the ragged trousered philanthropists-第124节

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‘Under　existing　circumstances　the　community　is　degenerating　mentally　and　physically　because　the　majority　cannot　afford　to　have　decent　houses　to　live　in。　　Socialists　say　that　the　community　should　take　in　hand　the　business　of　providing　proper　houses　for　all　its　members；　that　the　State　should　be　the　only　landlord；　that　all　the　land　and　all　the　houses　should　belong　to　the　whole　people。。。

‘We　must　do　this　if　we　are　to　keep　our　old　place　in　the　van　of　human　progress。　　A　nation　of　ignorant；　unintelligent；　half…starved；　broken…spirited　degenerates　cannot　hope　to　lead　humanity　in　its　never…ceasing　march　onward　to　the　conquest　of　the　future。

　　　　　　　　‘Vain。　mightiest　fleet　of　iron　framed；　　　　　　　　　Vain　the　all…shattering　guns　　　　　　　　　Unless　proud　England　keep；　untamed；　　　　　　　　　The　stout　hearts　of　her　sons。

‘All　the　evils　that　I　have　referred　to　are　only　symptoms　of　the　one　disease　that　is　sapping　the　moral；　mental　and　physical　life　of　the　nation；　and　all　attempts　to　cure　these　symptoms　are　foredoomed　to　failure；　simply　because　they　are　the　symptoms　and　not　the　disease。　All　the　talk　of　Temperance；　and　the　attempts　to　compel　temperance；　are　foredoomed　to　failure；　because　drunkenness　is　a　symptom；　and　not　the　disease。

‘India　is　a　rich　productive　country。　　Every　year　millions　of　pounds　worth　of　wealth　are　produced　by　her　people；　only　to　be　stolen　from　them　by　means　of　the　Money　Trick　by　the　capitalist　and　official　class。　Her　industrious　sons　and　daughters；　who　are　nearly　all　tdtal　abstainers；　live　in　abject　poverty；　and　their　misery　is　not　caused　by　laziness　or　want　of　thrift；　or　by　Intemperance。　　They　are　poor　for　the　same　reason　that　we　are　poor　…　Because　we　are　Robbed。

‘The　hundreds　of　thousands　of　pounds　that　are　yearly　wasted　in　well…meant　but　useless　charity　accomplish　no　lasting　good；　because　while　charity　soothes　the　symptoms　it　ignores　the　disease；　which　is　…　the　PRIVATE　OWNERSHIP　of　the　means　of　producing　the　necessaries　of　life；　and　the　restriction　of　production；　by　a　few　selfish　individuals　for　their　own　profit。　　And　for　that　disease　there　is　no　other　remedy　than　the　one　I　have　told　you　of　…　the　PUBLIC　OWNERSHIP　and　cultivation　of　the　land；　the　PUBLIC　OWNERSHIP　OF　the　mines；　railways；　canals；　ships；　factories　and　all　the　other　means　of　production；　and　the　establishment　of　an　Industrial　Civil　Service　…　a　National　Army　of　Industry　…　for　the　purpose　of　producing　the　necessaries；　comforts　and　refinements　of　life　in　that　abundance　which　has　been　made　possible　by　science　and　machinery　…　for　the　use　and　benefit　of　THE　WHOLE　OF　THE　PEOPLE。'

‘Yes：　and　where's　the　money　to　come　from　for　all　this？'　shouted　Crass；　fiercely。

‘Hear；　hear；'　cried　the　man　behind　the　moat。

‘There's　no　money　difficulty　about　it；'　replied　Barrington。　　‘We　can　easily　find　all　the　money　we　shall　need。'

‘Of　course；'　said　Slyme；　who　had　been　reading　the　Daily　Ananias；　‘there's　all　the　money　in　the　Post　Office　Savings　Bank。　　The　Socialists　could　steal　that　for　a　start；　and　as　for　the　mines　and　land　and　factories；　they　can　all　be　took　from　the　owners　by　force。'

‘There　will　be　no　need　for　force　and　no　need　to　steal　anything　from　anybody。'

‘And　there's　another　thing　I　objects　to；'　said　Crass。　　‘And　that's　all　this　'ere　talk　about　hignorance：　wot　about　all　the　money　wots　spent　every　year　for　edication？'

‘You　should　rather　say　…　〃What　about　all　the　money　that's　wasted　every　year　on　education？〃　　What　can　be　more　brutal　and　senseless　than　trying　to　〃educate〃　a　poor　little；　hungry；　ill…clad　child？　　Such　so…called　〃instruction〃　is　like　the　seed　in　the　parable　of　the　Sower；　which　fell　on　stony　ground　and　withered　away　because　it　had　no　depth　of　earth；　and　even　in　those　cases　where　it　does　take　root　and　grow；　it　becomes　like　the　seed　that　fell　among　thorns　and　the　thorns　grew　up　and　choked　it；　and　it　bore　no　fruit。

‘The　majority　of　us　forget　in　a　year　or　two　all　that　we　learnt　at　school　because　the　conditions　of　our　lives　are　such　as　to　destroy　all　inclination　for　culture　or　refinement。　　We　must　see　that　the　children　are　properly　clothed　and　fed　and　that　they　are　not　made　to　get　up　in　the　middle　of　the　night　to　go　to　work　for　several　hours　before　they　go　to　school。　　We　must　make　it　illegal　for　any　greedy；　heartless　profit…hunter　to　hire　them　and　make　them　labour　for　several　hours　in　the　evening　after　school；　or　all　day　and　till　nearly　midnight　on　Saturday。　　We　must　first　see　that　our　children　are　cared　for；　as　well　as　the　children　of　savage　races；　before　we　can　expect　a　proper　return　for　the　money　that　we　spend　on　education。'

