The Useful Art of Economics. by George SouleReview by: Joseph J. SpenglerSocial Forces, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Mar., 1930), pp. 474-475Published by: Oxford University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2570206 .

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474 SOCIAL FORCES

that "faucets do not manufacture water, nor delicatessen stores food," a tragic comedy; his prognosis as to natural re- sources devastating in its despair.

The author is not uncritical of the exist- ing economic system which he character- izes as "the economy of a mad-house.'" The machine and the terrific Power Age which it has produced are not intrinsically baneful but it is the profit-motive setting of the machine that has distorted its use to bring untold wealth and power to a few, only incidentally to better the con- dition of some others, and to make mil- lions of workers industrial slaves. When Chase returned from Soviet Russia, he wrote enthusiastically of the work of the Soviet State Planning Commission (the Gosplan) as an example of how order can be substituted for chaos in the control of the machine and the distribution of its products for the benefit of the masses. Unfortunately, here, he merely mentions that Russia "regards the workman as a human being for whose benefit the wheels of industry are principally turning" and only casually refers to the Gosplan with- out indicating its tremendous scope and accomplishment. When discussing how to make the machine capitulate to man, in place of a description of this function- ing agency that is actually harnessing "a billion wild horses," he prefers to engage in admitted phantasy in the man- ner of H. G. Wells. The "statistical Don Quixote" puts aside his statistics to become a mere romantic!

BERNHARD J. STERN.

University of Washington.

THE USEFUL ART oF ECONOMICS. By George Soule. New York: Macmillan, 19z8. 250 PP.

Lack of agreement upon a common eco- nomic objective has, especially since the War, been a major obstacle to the forma- tion of a real liberal party in the United

States. For a liberal party, to be success- ful, must necessarily number among its adherents many who, at present, possess only a desultory training in economics. Mr. Soule, although he has not consciously sought to do so, has set forth in outline an analysis of and a series of proposals relative to our national economy with the essentials of which liberal thinkers will agree.

Mr. Soule is "concerned merely with the tools man may use to master the economic jungle" and "with establishing an under- standing of the need for such tools and the possibility of devising them." He is severe with the popularizers who, know- ing neither economics nor economists, drag in the "superficial misconception" known as "economic law" to support an obviously sick status quo. He demon- strates that an economist can write of economic problems without automatically vaccinating the reader against moral in- dignation and effective action as do so many of the current textbooks. He makes of economics both a science and an in- teresting and salutary art.

The book is well planned. In the sec- ond chapter the reader has "A Look at The National Plant." In the three fol- lowing chapters he learns under what conditions the plant can be kept running steadily, whether the plant can make more goods, and if so, the goods we really want. Having made it apparent in general that the "unseen hand" does not guide effici- ently the author directs attention to those "specially sore spots" in the national plant, agriculture, housing, the textile and soft coal industries, wherein the policy of laissez faire has failed most conspicuously. In the two final chapters the author treats of existing and potential instruments for the social control of business and analyzes the seeds of Utopianism implicit in the existing economic system.

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LIBRARY AND WORKSHOP 475

Mr. Soule stresses the need of knowing how our economic system behaves and of adjusting changes in its administration and control to what has been observed. His approach to problems is similar in spirit to that of the series of able studies produced by the Institute of Economics.

The book is not satisfactory as a text- book. It ought, however, to be read by all laymnen who desire to vote intelli- gently and by all students in elementary economics, for Mr. Soule writes brilli- antly and integrates the study of eco- nomics with life. The average textbook, on the contrary, usually leaves the student a clumsy juggler of unreal concepts who knows little and understands even less of the economic world that is.

A wide reading of Mr. Soule's book should crystallize and direct confused liberal opinion, as well as indicate to economists how textbooks should be writ- ten. In fact, were the average textbook as lucidly written and as vitally instinct with real economic life as The Useful Art of Economics the trade of economist would be respected. His advice would be fol- lowed and the American national plant would soon be operated efficiently.

JOSEPH J. SPENGLER

Ohio State University.

WHY WE MISBEHAVE. By Samuel D. Schlinalhausen. New York: Macaulay, I928. 313 PP. $3.00.

This book has been widely advertised and has been among the "best sellers" of the non-fiction group. It has been ex- travagantly praised and equally con- demned. One does not have to read far to discover why. The author is not only daring in thought, but somewhat flam- boyant in style. Especially when speak- ing of the newer phases of sex ethics he sometimes swings close to the edge of vulgarity, apparently lacking the ability of Havelock Ellis to put his unconven-

tional thoughts on sexual matters in meaningful but poetical phrases. The ob- vious efforts that have been made to at- tract public attention to this book by calling attention to its "sexy" character leads one to view it with suspicion.

The material falls into two major cate- gories. One might be headed, "Our chang- ing sex mores," with the subheading, "A plea for greater freedom in love." The other might be labeled, "The contribu- tions of the revised psychoanalysis to psychology, with some reflections on its significance for education." While in general agreement with the author on what he has to say under the first heading, one is painfully aware of the narrow range of the author's vision. He wants more and freer sex expression for everybody, but he never bothers to raise anly of the really serious problems involved therein for the vast majority of individuals. It is true that the center of gravity in sex matters is shifting "from procreation to recreation." But we may reasonably assume that fami- lies will continue. In that case there are numerous problems of premarital and marital adjustment which are in fact pro- foundly difficult of solution in view of our social tradition, the differences of the roles of the sexes in reproduction, and the differences in potential freedom resulting therefrom. These the author ignores.

The material under the second of our captions is both valuable, less repetitious, and more sober in style. It contains numerous pertinent suggestions as to the actual contributions of psychiatry and psychoanalysis to our understanding of ourselves, and makes what seems to be a real contribution in developing the thesis that a sense of what he calls "personality deficit" is at the basis of much psycho- neurotic behavior.

FRANK Hl. HIANKINS.

Smnith College.

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