our own being, nor as contained within the limits of our subjectivity. It is presented, but expressly as transcending all individual limitation.

Does Mr. Sears know nothing of this experience? And still professes to be a spiritual teacher! But if he does know of it, why make confusion about it? Why try to force mere verbal limitations, mere word-necessities, upon an interior fact, which exists without words, and can never be more than clumsily represented by them? Call this inward presentation noumenal, or call it supernatural, quite as you please. The calling does not make the fact, and will not change it. The divine is presented in the consciousness of man; or of a divine presence man never knows. Is it a divine presence that Mr Sears affirms, or only a divine absence? If he affirms a God eternally present, he affirms a God eternally presented; if he affirms a God eternally absent, he affirms atheism.

This is his alternative. Let him take his position, not with reference to words, but with reference to facts of man's inward life. Or, if he will take no position, let him be silent, and forbear to confuse by word-mongering, or if he cannot confuse, to disparage, those who choose neither to flounder forever in the slough of Pyrrhonism, nor to believe by shutting their eyes, without knowing at what or why.

D. A. W.

THE AMERICAN SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION.

I

N response to an invitation, contained in a Circular issued in August by the Board of State Charities, a large and very respectable meeting assembled in the Representatives' Hall, at the State House, Boston, on Wednesday, the 4th instant. Almost all parts of the State were represented, and many persons came from other States. Among the audience were many ladies, several of whom took part in the proceedings, while many enrolled themselves as members of the Association.

The meeting was called to order by Dr. Edward Jarvis, of Dorchester, Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements. Governor Andrew was

chosen Chairman, by acclamation, and Dr. James C. White, of Boston, and F. B. Sanborn, of Concord, were appointed Secretaries. The Governor took the Chair a little past ten o'clock, A. M., and after a brief address, thanking the meeting for the honor conferred, and emphasizing the importance of the subject to be discussed, he called upon the Committee of Arrangements to bring forward the business of the day. In response, Dr. White, one of the Secretaries, read the Report of the Committee, stating in detail the topics included in the term Social Science, and proposing a society for their public consideration and discussion. The Report was able, and to the point; it was received with marked favor by the assembly; and it was immediately voted to form an Association on the basis indicated in the Report. What this was will appear better from the Constitution adopted, which is, in its main points, a condensation of the Report.

CONSTITUTION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROMOTION OF SOCIAL SCIENCE.

Adopted in Boston, October 4, 1865.

I. This Society shall be called THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROMOTION OF SOCIAL SCIENCE.

II. Its objects are, to aid the development of Social Science, and to guide the public mind to the best practical means of promoting the Amendment of Laws, the Advancement of Education, the Prevention and Repression of Crime, the Reformation of Criminals and the progress of Public Morality, the adoption of Sanitary Regulations, and the diffusion of sound principles on questions of Economy, Trade and Finance. It will give attention to Pauperism, and the topics related thereto; including the responsibility of the well-endowed and successful, the wise and educated, the honest and respectable, for the failures of others. It will aim to bring together the various societies and individuals now interested in these objects, for the purpose of obtaining by discussion the real elements of Truth, by which doubts are removed, conflicting opinions harmonized, and a common ground afforded for treating wisely the great social problems of the day.

III. This association shall include four departments: the first for Education; the second for Public Health; the third for Economy, Trade and Finance; the fourth for Jurisprudence and the Amendment of Laws.

IV. The officers of this association shall be a president, four vice-presidents, a recording secretary, a corresponding secretary, a treasurer, and five directors, who shall constitute an executive committee of thirteen, and shall have power to fill any vacancies in their body which shall occur between the annual meetings. One vice-president and one director shall be assigned to each department, and these, together with a special secretary for each, shall constitute the executive committee for each department. The fifth director shall act as librarian. These seventeen officers shall hereafter be chosen annually, on the second Wednesday in October, and shall hold office till their successors are chosen.

V. The annual meetings of this association shall be held in Boston, unless some other place is specially designated. Special meetings may be called by the executive committee or by the president and any five members of the committee at any time and place which they may think proper; but no officers shall be chosen, assessments made, or amendments to the Constitution passed, except at the annual meetings, or some adjournment thereof.

VI. The business of the meetings shall be to hear Addresses, Reports and Papers, and to conduct discussions on the topics before mentioned. When desirable, the meetings shall be held by departments, over each of which a vice-president shall preside. All members may take part in the discussions, but no papers shall be read which have not been previously submitted to the executive committee in each department.

VII.-Before any meeting shall divide into departments, and immediately after the transaction of the regular business, the president shall call for, and the executive committee may bring forward, such subjects, not exceeding four in number, as are judged by them of immediate practical importance, and these shall have the precedence of all other subjects during the first session of the meeting.

