6. Can you think of any customs which are universal throughout the
world? Any which prevail in the United States but not elsewhere? Any
which prevail in some parts of the United States but not in others?
7. Do Americans in general pay too much deference to custom? Is there
any ground for the European idea that there is “too much uniformity” in
American life?
8. Are crowds likely to be more conservative or more radical than the
individuals who compose them? Give your reasons. What is the difference
between a mob, a crowd, a meeting, and a deliberative assembly?
9. The family, as an organization, differs not only in size but in
nature, from all other social organizations such as the community, the
state and the nation. Show how this is.
10. In what ways would society suffer if the family as a social unit
were broken down?
11. To what extent has society the right to regulate, as a measure of
self-protection, the institution of marriage?
12. Why have we laid emphasis upon individualism in this country?
Explain why this stress is being steadily diminished.
13. Should social control be exercised over (_a_) the methods of
agriculture; (_b_) the marketing of timber; (_c_) the production and
sale of tobacco; (_d_) the rates charged by electric lighting companies;
(_e_) the price of bread at retail bakeries; (_f_) the hours of labor
for men; (_g_) the hours of labor for women; (_h_) the kind of pictures
shown in theaters; (_i_) the diet of the people; (_j_) the hours at
which young people may be on the streets after dark; (_k_) the religious
beliefs of the people? Tell why or why not in each case. Is a greater
degree of social control justified over certain classes of the
population than over others? Is it justified at certain times and not at
others?
14. If society exercises too little control over the individual, what
evils result? If it exercises too much control, what are the
consequences (_a_) upon the individual; (_b_) upon society itself?
Topics for Debate
1. Physical environment has had a more important influence than racial
characteristics in determining the establishment and maintenance of
democratic institutions in the United States.
2. Thomas Jefferson was right when he said “That government is best
which governs least”.
3. Society is under obligation to ensure every industrious man a decent
living.
-----
Footnote 1:
For example, by covering Chapters i, ii, iv-xvi, xxviii-xxix, in the
first term and Chapters iii, xvii-xxvii, xxx-xxxii in the second.
Footnote 2:
Charles Darwin, a distinguished English student of biology, was born
in 1809, and died in 1882. His theory was set forth in two famous
books, _The Origin of Species_ and _The Descent of Man_.
Footnote 3:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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