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(ORGANIZED 1880.)

OBJECTS.—The SOCIETY was organized by citizens who believe that the success of our government depends on the active political influence of educated intelligence, and that parties are means, not ends. The growing tendency of government to enlarge its sphere, and the demands constantly made to increase the power and responsibility of the STATE, make political education more than ever a supreme necessity for the just limitation and right guidance of governmental authority. Entirely non-partisan in its organization, the one aim of the Society is the awakening of an intelligent interest in government methods and purposes, that political morality may be promoted, and the abuses of parties restrained.

Among its organizers are numbered Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, who differ among themselves as to which party is best fitted to conduct the government, but who are in the main agreed as to the following propositions :

The right of each citizen to his free voice and vote must be upheld, and every possible safeguard must be employed to assure independence of vote.

Office-holders must not control the suffrage. The office should seek the man, and not the man the office.

Public service, in business positions, should depend solely on fitness and good behavior.

The crimes of bribery and corruption must be relentlessly punished.

Local issues should be independent of national parties.

Coins made unlimited legal-tender must possess their face value as metal in the markets of the world.

Sound currency must have a metal basis, and all paper money must be convertible on demand.

Labor has a right to the highest wages it can earn, unhindered by public or private tyranny.

Trade has a right to the freest scope, unfettered by taxes, except for government expenses.

Corporations must be restricted from abuse of privilege.

Neither the public money nor the people's land must be used to subsidize private enterprise.

A public opinion, wholesome and active, unhampered by machine control, is the true safeguard of popular institutions.

All members of the Society are not, however, required to endorse the above. / The Society's Reader's Guide, Economic Tract No. 27, has been prepared with the aid of competent authorities in special branches of economic, social, and political science. It tells which are the most recent and important books, articles, and reports in these fields, and which of them are the best. Briet courses of reading are recommended in the Guide-elementary, intermediate, and advanced. It is suggested that clubs be formed to take up these courses, and if such clubs wish to inform themselves regarding special topics, as the currency, or protection question, they will find helpful notes available for the purpose under the sub-headings of the Guide.

Questions for Debate, No. 28, may be used with advantage in connection with No. 27.

Hereafter the publications of the Society will be issued, not at stated intervals, but as occasion may offer. See full list of publications on third cover page.

THE READER'S GUIDE

IN

Economic, Social and Political Science

BEING

A CLASSIFIED BIBLIOGRAPHY, AMERICAN, ENGLISH, FRENCH AND GERMAN, WITH DESCRIPTIVE NOTES, AUTHOR, TITLE

AND SUBJECT INDEX, COURSES OF READING,

COLLEGE COURSES, ETC.

EDITED BY

R. R. BOWKER AND GEORGE ILES

NEW YORK

THE SOCIETY FOR POLITICAL EDUCATION

G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS, PUBLISHING AGENTS

NEW YORK AND LONDON

COPYRIGHT, 1891,

BY THE SOCIETY FOR POLITICAL EDUCATION.

INTRODUCTION.

WHEN the Society for Political Education was established in 1880, with that devoted apostle of progress, Richard L. Dugdale, as its first Secretary, its field was almost unworked. There seemed to be little interest in the subject in America; books on political economy and allied topics were few and slow of sale; the Society was a pioneer in the renascence which has since developed. One of its first tasks was to acquaint Americans with the literature of its subject, and one of its first publications therefore was the Bibliography (Tract No. 2) in the preparation of which Mr. Dugdale had the co-operation of W. G. Sumner, David A. Wells, W. E. Foster, Geo. Haven Putnam, and others. The progress of ten years is well shown in the present work, in which the bulk of the great editorial labor has been done by my indefatigable associate, George Iles, a worthy successor of Richard L. Dugdale, who has been Secretary of the Society during the past two years. The Guide has had the very helpful co-operation of a great number of specialists in most of the specific subjects, and is notably indebted to Professors E. R. A. Seligman, Richmond M. Smith, and F. J. Goodnow, of the University Faculty of Political Science of Columbia College, Worthington C. Ford, Rev. J. G. Brooks, of Cambridge, Mass., and Percival Chubb; to Professors Felix Adler and James Bryce; to Messrs. H. C. Baird, G. H. Baker, F. Bancroft, Geo. W. Cable, D. R. Dewey, D. B. Eaton, B. E. Fernow, David Dudley Field, Rev. R. J. Holaind, S.J., C. H. Kellogg, Gifford Pinchot, Wm. Potts, W. M. F. Round, W. W. Spooner, D. A. Wells, Andrew D. White, Horace White, F. W. Whitridge, and C: F. Wingate, for general or special revision.

The present Bibliography is planned on the general lines of cataloguing approved by the American Library Association, and provides in fact, though not in form of page, a department of the "A. L. A. Catalogue." The main features are a classification by specific subjects;

suggestions as to courses of reading at the head of each, when practicable and desirable; and descriptive notes, impartial in character, under the more important titles. The titles are given in full when so obtainable, with size, price, etc., when possible. . The size is given in the A. L. A. letter designations when examination permitted, otherwise by publishers' designations. The A. L. A. colon initials, for the most usual Christian names (as J: for John) are also used. Each title is independently entered, so that it can be cut out and pasted on the usual catalogue card. Under each heading, the titles are arranged in alphabets, according to the country of origin-American, English, French, German, etc.

The general arrangement of subjects has been made by the editors, after careful comparison with the scheme of the Columbia Faculty of Political Science, and largely on its lines. There are of course many titles which belong under more than one subject; these are given under one heading only, but the very full index will give clue to them in the others. The index comprises the titles in the addenda.

To some extent the subjects of this Guide occupy common ground with History and Law. But few titles in these departments of literature are given, as excellent bibliographies for both are in the hands of the public, namely, Soule's " Lawyers' Reference Manual of Law-Books and Citations" [Boston Book Co., Boston, formerly Soule & Bugbee, 1883], and Adams' "Manual of Historical Literature" [Harper, 1889].

It is believed that the courses in political and economic science at the leading American colleges, which are given in summary, will be found of interest. The courses prescribed for reading, elementary, intermediate, and advanced, have been carefully selected. In cases where the Guide is used by debating clubs, Tract No. 28 of the Society's series, "Questions for Debate," can accompany it with advantage.

It is hoped by the editors that their "labor of love" may be requited by its promotion of thoughtful attention to the important subjects to which this pamphlet offers a key and finally of good citizenship in America.

NEW YORK, March, 1891.

R: R. B.

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