The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-09
SOCIAL SCIENCE.
Annual Meeting Of the American
Association.
MODERN POLITICAL ECONOMY DISCUSSED.
Interesting Papers Read On the Diffusion Of knowledge
Human Canpaniamhp and Methods Of Legislation

Boston, Jan. 8, 1879
The annual meeting of the American Social Science
Association held in this city to-day at the Insti
tute of Technology. Boyston street. for the election
of officers and the transaction of other business.
Professor Pierce. of Harvard College, presided; MT
T. b. Sanborn of Concord. officiating in his regular
capacity secretary. At eleven o'clock the regular
meeting of the association was opened ana letter
was read from David A. Wells explaining his absence
and declining reelection to the ofhce OF president
In the course of his letter he says:-
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE.
Never in the history sf the world were SO many
and Ss
ssssss Questions h have S
questions of the day paramount 20 I'LL others and the
esd al into sxissnco in Indeed me-
1850 o.. Or the nS Of 9so~ sv u wa,
their methods Of doing business very much akin to
ES' Or @
o SrsSds T faiths are Ss sPpSS
esgsh STssEns doxa ,Is Sa and iorMaaSls
Things which the fundamental truth q modern
political econmy. that nations and individuals are
alike % "sl S viii BE by The
Rssaf 'nsli and esehsns
ing are also undergoing modification with the certain
sirable that IL should of economisng labor and material
Of these Changes and for YET to there
win much Of and also Of suffer
and their readjustment in new positions or locations MIL
their are in the no distant to be
the OF
enea ans Better
% As and nss
@ and n sp sss l
tho people, to help that mors rn inertia the
selves and themselves with rapidly the
socated efforts offer anything OF advantage in the way Of
them he
the tire
@ @ 81 TO
cooperation on part all officers association
IN the recent managsment Of its trusts
TO r. B. sAsDoRN ESQ., Secretary Social Science Assoca
THE sEcRETARy's REPORT,
Mr.. F. B. Sanborn, general secretary, next read his
report, in which he briefly reviewed the history Of
the organization referring with regret to the deci
mated lines Of the original members and fecitating
the association on the presence Of SO many of the
original band. He called to mind the benefits de-
rived by the infant society from the active
cooperation and support Of the late Gov
ernor Andrew and Professor Rogers. Horace
Greeley defined social science in 1869
the diffusion of knowledge, virtue and happiness.
This definition" said Mr.. Sanborn, "does not please
the careful scientific student, who is taught to d.
vorce his wishes and his perceptions when investi-
eating nature. and to things they are, not
they might be ought to be. 1t would not satisfy
Professor Rogers suppose to be told that the study
of geology is simply virtuous or An agreeable pur
suit. or that it tends in general way to
the diffusion Of knowledge. He finds in it
something definite and important-the
record of uncounted written tables of stone
in no doubtful heroglyphics. by the very finger Of
creativs wisdom. Here the Sybilline books
whose infallible characters, as soon as read
them Alright disclose the future well the past,
and geology is called science because 1t enables its
students to predict while they describe. In as
tronomy the rule is applied, and that
science teaches its students to discover unseen
worlds by the observed perturbations of planets
and to foretel the eccentric motions of seini-oc-
casional COMETS After aluding to the last general
meeting in Cincinnati Mr. sanborn continued:-"If
serving form of slavery-scrvitudo to q low
and unworthy public opinion-~e must not
selves we must take thought for the
good Of others and strive not only for and fame
but for the general Improvement of mans condition
and for human companionship upon the best terms
This nothing is social science 1t considers first
what possible. then what il right, and finally what
is expedent for all men living in human companion
ship" The Importance Of careful consideration and
wise legislation the silver question briefly
solely to the interests of the association de-
clared to be of the first importance The Secretary
closed his report with recommendation that the
American people move forward in science and virtue
and morals as became their great name and fame
among the civilized nations Of the earth.
ECONOMY.
The report of the department Of social economy
read by the Secretary OF the committee, Mr. f. b.
Sanborn and contained very interesting statistics
and valuable suggestions. Mr. Sanborn reviewed the
work of this department for the few years of its
istence a separate institution. Its most important
task, he said. has been to investigate and make
known to the people of the United States the cond
ton. in respect 10 dwellings, of tho industrious
population of the chief American cities As result
all this inquiry and discussion 1t may be said that
the proper sanitary arrangement of tenement houses
and other homes Ut the pcope In large cities. and
their ownership, when feasible, by those who occupy
thcm are questions that the attention Of
the most thoughtful persons i'll all parts OF the
country TO- a degree never known before.
New York held to need more improvement in
the housing OF her people than any other American
city Philadelphia Is far in advance of her sisters in
this respect, Boston holding the middle ground To
the question OF the distribution of State city aid to
the suffering poor the committee devoted consider
able portion of the report
METHODS LEGISLATION.
At four O'Clock Mr. Simon Stcrne, of New York,
sead paper on methods of legislation and some OF
their results. After laying down the proposition
that improvements in Legislative machinery have not
kept pace in our own country with the financial and
Industrial development during the past century, Mr.
Sterne said that the purpose OF his address
was to show how the increased responsibility
in Legislative and governmental matters arising
the changed condition of social organization had
been met in other countries than our own and to
contrast Herewith our methods of dealing with
those SUBJECTS ftouan Jur1stS made q distinc-
ton between general and special legislation which,
he claimed is being rapidly lost sight Of but which
was by them well recognized and expressed in the
MAXIM ''Jrd stnguts personals sed geveraL
tier conshtuunem. Hence in France Germany and all
countries where the Roman law prevails legislation is
strictly confined to the making Of general laws The
extending OF special privileges under those laws is
lodged in the administrative departments, and they
ARE surrounded general rule. by such experts and
generally removed tar from temptations of the vul-
gar type that the concessions or costiones persotcs
are neither corruptly nor arbitrarily given. Tho
vast power OF comforting special privileges was
lodged In the hands OF Legislatures Just timo
when the Corporation was beginning to develop
from very small germ into an enormous growth to
take possession Of and To o degree to control the
supply OF commodities which labor saving
machinery enabled us to produce, and when
individual wealth accommodating In the
hands OF people ut rate far beyond the de-
volopmcnt Of refinement, sclf-rcstraint aud virtue
There Is no ministry responsible for the public leg
isation; there is no examining drafting committed;
there Is no Speakers counsel or counsel of chair
mans commttccs--nothing but confusion and
uncertainty at the beginning OF the
Ia vl.ut Ia..- H..