distinctive sociological or social-work achievement. Those eligible to membership are subject to definite limitations in number. The society is organized on a democratic basis of merit with no secret characteristics.

The new division of social work, which was organized in 1920, has enrolled fifty-two students this semester who are candidates for the certificate of social work and the diploma of social work; the former being given only to persons who have an A.B. degree and the latter to persons who have an A.M. degree, and who have met the social-work requirements that have been set by the division.

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

Professor Philip Archibald Parsons, who has been the head of the sociology department at Syracuse University since 1909, has resigned to accept the position of professor of sociology and director of the school of social work at the University of Oregon. He replaced Professor Franklin Thomas, who resigned to accept the superintendency of the famous orphanage at Hastings-on-Hudson. The former superintendent, Dr. R. R. Reeder, left to take charge of child-relief work in Serbia.

PUBLICATIONS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY

The fifteenth volume of the Publications of the American Sociological Society, entitled Some Newer Problems, National and Social, will be off the press early in May.

REVIEWS

Vocational Education. By DAVID SNEDDEN. New York: Macmillan, 1920. Pp. ix+587. $2.75.

This volume should appeal to the intelligent students of educational systems and movements and to the sociologists. It is a thoroughgoing and critical study of vocational education in the light of the actual and pressing demands of modern society and the nature of individuals subject to the educational process. Its method is the analysis of the various factors entering into the different problems of vocational education, criticism of present vocational educational attempts to meet the situation, and the formulation of tentative programs for constructively meeting the issue.

The chapters of the book deal with the meaning and social needs of vocational education, its relation to general education, its principles of method, administration, attempts, and programs in the fields of agriculture, commerce, industry, homemaking, and the professions, training of vocational teachers, special and future problems of vocational education, the economic future of women, and practical arts in general education. There are also appendixes on occupational statistics and terminology of vocational education.

It would appear that the great motif of the volume is specialization in life and the need of a combination or correlated training of practice, related technical knowledge, and social insight in order to meet this situation. This is luminously illustrated in all the essential spheres of endeavor-agriculture, commerce, homemaking, etc.

A treatment of the author's view on several important points may serve to give a perspective of his general position in this field. Vocational education, according to the text, includes both by-vocational and direct vocational education; the former consisting of the vocational training people pick up in all manner of ways out in society outside of schools, the latter of the direct effort made in schools to bestow vocations. There is an increasing demand for vocational education, one demand issuing out of the fact that society goes on making new vocations by the process of specialization-something that is inherent in society and promises to be continuous-another demand springing out of the increased need for production and productiveness on the part of

individuals and society generally. Increasing democracy that presses for productiveness on the part of all and rising standards of living that render it imperative that each worker shall make an increased contribution in order to draw a larger income explain the latter demand.

The public cannot long escape the task of educating everyone to or into a vocation. The tendency is strongly in that direction and the principles of democracy make as rigorous demands for this as for equality in voting and before the law; for there can be no equality in fact until the artificial obstructions to giving everyone a chance to do some job efficiently, to realize his life through well-trained and qualified mind and body, are broken down. But the public in the form of the state-some form of the state-will have to found and carry on this kind of education. For vocational education under private auspices is not promising. Either it is not really vocational, as in the case of most so-called commercial schools-"business colleges"-which profess to train for business in general, yet in truth train for only two or a few lines, and for those poorly; or it is really vocational-as in the case of some corporations of a large or monopolistic nature-but not auspicious, since except in one or two monopolistic utilities, as telephone companies, where labor is immobile due to the fact that the girls trained live at home, labor is too mobile to make it profitable for a corporation or enterprise to train employees to their work, and there is too great competition between enterprises.

But there can be little hope of establishing a system of general vocational education. Such a thing as general vocational education is out of the question because of the nature of vocations. It is not possible to discover a common denominator for all the vocations, not even for those in any great line of endeavor, as agriculture something generally regarded as a simple calling. Practically all callings susceptible to vocational education are specific callings, so that a training for one is not a training for another. Of course the idea of education as discipline, in which case there is supposed to be a carry-over from one kind of discipline to another, is discarded. In agriculture there is nothing or little common to stock-raising, fruit-raising, and so on; consequently education for one of those callings is of little service should another be taken up.

