SOCIAL CONTROL 263
to evil doing. Yet Arizona become mater familias will assuredly resent the flaunting of anti-social practice, and take steps to purge the atmosphere of the community. Long before hypno- tism practical men valued moral tone, and with the maxim Corrumpunt mores bonos colloquia prava set about to make the gen- eral tide of suggestion favorable to the social nature. The importance of suggestion in the control of the sexual instincts early established a decency and reserve in such matters which is now being extended to other aspects of conduct.
It is not, however, to be forgotten that there are other inter- ests at stake. Life is more than society, welfare is more than virtue. The gyving and gagging of people in their social life may go on till the cost far outweighs the gain. The strong nat- urally do not want their literature, art, drama, festivity, and sport emasculated on account of the weak. That there are people who, when suicides abound, dare not look at a razor, is a pity ; but we cannot go bearded to spare their susceptibilities. Between Puritan tyranny and Restoration profligacy, between Louis Quatorze and Louis Quinze, there must be a wise middle course. Moreover, there is a danger in overmuch coddling of anti-social or defectively social natures. It is as possible to make things too easy for the morally unfit as for the physically unfit, for Puritanism to check the elimination of the former as communism would check the elimination of the latter. The over-zealous guardian of public morals, like Emerson's conserva- tive, 1 "assumes sickness as a necessity, and his social frame as a hospital, his total legislation is for the present distress, a universe in slippers and flannels, with bib and papspoon, swallowing pills and herb tea."
EDWARD ALSWORTH Ross. STANFORD UNIVERSITY.
1 Lecture on The Conservative.