VIII. Any person may become a member by signing the Constitution, and paying the sum of three dollars, and may continue a member by paying annually such further sum, not exceeding five dollars, as may be assessed on the members by vote of the association at its annual meeting. Any person may become a life member, exempt from assessments, by the payment of fifty dollars.

IX.-Honorary members and corresponding members may be chosen, but shall not exceed the number of the regular members; and members thus

All members,

chosen shall be exempt from the payment of assessments. both regular, honorary and corresponding, shall be entitled to receive a copy of the Transactions of the association.

X.-The secretaries, under the direction of the executive committee, shall annually select from the papers handed in and the addresses made, such as they shall deem proper for publication, and shall publish them, along with a report of the doings and discussions at the meetings during the year. This publication shall be called the Transactions of the association. They may also prepare and issue such other publications as may be deemed best by the executive committee.

XI. None but regular members shall have the privilege of voting in the meetings, and none but members of taking part in the discussions, except by invitation of the presiding officer; but it shall be the policy of the association to admit as many members as possible, and to encourage the co-operation of other societies having kindred objects in view.

XII. Whenever other associations shall be formed in other parts of North America, it shall be the policy of this association to co-operate with them so far as practicable. For this purpose the executive committee are empowered to call a convention of these assaciations, or to send delegates to such a convention.

This Constitution was not adopted without full discussion, and the modification of some points in it. In substance, however, it was the same as that reported by the Committee, and read by Mr. Sanborn, at the meeting.

The name chosen was not entirely satisfactory to all those present. Mr. Samuel E. Sewell and several others wished for a Massachusetts association; some desired a New England association; but it was so evidently the wish of the majority to extend the field of operations over the whole country, that finally the name "American" was agreed upon. The price of admission to membership was also warmly discussed; Wendell Phillips, and Colonel Higginson, taking part in favor of a low rate rather than a high The sum of three dollars was finally fixed upon, at the suggestion of Colonel Higginson.

one.

A proposition to add a fifth Department, to consider the Reformation of Criminals and young Delinquents was made by Mr. George B. Emerson, and warmly supported by several others. It was voted down, however, after Dr. Jarvis had stated that the classification reported, was that of the British association, and had been found, on trial, to be the best.

Among those who debated these and other points relating to the Constitution, were Mrs. C. H. Dall, of Boston; Dr. A. B. Palmer, of Michigan University; Dr. Strong, of New York; Judge Russell, of Boston; Hon. Amasa Walker, of North Brookfield; Hon. John A. Goodwin, of Lowell; John D. Philbrick, of Boston; Judge Wright, Rev. C. F. Barnard, T. C. Amory, Patrick O. Jackson; Dr. E. W. Hatch, of the Connecticut Reform School, and Edward Earle, of Worcester. After the adoption of the Constition, a nominating committee of thirteen, representing the states of Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Michigan, reported the following list of officers, who were chosen by the members.

President-Prof. William B. Rogers, of Boston. Vice-President—I. Rev. Dr. Thomas Hill, of Cambridge, (Department of Education); II. Dr. Samuel G. Howe, of Boston, (Department of Public Health); III. Rev. Dr. Theodore D. Woolsey, of New Haven, (Department of Economy, Trade, and Finance); IV. Dr. Francis Lieber, of New York, (Department of Jurispru

dence and Amendment of Laws). Directors, (assigned to each of the abovenamed departments in their order), I. Rev. Dr. E. O. Haven, Ann Arbor, Mich.; II. Mrs. Samuel Parkman, of Boston; III. Edward Atkinson, Esq., of Boston; Hon. Emory Washburn of Cambridge. Secretaries, I. Hon. Joseph White, of Williamstown; II. James C. White, of Boston; III. Hon. George Walker, of Springfield; IV. Prof. Theodore W. Dwight, of New York.-Recording Secretary-F. B. Sanborn, Esq., of Concord. Corresponding Secretary-Prof. Samuel Eliot, of Boston. Treasurer-Charles H. Dalton, Esq., of Boston. General Director and Librarian-Mrs. Caroline H. Dall, of Boston.

It will be seen that of the five Directors, two are women. It was understood that most of the officers chosen, had been consulted beforehand, and would serve on the Executive Committee, which, by the Constitution, has the general management of the association.

In the afternoon session, papers were read by Wm. P. Atkinson and Dr. Henry G. Clark, and an interesting discussion followed. The enrollment of members was continued through the day, until nearly a hundred were on the list. Some of these were the following: Gov. Andrew, Judge Washburn, Wendell Phillips, Thomas C. Amory, Mrs. Mara Weston Chapman, Rev. J. M. Manning, George B. Emerson, Wm. Lloyd Garrison, Hon. John Nesmith, Hon. Josiah Quincy, Mrs. Mary I. Quincy, Miss A. W. May, Dr. H. G. Clark, Prof. A. B. Palmer of Michigan; Dr. J. S. Butler of Hartford; Dr. Edward Jarvis, Prof. Gilman, of Yale College, Dr. O. S. Strong, of New York; Rev. Bradford K. Pierce, of New York; Dr. Hatch. of Meriden, Conn; E. S. Tobey, J. D. Philbrick, Joseph A. Allen of Westboro'; Mrs. Charles Pierce, of Cambridge; Mrs. Mary E. Stearns, of Medford; Hon. G. Haynes, of Charlestown; Hon. Phineas Ball, of Worcester; Dr. N. Allen, of Lowell; Col. T. W. Higginson, of Worcester.