‘I　don't　mind　admitting　that　this　'ere　scheme　of　national　ownership　and　industries　is　all　right　if　it　could　only　be　done；'　said　Harlow；　‘but　at　present；　all　the　land；　railways　and　factories；　belongs　to　private　capitalists；　they　can't　be　bought　without　money；　and　you　say　you　ain't　goin'　to　take　'em　away　by　force；　so　I　should　like　to　know　how　the　bloody　'ell　you　are　goin'　to　get　'em？'

‘We　certainly　don't　propose　to　buy　them　with　money；　for　the　simple　reason　that　there　is　not　sufficient　money　in　existence　to　pay　for　them。

‘If　all　the　gold　and　silver　money　in　the　World　were　gathered　together　into　one　heap；　it　would　scarcely　be　sufficient　to　buy　all　the　private　property　in　England。　　The　people　who　own　all　these　things　now　never　really　paid　for　them　with　money　…　they　obtained　possession　of　them　by　means　of　the　〃Money　Trick〃　which　Owen　explained　to　us　some　time　ago。'

‘They　obtained　possession　of　them　by　usin'　their　brain；'　said　Crass。　‘Exactly；'　replied　the　lecturer。　　‘They　tell　us　themselves　that　that　is　how　they　got　them　away　from　us；　they　call　their　profits　the　〃wages　of　intelligence〃。　　Whilst　we　have　been　working；　they　have　been　using　their　intelligence　in　order　to　obtain　possession　of　the　things　we　have　created。　　The　time　has　now　arrived　for　us　to　use　our　intelligence　in　order　to　get　back　the　things　they　have　robbed　us　of；　aid　to　prevent　them　from　robbing　us　any　more。　　As　for　how　it　is　to　be　done；　we　might　copy　the　methods　that　they　have　found　so　successful。'

‘Oh；　then　you　DO　mean　to　rob　them　after　all；'　cried　Slyme；　triumphantly。　　‘If　it's　true　that　they　robbed　the　workers；　and　if　we're　to　adopt　the　same　method　then　we'll　be　robbers　too！'

‘When　a　thief　is　caught　having　in　his　possession　the　property　of　others　it　is　not　robbery　to　take　the　things　away　from　him　and　to　restore　them　to　their　rightful　owners；'　retorted　Barrington。

‘I　can't　allow　this　'ere　disorder　to　go　on　no　longer；'　shouted　Philpot；　banging　the　table　with　the　plumber's　hammer　as　several　men　began　talking　at　the　same　time。

‘There　will　be　plenty　of　tuneropperty　for　questions　and　opposition　at　the　hend　of　the　horation；　when　the　pulpit　will　be　throwed　open　to　anyone　as　likes　to　debate　the　question。　　I　now　calls　upon　the　professor　to　proceed　with　the　second　part　of　the　horation：　and　anyone　wot　interrupts　will　get　a　lick　under　the　ear…'ole　with　this'　…　waving　the　hammer　…　‘and　the　body　will　be　chucked　out　of　the　bloody　winder。'

Loud　cheers　greeted　this　announcement。　　It　was　still　raining　heavily；　so　they　thought　they　might　as　well　pass　the　time　listening　to　Barrington　as　in　any　other　way。

‘A　large　part　of　the　land　may　be　got　back　in　the　same　way　as　it　was　taken　from　us。　　The　ancestors　of　the　present　holders　obtained　possession　of　it　by　simply　passing　Acts　of　Enclosure：　the　nation　should　regain　possession　of　those　lands　by　passing　Acts　of　Resumption。　And　with　regard　to　the　other　land；　the　present　holders　should　be　allowed　to　retain　possession　of　it　during　their　lives　and　then　it　should　revert　to　the　State；　to　be　used　for　the　benefit　of　all。　Britain　should　belong　to　the　British　people；　not　to　a　few　selfish　individuals。　　As　for　the　railways；　they　have　already　been　nationalized　in　some　other　countries；　and　what　other　countries　can　do　we　can　do　also。　　In　New　Zealand；　Australia；　South　Africa；　Germany；　Belgium；　Italy；　Japan　and　some　other　countries　some　of　the　railways　are　already　the　property　of　the　State。　　As　for　the　method　by　which　we　can　obtain　possession　of　them；　the　difficulty　is　not　to　discover　a　method；　but　rather　to　decide　which　of　many　methods　we　shall　adopt。　　One　method　would　be　to　simply　pass　an　Act　declaring　that　as　it　was　contrary　to　the　public　interest　that　they　should　be　owned　by　private　individuals；　the　railways　would　henceforth　be　the　property　of　the　nation。　　All　railways　servants；　managers　and　officials　would　continue　in　their　employment；　the　only　difference　being　that　they　would　now　be　in　the　employ　of　the　State。　　As　to　the　shareholders　…'

‘They　could　all　be　knocked　on　the　'ead；　I　suppose；'　interrupted　Crass。

‘Or　go　to　the　workhouse；'　said　Slyme。

‘Or　to　'ell；'　suggested　the　man　behind　the　moat。

‘…　The　State　would　continue　to　pay　to　the　shareholders　the　same　dividends　they　had　received　on　an　average　for；　say；　the　previous　three　years。　　These　payments　would　be　continued　to　the　present　shareholders　for　life；　or　the　payments　might　be　limited　to　a　stated　number　of　years　and　the　shares　would　be　made　non…transferable；　like　the　railway　tickets　of　today。　As　for　the　factories；　shops；　and　other　means　of　production　and　distribution；　the　State　must　adopt　the　same　methods　of　doing　business　as　the　present　owners。　　I　mean　that　even　as　t