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arduous　of　imitation。　〃But；〃　it　is　answered；　〃they　cannot　receive



education。〃　Why　not？　That　is　precisely　the　point　at　issue。



Charitable　persons　suppose　the　worst　fault　of　the　rich　is　to



refuse　the　people　meat；　and　the　people　cry　for　their　meat；　kept



back　by　fraud；　to　the　Lord　of　Multitudes。（33*）　Alas！　it　is　not



meat　of　which　the　refusal　is　cruelest；　or　to　which　the　claim　is



validest。　The　life　is　more　than　the　meat。　The　rich　not　only



refuse　food　to　the　poor；　they　refuse　wisdom；　they　refuse　virtue；



they　refuse　salvation。　Ye　sheep　without　shepherd；　it　is　not　the



pasture　that　has　been　shut　from　you；　but　the　Presence。　Meat！



perhaps　your　right　to　that　may　be　pleadable；　but　other　rights



have　to　be　pleaded　first。　Claim　your　crumbs　from　the　table；　if



you　will；　but　claim　them　as　children；　not　as　dogs；　claim　your



right　to　be　fed；　but　claim　more　loudly　your　right　to　be　holy；



perfect；　and　pure。



　　　　Strange　words　to　be　used　of　working　people：　〃What！　holy；



without　any　long　robes　nor　anointing　oils；　these　rough…jacketed；



rough…worded　persons；　set　to　nameless　and　dishonoured　service？



Perfect！　　these；　with　dim　eyes　and　cramped　limbs；　and　slowly



wakening　minds？　Pure　　these；　with　sensual　desire　and　grovelling



thought；　foul　of　body；　and　coarse　of　soul？〃　It　may　be　so；



nevertheless；　such　as　they　are；　they　are　the　holiest；　perfectest；



purest　persons　the　earth　can　at　present　show。　They　may　be　what



you　have　said；　but　if　so；　they　yet　are　holier　than　we；　who　have



left　them　thus。



　　　　But　what　can　be　done　for　them？　Who　can　clothe　　who　teach　



who　restrain　their　multitudes？　What　end　can　there　he　for　them　at



last；　but　to　consume　one　another？



　　　　I　hope　for　another　end；　though　not；　indeed；　from　any　of　the



three　remedies　for　over…population　commonly　suggested　by



economists。



　　　　These　three　are；　in　brief　　Colonization；　Bringing　in　of



waste　lands；　or　Discouragement　of　Marriage。



　　　　The　first　and　second　of　these　expedients　merely　evade　or



delay　the　question。　It　will；　indeed；　be　long　before　the　world　has



been　all　colonized；　and　its　deserts　all　brought　under



cultivation。　But　the　radical　question　is　not　how　much　habitable



land　is　in　the　world；　but　how　many　human　beings　ought　to　be



maintained　on　a　given　space　of　habitable　land。



　　　　Observe；　I　say；　ought　to　be；　not　how　many　can　be。　Ricardo；



with　his　usual　inaccuracy；　defines　what　he　calls　the　〃natural



rate　of　wages〃　as　〃that　which　will　maintain　the　labourer。〃



Maintain　him！　yes；　but　how？　　the　question　was　instantly　thus



asked　of　me　by　a　working　girl；　to　whom　I　read　the　passage。　I　will



amplify　her　question　for　her。　〃Maintain　him；　how？〃　As；　first；　to



what　length　of　life？　Out　of　a　given　number　of　fed　persons　how



many　are　to　be　old　　how　many　young；　that　is　to　say；　will　you



arrange　their　maintenance　so　as　to　kill　them　early　　say　at



thirty　or　thirty…five　on　the　average；　including　deaths　of　weakly



or　ill…fed　children？　　or　so　as　to　enable　them　to　live　out　a



natural　life？　You　will　feed　a　greater　number；　in　the　first



case；（34*）　by　rapidity　of　succession；　probably　a　happier　number



in　the　second：　which　does　Mr　Ricardo　mean　to　be　their　natural



state；　and　to　which　state　belongs　the　natural　rate　of　wages？



　　　　Again：　A　piece　of　land　which　will　only　support　ten　idle；



ignorant；　and　improvident　persons；　will　support　thirty　or　forty



intelligent　and　industrious　ones。　Which　of　these　is　their　natural



state；　and　to　which　of　them　belongs　the　natural　rate　of　wages？



　　　　Again：　If　a　piece　of　land　support　forty　persons　in



industrious　ignorance；　and　if；　tired　of　this　ignorance；　they　set



apart　ten　of　their　number　to　study　the　properties　of　cones；　and



the　sizes　of　stars；　the　labour　of　these　ten；　being　withdrawn　from



the　ground；　must　either　tend　to　the　increase　of　food　in　some



transitional　manner；　or　the　persons　set　apart　for　sidereal　and



conic　purposes　must　starve；　or　some　one　else　starve　instead　of



them。　What　is；　therefore；　the　natural　rate　of　wages　of　the



scientific　persons；　and　how　does　this　rate　relate　to；　or　measure；



their　reverted　or　transitional　productiveness？



　　　　Again：　If　the　ground　maintains；　at　first；　forty　labourers　in



a　peaceable　and　pious　state　of　mind；　but　they　become　in　a　few



