The Washington herald., 1908-04-03

number OF homicides He shows that
hOmicides have increased over four hun
dred per cent in a single generation
Perhaps the most valuable work being
done by the academy is It's collection OF
data on various subjects for the use or
State legislatures in the promotion OF
uniform laws and like objects For in
stance. Miss Josephine c. Goldmark has
prepared for Il a schedule OF all the ex-
isting chiId-labor statutes in effect in the
various States. and from them has Gre
ated standard child-labOr law, which is
composite law embodyinE all the best
provisions OF all the most effective meas
ures now in force in the various States.
The academy early took up the question
OF child labor. and has done much TO
mold public sentiment for the protection
OF children from the grinding and blight
Ing Influences OF factory and mine work.
Another valuable contribution which the
academy has made 10 the literature OF
political economics is its comparative
summary Of the constitutions OF ell Of
the States OF the Union as they existed
at the close OF 1875. This affords a guide
for the study OF the fundamental laws
Of all the States, and was prepared by
Dr. James Quayle Dealey. Of Brown Uni
ve-sity. Akin 10 this work is that giving
IN comparative form the constitutional
laws OF all OF the European nations. A
most important undertaking OF the acad-
eEy was the publication Of an exhaustive
ard systematic work on statistics. the
first published in the English language.
and the principles therein laid down nave
become. so 10 speak. the American con-
stitUti0n OF statistics.
There has been in the past twenty years
greater popular awakening in the study
Of political economy than there ever
was before There ars about a dozen
prominent organizations which are de-
voting themselves TO the same general
objects 10 which the American Academy
devOtes itself. One OF these is the Civic
Forum, in New York Here men and
women from all over the world come 10
enrich the economic literature OF the
country on the subjects that engross the
attention Of the world and OF individual
nations. a recent notable address before
the Civic Forum was that OF Prof. Paul
MilyOukOv, or Russia, on January Il
1908. Prof. MilyOukOv is q member OF
the third DOuma. and Travelled all the
way from St Petersburg 20 New York %
deliver this one address II is probable
that no other man has ever Travelled so
far to deliver q single talk 10 n people.
He was here only three days. and then
has-ened back 70 Russia He travelled
more than a mile for every word he
uttered IN public while in America.
While America looks TO her Senator'S
and Representatives. and the members OF
her State legislatures TO give force and
effect 10 what is 10 become law, yet tire
exigencies OF politics usually preve n
them from always following true prn-
ciples. A man may be ''standpatter'
though he knows that a tariff on wood
pulp is warranted. Or be may be a
free trader. though he feels that some
articles need a protective tariff. LegisIa-
tion is ever matter OF compromise. But
il IS the mission OF the American Acad-
eny and its allied associations 10 deal
with principles and 10 emphasize them,
so that they may finally be given the e.
feet OF law by the legislator. The student
OF political and social science Is each year
making himself more and more the ad-
vance guard OF legislation.
TO-mOrrOw-America Sculpture.