not description. Descriptive data were to be used to illustrate theoret-
ical points.

Considering the variety of the topics and the diverse experiences
and interests of the authors, perhaps the most striking feature of the
volume is the extent of fundamental agreement to be found in the ten
essays. Differences exist of course, and not all points of view are
represented. The editors, differing on many ideas among themselves,
made suggestions but never attempted to impose their own thinking
upon the authors. Nonetheless, throughout the essays certain themes
stand out: (a) the pragmatic nature of the American labor move-
ment, continually experimenting with a changing environment to
survive and grow, (b) the diverse, multi-form character of the move-
ment attacking its problems and seeking its goals through the use of
many different structures, policies, and techniques, and (c) the
increasing complexity of its activities as it moves beyond the plant
and industry into the community, state, national, and international
arenas.

The opening essay by Philip Taft analyzes the theories of the labor
movement which have struggled for primacy up to the present time--
those of Brentano, the Webbs, Marx-Lenin, selected Catholic writers,
Hoxie, Commons, and Perlman. Taft distinguishes between the
theories of the origin of the labor movement (which are largely of
historical interest for the United States) and the theories of the be-
havior of the labor movement. He concludes, with Perlman, that
"American unionism has a philosophy of simple pragmatism" and
that while it may not rank high for philosophy, it deserves high score
as a means of protecting workers against arbitrary rule and raising
their standard of living. He agrees with critics of the "job conscious"
approach that labor has shown a growing political consciousness but
notes that in the matter of sponsoring the "new" society, labor today
is less enthusiastic than it was a half-century ago.

Ben Stephansky concurs with Taft that labor's "will to job control"
is superior to any developing will to political power. By examining
the realm of trade union structure he finds "the labor movement's
stubborn rootage in its industrial job terrain." Stephansky notes that
the two dominant features of the structural development of the Amer-
ican labor movement have been "a persistent diversity of structural
form coupled with a noticeable trend toward amalgamation." He em-
phasizes that "development of broader structural forms has not signi-
fied an ideological transformation from a will to job control to a will

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