This conception strikes a stunning blow at the prevailing idea that a generalized vocational education is possible, at least in a restricted sense. There is a widespread belief among educators that an agricultural community, for example, can train boys for agriculture and girls

for homemaking by means of the local school. There might be something to this in a one-crop community, according to the view under review, but not a great deal because of lack of equipment, technical knowledge, and correlation of work and training. But in a community of diversified farming, where various kinds of crops and stock are produced, local training would not be a real vocational training because a common factor for training purposes could not be found for all the productive lines. The technical knowledge and social insight embedded in each line is different from the others, and, besides, the practice work would have to be in each individually and not in all generally. On the basis of this conception, the best we could say of the proposals in behalf of generalized vocational education is that programs of education established on that foundation are better than nothing, may be contributive to something in some degree, but can only be regarded as an entering wedge or a way station to the real vocational education which is to grow out of such attempts. I am not certain that Dr. Snedden would exactly consent to this last interpretation. I rather believe he would say that society should stop such tiddledewinks efforts and do the right and real thing now. But it is pretty evident that were educators and society convinced that what they are doing is completely wrong, they and it would be too much discouraged to begin on a new task. In agriculture, at least, it seems to me, we should go on with what has been begun, realizing that it is not the best that might be conceived, but believing that it is on the right road to something better.

In the author's opinion, high schools and public schools generally cannot realize vocational education successfully, not only because the callings are so diverse that small communities are not able to get a plant large and complex enough to train for them, but also because many callings demand an equipment for the practical work-always to be associated with the process of getting the technical knowledge and social insight-that is far beyond the financial ability of such communities. Thus, to educate for locomotive engineering would require several miles of trackage, a hundred locomotives, and other equipment in proportion. From this it follows that vocational education will have to be realized by the establishment of special schools to which the youths to be trained shall go as they now do to normal schools, medical schools, etc. Some of these will be state schools or schools for a state, others district, some local. Towns may co-operate in the establishment of local schools, one kind of training being given in one place, another in another, and so on.

As to the administration of vocational education, nation, state, district, and locality will share inasmuch as each is a contributor to the support of the enterprise. In localities, the tendency is toward unity of management, instead of management under a dual system such as has been established in certain states.

Were space allowed, it would be fruitful to review certain of the chapters of this volume. Those on vocational education for the agricultural callings and for homemaking and on the practical arts are remarkable analyses of the situations. Dr. Snedden is a master at analysis and many of the results of his analysis strike the mind of the reader as in the nature of discoveries. Sociologists who have specialized in some of those directions considerably will be surprised to find here some things new and worth while.

I believe this book by Professor Snedden will prove a milestone in the field of vocational education. He has demonstrated that many of his conclusions are incontestable. He has torn up old foundations relentlessly, but for the most part with the conclusiveness of demonstrative evidence. His proposals are ideal in the sense that it will take society a long while to realize his objectives, but he has created a serviceable steering gear for future operations. The educator who can think and really wants to understand the subject of vocational education in itself and in relation to society and in relation to other education will find here a most stimulating and valuable aid.

JOHN M. GILLETTE

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA

Outlines of Historical Jurisprudence. By SIR PAUL VINOGRADOFF, F.B.A. Oxford: University Press, 1920. Pp. ix+428. $8.00. This is the first of several volumes dealing with the subject indicated by the title. This volume serves two purposes for the series: (1) it presents a general introduction to the Outlines, and (2) it covers the first general division of the history, "Tribal Law." A second volume will deal with "Jurisprudence of the Greek City."

The Introduction, comprising 160 pages, is perhaps the most important part of the book. It takes up two problems: (1) the relation of law to other sciences, (2) schools and methods of jurispudence. The relationship of law to logic, psychology, and social science is found to be particularly close. Logic, though open to exaggeration in the hands of lawyers, gives an essential framework for legal reasoning. Since law