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　to　food；　it　is　to　the　same　reformatory　agency　that　he　is　forthwith　subjected。　　The　rough　and　ready　surgery　with　which　we　deal　with　our　social　patients　recalls　the　simple　method　of　the　early　physicians。　　The　tradition　still　lingers　among　old　people　of　doctors　who　prescribed　bleeding　for　every　ailment；　and　of　keepers　of　asylums　whose　one　idea　of　ministering　to　a　mind　diseased　was　to　put　the　body　into　a　strait　waistcoat。　　Modern　science　laughs　to　scorn　these　simple　〃remedies〃　of　an　unscientific　age；　and　declares　that　they　were；　in　most　cases；　the　most　efficacious　means　of　aggravating　the　disease　they　professed　to　cure。　　But　in　social　maladies　we　are　still　in　the　age　of　the　blood…letter　and　the　strait　waistcoat。　　The　Gaol　is　our　specific　for　Despair。　　When　all　else　fails　Society　will　always　undertake　to　feed；　clothe；　warm；　and　house　a　man；　if　only　he　will　commit　a　crime。　It　will　do　it　also　in　such　a　fashion　as　to　render　it　no　temporary　help；　but　a　permanent　necessity。

Society　says　to　the　individual：　　〃To　qualify　for　free　board　and　lodging　you　must　commit　a　crime。　　But　if　you　do　you　must　pay　the　price。　You　must　allow　me　to　ruin　your　character；　and　doom　you　for　the　rest　of　your　life　to　destitution；　modified　by　the　occasional　successes　of　criminality。　　You　shall　become　the　Child　of　the　State；　on　condition　that　we　doom　you　to　a　temporal　perdition；　out　of　which　you　will　never　be　permitted　to　escape；　and　in　which　you　will　always　be　a　charge　upon　our　resources　and　a　constant　source　of　anxiety　and　inconvenience　to　the　authorities。　　I　will　feed　you；　certainly；　but　in　return　you　must　permit　me　to　damn　you。〃　　That　surely　ought　not　to　be　the　last　word　of　Civilised　Society。

〃Certainly　not；〃　say　others。　　〃Emigration　is　the　true　specific。　The　waste　lands　of　the　world　are　crying　aloud　for　the　application　of　surplus　labour。　　Emigration　is　the　panacea。〃　　Now　I　have　no　objection　to　emigration。　　Only　a　criminal　lunatic　could　seriously　object　to　the　transference　of　hungry　Jack　from　an　overcrowded　shantywhere　he　cannot　even　obtain　enough　bad　potatoes　to　dull　the　ache　behind　his　waistcoat；　and　is　tempted　to　let　his　child　die　for　the　sake　of　the　insurance　moneyto　a　land　flowing　with　milk　and　honey；　where　he　can　eat　meat　three　times　a　day　and　where　a　man's　children　are　his　wealth。　But　you　might　as　well　lay　a　new…born　child　naked　in　the　middle　of　a　new…sown　field　in　March；　and　expect　it　to　live　and　thrive；　as　expect　emigration　to　produce　successful　results　on　the　lines　which　some　lay　down。　　The　child；　no　doubt；　has　within　it　latent　capacities　which；　when　years　and　training　have　done　their　work；　will　enable　him　to　reap　a　harvest　from　a　fertile　soil；　and　the　new　sown　field　will　be　covered　with　golden　grain　in　August。　　But　these　facts　will　not　enable　the　infant　to　still　its　hunger　with　the　clods　of　the　earth　in　the　cold　spring　time。　　It　is　just　like　that　with　emigration。　　It　is　simply　criminal　to　take　a　multitude　of　untrained　men　and　women　and　land　them　penniless　and　helpless　on　the　fringe　of　some　new　continent。　　The　result　of　such　proceedings　we　see　in　the　American　cities；　in　the　degradation　of　their　slums；　and　in　the　hopeless　demoralisation　of　thousands　who；　in　their　own　country；　were　living　decent；　industrious　lives。

