The object of this little book is to place in the hands of the every day reader and debater, in as fair and impartial a manner as may be possible, a concise, yet more or less comprehensive, statement of the opposing arguments advanced by the partisans of the several rival schools or theories which are at the present day striving to catch the car of the public, whether in social, political, or religious spheres.
When we consider the enormous increase in the controversial literature of the last few years, and the number of the battles that are being fought out to-day in the pages of books, reviews, and newspapers, it seems likely that a work which digests and epitomizes all this floating and scattered material should, if properly executed, be of real service as an aide-memoire to the casual inquirer, to the newspaper reader, and perhaps, incidentally, to the serious student of sociology, though the book is not sufficiently full or elaborate to be of service to the specialist in his own department. I cannot hope that the present volume is very perfect; but I believe it to be trustworthy, as far as it goes, great care having been given to adequately represent the chief points in each subject, and the attitude taken up with respect to them by each side.
My choice of subjects has been, I have no doubt, somewhat arbitrary. I can only say that arbitrariness is involved in the very conception of the book.
