New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-07
DISCUSSING SOCIOLOGY.

PAPER BY PROFESSOR SUMNER BEFORE THE
NINETEENTH CENTURY CLCB-oTHER SPEAK
ERs.
AT the meeting of the Nineteenth Century
Club last night the house Of Courtdnd Palmer the
subject OF Sociology " was presented In "a paper read
by Professor W. G. Sumner, OF Yale College. and
discussed in some Of its aspects afterward
by Professor Boyesen Isaac L. Rice and Thaddeus b.
WaEeman. The presentation and discussion were
listened attentvey by audience that filed the par
1ors OF the house and comprised, among others, MI
and Mrs Everett p Wheeler, Mr.. and Mrs II. Mex.
Twombly Mr. and Mrs. Dwight Townsend, the
MARQUIS and Marquise De LAMA. Mr. and Mrs. Burton
n Harrison, Mr. and mrs. Charles stebbins. Mr.. and
Mrs George Place, the Rev Dr. aud Mrs Rylance, Miss
Emma Lazarus, Mrs John Sherwood, Mrs. jordan L.
Mott lr Judge Armour. Julian Hawthorne, Dwight II.
Olmstead and Edgar Faweett.
Professor summers paper started ont with the propos
ION that sociology a science was correlatiye Of
biology Successful aud happy living, he said, depends
upon the correctness with which apprehend the laws
of nature Social science is yet to INTO being; we
have the outlines, but they must be filled IN the
command of capital is principle Of the law of
ecoaomy Fxchange with supply and demand forms the
first step IN social ORGANIZATION The Ola B1ed
religion. Which, besides embr ICED everything that is
aud philosophy embrace in their scope all
T Uni '''' ali classes Of Teformers,
pon seeloosy and torn and distracted it
secured only The smallest share TIE German writers
Kant and Others mlstOok political economy for socoio
gy, aua gave out mystic political econony when rs
nether political economy nor sociology Inc ssnrSni
they make the easiest work OF the matter Tho
higher mat nematics makes great demand upon the
mind Phenomena and their sequences must DO studied
and the true student Is very tinid III Offering any gen
In NewY society there s every grade Of barbarsm
do their work. and plenty OF men today do the same
shfpg Slavery can be SEEM fetishism and every Jher
- .,nfr clio tim
relationship Our society to-day con ans fragments
td S@ into "' the ''' existing fabric Observe
what chance for error is offered by this state
thing side side and cries dsmay He does not
see that the wonder Is that we have taned certain
that misery still remains at the bottom There no
doubt that all the social world today Is used 70 preserve
raising victims from the bottom may crush them out
SuSn vet We do NOT Ike the survival Of the
f;test all that remains Is the survival OF the unnt
socety Ther notions Of love are purely conventional
and artificial They teach that love Is hnd OF disease
lifetime passion which ought not to be re-
strained by These are mere send9ents we can
needed scientific method of investigating an tnese
phenomena in society, oftraelng the grown OF society
Professor Boyesen urged the necessity Of study Of
sociology as science that teaches the universally OF
Law IN The history Of nations He gave examples u show
how IL threw lignt customs ana pboioSy ana int,
IN .ed his belief tina, importance would be recognized
as so great as give 1t place Ia the curriculum oil
colleges, even to the displacement Of the classics
Professor Rice criticised the Professor sumner
had presented negative yiew he said. ana mai toio
ONLY what sociology not ana had involved himself IN
contradictions. WHAT duty but sentimentf ana
what basis had the whole system of political econ
Omy but passiOn-the passion OF aecunnlatl0nf Inc
survival ttes was baldest OF truisms, but
the question the httest for what Plato
had clearer view. II the duty Of society 10 form
such conditions that tina best could Professor
Rice said he had lost great deIl OF the faItn he
once had IN Herbert Spencer since he found that
be evolved music from the VI a dogs tail, and
had committed great blunders in his evolution
and mis- fheOf q
eencous to the heterogeneous which theory was ols-
nroyed In Ian aud in the history OF states The
rn. end OF sociology should be the greatest good OF ALL
not only OF the nunber should promote tho
Lomogenety OF the wuOle the brotherhood OF the
butn mi