visits to his shop, and finding what W
faceliously call the Claw powerless to pre-
tect him, determined to protect himself
Being an Italian, his hot Southern blood
perhaps, needed little prompting to tax
vigorous and effective measures agains
these destroyers of his peace and pun
loiners of his property. He forthwith al
ranged to insure for his next trespasser
brief but vivid renewal of the Sicilian Yes
pers. A masked battery consisting Of
Springfield musket, loaded to the muzzl
with slugs, was SO planted as to comman
the approaches to the gunsmiths citadel, ant
by an ingenious contrivance, fixed to be dii
charged on any attempt to open his shutter
from outside. The other morning the tr
umph of these warlilxe combinations We
found in the person of young man, wit
but half a head, lying beneath the guI
smiths window. Near by the body wei
certain implements apparently pertaining
the housebreakers craft. There was, ther'
fore, little if any doubt of his purpose.
Now at first blush this will appear to mos