social ism ▁never ▁caught ▁on ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁Sp encer ▁became ▁famous ▁and ▁was ▁the ▁leading ▁light ▁for ▁conserv atives . ▁Ward ▁placed ▁himself ▁in ▁direct ▁opposition ▁to ▁Sp encer ▁and ▁Sp encer ' s ▁American ▁dis ci ple ▁William ▁Graham ▁Sum ner , ▁who ▁had ▁become ▁the ▁most ▁well ▁known ▁and ▁widely ▁read ▁American ▁soci ologist ▁by ▁single - mind edly ▁prom oting ▁the ▁principles ▁of ▁la isse z - f aire . ▁To ▁quote ▁the ▁historian ▁Henry ▁Ste ele ▁Comm ager : ▁" W ard ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁major ▁scholar ▁to ▁attack ▁this ▁whole ▁system ▁of ▁neg ativ ist ▁and ▁absol ut ist ▁soci ology ▁and ▁he ▁remains ▁the ▁ab l est .... ▁Before ▁Ward ▁could ▁begin ▁to ▁form ulate ▁that ▁science ▁of ▁society ▁which ▁he ▁hoped ▁would ▁inaugur ate ▁an ▁era ▁of ▁such ▁progress ▁as ▁the ▁world ▁had ▁not ▁yet ▁seen , ▁he ▁had ▁to ▁destroy ▁the ▁super st itions ▁that ▁still ▁held ▁domain ▁over ▁the ▁mind ▁of ▁his ▁generation . ▁Of ▁these , ▁la isse z - f aire ▁was ▁the ▁most ▁st u pe f ying , ▁and ▁it ▁was ▁on ▁the ▁doctrine ▁of ▁la isse z - f aire ▁that ▁he ▁trained ▁his ▁heav iest ▁guns . ▁The ▁work ▁of ▁demol ition ▁performed ▁in ▁Dynamic ▁Soci ology , ▁Psych ic ▁Fact ors ▁and ▁App lied ▁Soci ology ▁was ▁thorough ." ▁ ▁W elf are ▁state ▁Ward ▁was ▁a ▁strong ▁supp orter ▁of ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁the ▁w elf are ▁state , ▁or ▁state ▁aid ▁for