We notice here a very happy mixture of Radicals and Conservatives, and a fair proportion of women. In the British Association some of the most eminent members are women- Florence Nightingale and Mary Carpenter being two of them.

The whole proceedings of the meeting showed great interest in the subject of Social Science on the part of those assembled, and we are told that the letters received by the Board of State Charities, in reply to their Circular, indicate an equal interest in all parts of the Union. The people of Lexington, Kentucky, have voted to invite the association to hold its next annual meeting there; the Philadelphia Prison Society, founded by Rush and Franklin, chose delegates, and promise co-operation. There really seems to be an opportunity for the new association to do a great good.

SOCIAL SCIENCE IN ENGLAND.

By a coincidence, which we are quite sure was not arranged, while the public-spirited persons who have set on foot a Social Science Association in this country were holding their convention at the State House, on the fourth of October, the British Association for the same objects was holding its ninth annual session at Sheffield, under the presidency of its founder, Lord Brougham. This elder association was projected in 1856, but was not formally organized until October, 1857, when its first assembly was held at Birmingham. In 1858, it met in Liverpool; in 1859, in Bradford; and

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since then in Glasgow, Dublin, London, Edinburgh and York. It was at the two last-named places that Lord Brougham, in his annual address, made those unfortunate allusions to America which he has since tried to explain, but which he does not mend by his explanations.

In many respects, however, the address of Brougham for 1865, is worthy of note. He runs over the field, and it is a vast one, which his associates cover in their investigations and discussions, and if he does not offer much that is absolutely new, he talks with spirit on all topics, and very instructively on some. Perhaps he makes us think of that ill-natured witticism which greeted his appointment as Lord Chancellor Brougham did not know a little law, for then it could be truly said that he -"that it was a pity knew a little of everything; " but he has served mankind so long, and, on the whole, so well, that he is entitled to immunity both from laughter and anger. We shall make a few extracts, from Lord Brougham's address, which we find reported in the London Star of the 5th:

CO-OPERATION OF WORKINGMEN.

HOURS OF LABOR.

It was highly satisfactory at our last Congress to mark the success of the great co-operative movement in the increase of the societies and their resources. progress has continued, although not at the rate of former years; and as this diminution has partly arisen from the increased rigor of the rules established, and the That arrangements enforced with the view to profit, an advantage has been gained; except, perhaps, that too great parsimony has been shown in the payment of those employed. It was, however, impossible that the same rate of increase should continue which had been exhibited in 1860 and 1861, when no less than 250 new socities had been formed. amounted to £2,626,000, and their profit divided was £213,000. Mr. Pratt's return In 1863 there were in all 454, whose sales in the year for the last year (1864) is 505 societies, their sales £2, 742,000, and profit £225,000. The counties of York and Lancaster continue to take the lead, as in the number of 505, Lancaster has no less than 130, and this 104. One cannot avoid recollecting the saying of a Rochdale tradesman, when a few workmen advanced a little money to establish a store; he said he should be able to carry it all in his wheelbarrow, and now the assets of the societies are returned at £891,000, and their cash in the bank and in the hands of their treasurers at £105,000.

Much has been done for the workingman without any Parliamentary proceedings. The repeated and earnest expression of opinion by our body to their employers has continued to receive their full consideration, and those whom we extolled at York and Edinburgh for their kindly conduct, and especially the Messrs. Chambers, have been reducing the hours of labor to ten, and this has become a general movement. The early closing, of which Leeds was so great and so early an example, has been more generally followed, and relaxations the loss in hours of labor will be compensated by the more healthy state is very probable that in both these of the men and their more diligent working.

ENGLISH AND IRISH PRISONS.

In the class of penal servitude, the subdivision of large prisons, the introduction of the mark system, the reduction of the excessive gratuities and of the dietary, the use of photography, and the giving police superintendance (beneficial not only to the public at large, but to the convicts themselves,) are great and important improvements; and these, together with the use of intermediate prisons in certain cases, have approached the Irish system to our own. improvement in the convict prisons for minor offenders, and an Act passed last But there has been great session has been executed most beneficially by the Home Department. All these changes have received the full approbation of the prison directors, whose report has been published, and who bear their testimony to the excellent effects of the various changes on which they comment. Sir Walter Crofton is well supplied by his able successor, and has been so far from It is very important that the absence of injuring his system that this has been consolidated by time, and its details are perfected by experience. The great principle has now received full effect that the