years　so　quarrelsome　and　impious　that　they　have　to　set　apart



five；　to　meditate　upon　and　settle　their　disputes；　　ten；　armed



to　the　teeth　with　costly　instruments；　to　enforce　the　decisions；



and　five　to　remind　everybody　in　an　eloquent　manner　of　the



existence　of　a　God；　what　will　be　the　result　upon　the　general



power　of　production；　and　what　is　the　〃natural　rate　of　wages〃　of



the　meditative；　muscular；　and　oracular　labourers？



　　　　Leaving　these　questions　to　be　discussed；　or　waived；　at　their



pleasure；　by　Mr　Ricardo's　followers；　I　proceed　to　state　the　main



facts　bearing　on　that　probable　future　of　the　labouring　classes



which　has　been　partially　glanced　at　by　Mr　Mill。　That　chapter　and



the　preceding　one　differ　from　the　common　writing　of　political



economists　in　admitting　some　value　in　the　aspect　of　nature；　and



expressing　regret　at　the　probability　of　the　destruction　of



natural　scenery。　But　we　may　spare　our　anxieties；　on　this　head。



Men　can　neither　drink　steam；　nor　eat　stone。　The　maximum　of



population　on　a　given　space　of　land　implies　also　the　relative



maximum　of　edible　vegetable；　whether　for　men　or　cattle；　it



implies　a　maximum　of　pure　air；　and　of　pure　water。　Therefore：　a



maximum　of　wood；　to　transmute　the　air；　and　of　sloping　ground；



protected　by　herbage　from　the　extreme　heat　of　the　sun；　to　feed



the　streams。　All　England　may；　if　it　so　chooses；　become　one



manufacturing　town；　and　Englishmen；　sacrificing　themselves　to　the



good　of　general　humanity；　may　live　diminished　lives　in　the　midst



of　noise；　of　darkness；　and　of　deadly　exhalation。　But　the　world



cannot　become　a　factory；　nor　a　mine。　No　amount　of　ingenuity　will



ever　make　iron　digestible　by　the　million；　nor　substitute　hydrogen



for　wine。　Neither　the　avarice　nor　the　rage　of　men　will　ever　feed



them；　and　however　the　apple　of　Sodom　and　the　grape　of　Gomorrah



may　spread　their　table　for　a　time　with　dainties　of　ashes；　and



nectar　of　asps；　　so　long　as　men　live　by　bread；　the　far　away



valleys　must　laugh　as　they　are　covered　with　the　gold　of　God；　and



the　shouts　of　His　happy　multitudes　ring　round　the　wine…press　and



the　well。



　　　　Nor　need　our　more　sentimental　economists　fear　the　too　wide



spread　of　the　formalities　of　a　mechanical　agriculture。　The



presence　of　a　wise　population　implies　the　search　for　felicity　as



well　as　for　food；　nor　can　any　population　reach　its　maximum　but



through　that　wisdom　which　〃rejoices〃　in　the　habitable　parts　of



the　earth。　The　desert　has　its　appointed　place　and　work；　the



eternal　engine；　whose　beam　is　the　earth's　axle；　whose　beat　is　its



year；　and　whose　breath　is　its　ocean；　will　still　divide



imperiously　to　their　desert　kingdoms；　bound　with　unfurrowable



rock；　and　swept　by　unarrested　sand；　their　powers　of　frost　and



fire：　but　the　zones　and　lands　between；　habitable；　will　be



loveliest　in　habitation。　The　desire　of　the　heart　is　also　the



light　of　the　eyes。　No　scene　is　continually　and　untiringly　loved；



but　one　rich　by　joyful　human　labour；　smooth　in　field；　fair　in



garden；　full　in　orchard；　trim；　sweet；　and　frequent　in　homestead；



ringing　with　voices　of　vivid　existence。　No　air　is　sweet　that　is



silent；　it　is　only　sweet　when　full　of　low　currents　of　under



sound…triplets　of　birds；　and　murmur　and　chirp　of　insects；　and



deep…toned　words　of　men；　and　wayward　trebles　of　childhood。　As　the



art　of　life　is　learned；　it　will　be　found　at　last　that　all　lovely



things　are　also　necessary：　　the　wild　flower　by　the　wayside；　as



well　as　the　tended　corn；　and　the　wild　birds　and　creatures　of　the



by　every　wondrous　word　and　unknowable　work　of　God。　Happy；　in　that



he　knew　them　not；　nor　did　his　fathers　know；　and　that　round　about



him　reaches　yet　into　the　infinite；　the　amazement　of　his



existence。



　　　　Note；　finally；　that　all　effectual　advancement　towards　this



true　felicity　of　the　human　race　must　be　by　individual；　not　public



effort。　Certain　general　measures　may　aid；　certain　revised　laws



guide；　such　advancement；　but　the　measure　and　law　which　have　first



to　be　determined　are　those　of　each　man's　home。　We　continually



hear　it　recommended　by　sagacious　people　to　complaining　neighbours



（usually　less　well　placed　in　the　world　than　themselves）；　that



they　should　〃remain　content　in　the　station　in　which　Providence



has　placed　them。〃　There　are　perhaps　some　circums