The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-26
SOCIAL SCIENCE.
The Session of Last Evenlng-Addresses by
Judge strong, Hon. Charles X. BuckaIew,
and j. ID. KOsenknrten, Esq.

session II EvenIuG-AddFeases
Judge strong, Hon. Charles X. BucknIew,
d and j. ID. ROsenkarten, Esq.
Judge Strong opened last evenings session of
the Social Science Association.
He said conventions have until lately been
rare; 1. e., conventions on scientific subjects.
The subject OF social science is indeed a rather
unknown science to many. French philoso-
pher few years ago referred to the fact that
i Sociology would certainly in few years be
ranked among the general sciences. 1t is i'm
possible to look at social science even superb
4 cially without being astonished at the immen-
sity of its range, and the student must acquaint
himself with everything in that range.
n We are accustomed to speak of Eastern and
E Asiatic civilization as stationary but we speak
without proper knowledge of the subject.
& Human society is ever undergoing changes for
I1better or for worse. Even diseases are new
|Xamong us. There are habits of society which
|4former generations had not. Something has
given birth to them There are laws constantly
making new habits and changing old ones.
H There appears to be more changes in this
country than anywhere else. This is attributa-
|Nble to the influx of so much immigration, to the
of new portions of the country, and to
Xmany other causes. The study of social science
: is the study of historical subjects History as
|<recorded is little more than account of gov
|&ernmental action, wars, and changes among
Hnations. The student must know what obsta-
|tcles stand in the way of societys upward pro-
gress
Vi If we take into consideration the necessary
q knowledge to be attained by the student of
\ extent of information TO be gained. The educa-
ton of youth is a subject in its infancy; the
subject of pauperism is another; the economies
of social life are still subject, the proper
relations of labor and capital, and the laws
{ binding together all social organism. Thus it
is seen that the field is very broad is it all
terra incognita. 1t has been studied, too, with
avidity. More than one hundred and fifty
works on the subject of social science, exclusive
of periodical articles, have been issued from the
press within the last year.
George w. Emerson, Esq., of Boston, then
addressed the meeting on Homes for Working
men and Workingwomen."
He referred first to the fearful condition of
some of the districts of Boston, the dwellings
of which were fostering with crime by reason
of the dirt and unhealthiness of the neighbor-
hoods. He referred to the evil consequences of
this in the education OF the children, and de-
tailed clearly and succinctly all the terrible
/ evils which would ensue from this, with regard
/ to the morals and habits not only of the young,
| but of their parents, and certainly means OF
avoiding these evils was the possession of plea
SAINT dwellings for the working classes, by which
more light room, air, ventilation, comfort, pri-
yacy, and separation from the purlteus of the
city, separation from the tavern, could be at
tanned.
| He dwelt upon the subject at great length
and then gave way to Mr.. Buckalew on the
subject of proportional Representation"
Mr.. Buckalew commenced by saying that his
remarks were intended to be supplemental to
what he had said and written on this subject on
/ previous occasions. After defining the free vete
10 be applicable to elections whenever two or
\ more persons are to be chosen together to the
same Office for the same term of service, and
H>conssting in allowing the voter to distribute
his votes among candidates as he shall think fit,
or to concentrate them upon one (assuming that
II the voter shall have the same number of votes
! as the number of persons to be chosen, and that
the candidates highest in vote shall be declared
elected) Mr.. Buckalew said that it would be
assumed that it would be inapplicable to the
election of single person. He then referred
TO its objects, which was: First, the just repre-
\ sentation of the people in government, and
Isecond, the publication of popular elections.
He referred to the insutficiency and injustice
of the majority" or old system, and said there
were remedies for them convenient of applca-
tion and effectual for all purposes of reform.
With regard to the publication of elections,
there could be no doubt that the free vote
would cheaper elections, and as a consequence
purify them. 1t would take away from parties
greed for unjust representation and fear OF
unjust disfranchisement-by the joint operation
of which desperate and expensive struggles are
1 produced. When party shall be made secure
in its just representation by its own votes, il
need not buy majority in the corruption