The Life of Society : a General View. By E.
W. Brown. (G. P. Patnam's Sons, New York and London.)—It is very diffi- cult to give an at all adequate account of this book within the limits of a short notice. It aims at supplying a general sketch of the conditions of social existence, and consequently travels over a wide range of subjects, each of which is in itself sufficient to fill a volume. Its value, therefore, must be in a great measure suggestive. "As every human being, body and mind, is one, as every mind, intellect, will, and sensibility, is really one mind, acting all together, and in several ways, so every society with its constituent, its leading and subordinate parts, with its separate organisations, with its free agents, is, in a certain sense, one organisa- tion with all that this implies." This unity in complexity is the leading idea of the work, and its development is the tie which unites the very various matters here touched upon. Mr. Brown's book cannot be said to add much to the conclusions of social science, but suggests much subject for reflexion, and may serve a useful purpose in showing how numerous and varied are the factors which enter into every social problem.
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