The Social Sciences
Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences. 15 vols. Edited by Edwin R. A. Seligman, LL.D., and Alvin S. Johnson, Ph.D. Vols. V, VI, VII. (Macmillan. 31s. Cid. each vol.) IN a work of this magnitude it is inevitable that there should be some unevenness of treatment, more particularly as the editors do not profess to treat each particular subject ex- haustively, but rather to emphasize the relation of each science to all the relevant disciplines. It cannot be said that in individual instances this last object has been achieved with any conspicuous success, except in such cases as, for example, " Human Nature " and " Heredity," in which there is an obvious affinity of content, and it is difficult to see how this would be possible without manly enlarging the scope of an already immense work. The desire, moreover, to appeal both to the specialist and to the reader whose interests are not predominantly scientific or whose scientific interests are cir- cumscribed is liable to result on occasion in a somewhat bathetic treatment of the subject. A reviewer can do no more than test a book of this character ": he cannot pretend to an exhaustive (or even to a slight) knowledge of all the subjects treated by experts in their own particular fields. These tests nevertheless have given certain significant results. The articles which are within the reviewer's own province are often found to be admirable up to a point, but too slight and, perhaps, too dogmatically insistent on a particular orientation, to be of much service to the specialist : whereas the articles which lie outside his immediate concern appear to be in- formative, and to be written with a discreet appreciation of his intellectual deficiencies. So far from this being an adverse criticism, it does indicate that one object of the encyclopaedia —and that an important one—is achieved, in so far as it opens out a new synthesis to the scientist, who would not so much refer to the articles which touch his own subject as to those with which he is less familiar, at the same time as it offers an excellent conspectus of all the social sciences to the intelligent layman. The bibliography concluding each article will never- theless prove of value to the scientist even in his own field.
The main articles treated in these volumes are " Economics " and Economic History," " Feudalism in its different
aspects, " Government " (in one section of which, however, Professor Laski, as also in "Democracy," does not sufficiently subordinate his own political bias), and "History," under which is-grouped a number of important essays. In addition to these there are articles of varying length dealing with every kind of topic which might conceivably come within the orbit of the social sciences, and biographies of the eminent, the less eminent and the definitely mediocre. These articles and biographies display a lack of balance which is sometimes dis- concerting, and it is surprising that greater discretion has not been exercised by the editors in the allocation of the space at their disposal, admittedly a difficult task. Some of the biographies, for instance, are unnecessary, and the space which they occupy could well have been spared for articles which, like " Holy Alliance " or " Etiquette " or " Fatigue," should have been allowed more room for expansion. The recent experiments conducted, mainly in America, with reference to industrial fatigue do not, for example, find adequate scope for treatment in the last of these articles. Sometimes, however, the fault lies with the authors, whose diffuseness is not appro- priate to a work of this nature. As a model of concise scholar- ship, which tells us everything and tells it well and lucidly, we may refer to Dr. Marett's "Fetishism," to Dr. Golden- weiser's " Evolution," and to. Dr. Koffka's extremely clear account of " Gestalt " psychology, which has overcome the handicap of compression in a really masterly manner. A longer article on " Gosplan " also deserves special mention, as being the best and most succinct account yet published in English on Russia's economic system. It is a sane, critical and well-balanced survey, without any of the prejudices which the author's known ideology might have tempted him to express. On the biographical side " Herodotus," " Durk- helm " and " Hegel " may be selected for the refreshing nature of their treatment, which gives all the salient facts with read- able brevity and without the scrappy casualness that marks, for example, " Demosthenes," an article which suggests that the author, deprived of a full-length study, did not much care what he produced. There are few omissions, but that of the Illuminati and of Hansard is surprising.
A sprinkling of apothegms gives colour to the staid texture of the social sciences, such as (with Chicago and the late War in our minds) " A horror of homicide is a modern phe- nomenon " : or (in an excellent article on " Heredity ") " a eugenic programme might result in eliminating the very indi- viduals it set out to propagate " : or (under "Fertility Rites "- a sound and suggestive article which, however, does not show why sexual licence should occur at harvest time) " the indis- criminate interpretation of religious symbols as phallic has often been applied uncritically" : or (by the same author on "Free Love "—such is the scope of the social sciences) "such an ideal does not belong to the conditions of capitalistic societies as at present constituted," though it is difficult to see the nexus between capitalism and free-love I In conclusion, a few criticisms of fact are called for. Max Iladin's article on " Dowry " is disappointing, and makes a. number of assumptions on primitive forms of marriage which it would be difficult to prove and which largely invalidate his thesis. Can the modern family be said to have no organic law, as the article on "Family Law" suggests, if we consider the rights and duties of the head of the family, the questions of marriage and divorce, of inheritance and succession ?
Fundamentalism " is confined to its expression in America and takes no note of its dramatic manifestations in South Africa. Under the article "Gifts," its author is obscure and altogether overlooks the concept of the transfer of personality, which is inherent in the primitive view. The article " Grants-,, in-aid" deals exclusively with its application to local authori-,1 ties and makes no reference to its extension to colonial govern- ments. In an otherwise good analysis of the " Group " Pro- fessor Sapir does not make it sufficiently clear that a group is more than an aggregate of individuals. There is no evidence that among primitive peoples " Hospitality " is found in a more pronounced form among agricultural than among pas- toral communities. And, finally, is it correct to describe " Incest " as " illicit sexual intercourse between persons within the prescribed degree of consanguinity " ? What then is it called when it is lawful, as in the case of brother- sister marriages in Egyptian and other societies ?
J. H. DRIBERG,
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