Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-16

49, M the American Academy OF
Sy k Political and Social Science
H Eg9 are to begin in Philadelphia
ia I'D within the next ten days, anu
hsdlaasM9 it is expected that the series
of discussions will bring out
a wealth of contributions to the knowl-
edge OF the problems of political and
social science. There never has been u
time when the world has answered that
fateful question, Am | my brother S
keeper?" so strongly in the affimatiNe
as IL Is answering it today Soclal
service. the veal of the individual, the
uplift of the doWntrodden, care Tor she
poor, help for the helpless, gentle FIRM
ness for the criminally inclined-eNery-
thing that makes for the betterment
of political and social conditions, claim
an attention today the like of which
they have never before received.
Ii one wishes to appreciate this fact
fully let him consult the indexes of the
periodical literature on the SUBJECTS
within the scope of political and social
science. He finds them the most widely
discussed subjects in American LIE TO-
day. Everywhere men are discussing
them; everywhere they are trying TO
solve the questions involved; every
where the great underworld is feeling
the touch of the hand that would lit
it UP the rugged steps that lie between
the quagmires of unfortunate existence
and the more pleasant plains OF proht-
able living.
And to no other one agency can this
change of attitude of the nation to-
ward its unfortunates he traced more
easily than to the American Academy
of Political and Social Science. Founded
for the broad purpose of bringing TO-
gether in available form all the rlpest
and best thought of the world on the
nolitico-social problems, its work has
been epoch i'm stimulating the
interest of people everywhere In IhS
welfare of their unfortunate brethren
and has been instrumental IN prlhshls
about many of the blessing that nave
come to the submerged millions.
The publications of the organizations
are the most widely quoted sources OF
information on social science in the
world. and those who make the lltera-
ture Of the association are the men VINO
are achieving things. whether II De
child labor that is discussed, trnsts'
poverty, the liquor question, deep wa
terway Improvement, the race prop
lem. the labor issue, welfare WORK, OF
what not. the best thought of ninety
million people is brought together in a
concise symposium. IN otner ~ "oiNs
the academy has made itself the pioneer
in the subject with which II deals,
gathering the data and blazing the
way for the action of the nation.
The annals of the academy are pun
lished in n bi-monthly volume, and
more than a hundred of these numbers
have appeared. They deal with nearly
every subject of human welfare that
has occupied the attention of the peo'
ple in the past quarter of century.
The contributors have numbered among
them all the presidents from Harrison
to Taft. all the writer's on civic pefter,
ment-in short, every one who hasA had
some mite to bring whose end was the 3
betterment Of the political ana soclai
conditions of the people.
The American Academy of Political
and Social Science now has about 1000
members. 1t was founded in 1889, and
is chartered along broad lines. Wher-
ever there Is a human being there Is
some problem related to him that so
cial science must solve. How to make
him of good to himself, of maximum
service to his nation, and of maximum
help in the onward march or human
progress, is a question that must pWe W
solved in each individual case. 1t Is
therefore one of the principal objects
of the academy to enlist the support OF
every intelligent citizen, and TO slim
ulate direct observation and renectoh
ON all the social phenomena of every
community. And then 1t is desired that
the academy may become the clearing
house of ali the data gathered IN the
hope that new rules may be deduced
and new laws established.
In this work the academy has made
itself the harbinger of the new Thought
of the nation on political and social
subjects. and by building up compre-
hensive literature on a question about
which there was little written, it gives
direction to the investigation which
follows. When there is question or
great public moment before the nation
the academy may be depended upon
to produce some convincing and au-
thoritative literature on that subject.
If the divorce question Is uppermost 1t
will bring forth. all the laws on the
subject that have been tried in any
corner of the world, in order that states
may be induced to accept the good ana
reject the bad. If child labor engages