ABSTRACT
SPENCER'S type of society, and especially his distinction between the militant and industrial types, must be kept in mind throughout his Sociology, if we are to understand his discussion of political and industrial institutions, and of the role of the family and position of woman in society. These types constitute the keystone of his whole sociological and evolutionary arch. Again and again Spencer demonstrates that at any given stage of development, there is a necessary consistency between society's institutions, arising from the fact that the functioning of one institution is dependent on the functioning of the others, and that in the course of time, a certain balance or equilibrium obtains among them. This observation by Spencer is a valuable contribution to sociology, and deserves further exploration and analysis.