A　few　months　since；　in　Paramatta；　in　New　South　Wales；　a　young　man　who　had　emigrated　with　a　vague　hope　of　mending　his　fortunes；　found　himself　homeless；　friendless；　and　penniless。　　He　was　a　clerk。　　They　wanted　no　more　clerks　in　Paramatta。　　Trade　was　dull；　employment　was　scarce；　even　for　trained　hands。　　He　went　about　from　day　to　day　seeking　work　and　finding　none。　　At　last　he　came　to　the　end　of　all　his　resources。　He　went　all　day　without　food；　at　night　he　slept　as　best　he　could。　　Morning　came；　and　he　was　hopeless。　　All　next　day　passed　without　a　meal。　Night　came。　　He　could　not　sleep。　　He　wandered　about　restlessly。　At　last；　about　midnight；　an　idea　seized　him。　　Grasping　a　brick；　he　deliberately　walked　up　to　a　jeweller's　window；　and　smashed　a　hole　through　the　glass。　　He　made　no　attempt　to　steal　anything：　　He　merely　smashed　the　pane　and　then　sat　down　on　the　pavement　beneath　the　window；　waiting　for　the　arrival　of　the　policeman。　　He　waited　some　hours；　but　at　last　the　constable　arrived。　　He　gave　himself　up；　and　was　marched　off　to　the　lock…up。　　〃I　shall　at　least　have　something　to　eat　now；〃　was　the　reflection。　　He　was　right。　　He　was　sentenced　to　one　year's　imprisonment；　and　he　is　in　gaol　at　this　hour。　　This　very　morning　he　received　his　rations；　and　at　this　very　moment　he　is　dodged；　and　clothed　and　cared　for　at　the　cost　of　the　rates　and　taxes。　　He　has　become　the　child　of　the　State；　and；　therefore；　one　of　the　socially　damned。　Thus　emigration　itself；　instead　of　being　an　invariable　specific；　sometimes　brings　us　back　again　to　the　gaol　door。

Emigration；　by　all　means。　　But　whom　are　you　to　emigrate？　　These　girls　who　do　not　know　how　to　bake？　　These　lads　who　never　handled　a　spade？　And　where　are　you　to　emigrate　them？　　Are　you　going　to　make　the　Colonies　the　dumping　ground　of　your　human　refuse？　　On　that　the　colonists　will　have　something　decisive　to　say；　where　there　are　colonists；　and　where　there　are　not；　how　are　you　to　feed；　clothe；　and　employ　your　emigrants　in　the　uninhabited　wilderness？　　Immigration；　no　doubt；　is　the　making　of　a　colony；　just　as　bread　is　the　staff　of　life。　　But　if　you　were　to　cram　a　stomach　with　wheat　by　a　force…pump　you　would　bring　on　such　a　fit　of　indigestion　that　unless　your　victim　threw　up　the　indigestible　mass　of　unground；　uncooked；　unmasticated　grain　he　would　never　want　another　meal。　　So　it　is　with　the　new　colonies　and　the　surplus　labour　of　other　countries。

Emigration　is　in　itself　not　a　panacea。　　Is　Education？　　In　one　sense　it　may　be；　for　Education；　the　developing　in　a　man　of　all　his　latent　capacities　for　improvement；　may　cure　anything　and　everything。　　But　the　Education　of　which　men　speak　when　they　use　the　term；　is　mere　schooling。　No　one　but　a　fool　would　say　a　word　against　school　teaching。　　By　all　means　let　us　have　our　children　educated。　　But　when　we　have　passed　them　through　the　Board　School　Mill　we　have　enough　experience　to　see　that　they　do　not　emerge　the　renovated　and　regenerated　beings　whose　advent　was　expected　by　those　who　passed　the　Education　Act。　　The　〃scuttlers〃　who　knife　inoffensive　persons　in　Lancashire；　the　fighting　gangs　of　the　West　of　London；　belong　to　the　generation　that　has　enjoyed　the　advantage　of　Compulsory　Education。　　Education；　book…learning　and　schooling　will　not　solve　the　difficulty。　　It　helps；　no　doubt。　　But　in　some　ways　it　aggravates　it。　　The　common　school　to　which　the　children　of　thieves　and　harlots　and　drunkards　are　driven；　to　sit　side　by　side　with　our　little　ones；　is　often　by　no　means　a　temple　of　all　the　virtues。　It　is　sometimes　a　university　of　all　the　vices。　　The　bad　infect　the　good；　and　your　boy　and　girl　come　back　reeking　with　the　contamination　of　bad　associates；　and　familiar　with　the　coarsest　obscenity　of　the　slum。　Another　great　evil　is　the　extent　to　which　our　Education　tends　to　overstock　the　labour　market　with　material　for　quill…drivers　and　shopmen；　and　gives　our　youth　a　distaste　for　sturdy　labour。　　Many　of　the　most　hopeless　cases　in　our　Shelters　are　men　of　considerable　education。　Our　schools　help　to　enable　a　starving　man　to　tell　his　story　in　more　grammatical　language　than　that　which　his　father　could　have　employed；　but　they　do　not　feed　him；　or　teach　him　where　to　go　to　get　fed。　　So　far　from　doing　this　they　increase　the　tendency　to　drift　into　those　channels　where　food　is　least　secure；　because　employment　is　most　uncertain；　and　the　market　most　overstocked。

〃Try　Trades　Unionism；〃　say　some；　and　their　advice　is　being　widely　followed。　　There　are　many　and　great　advantages　in　Trades　Unionism。　The　fable　of　the　bundle　of　sticks　is　good　for　all　time。　　The　more　the　working　people　can　be　banded　together　in　voluntary　organisations；　created　and　administered　by　themselves　for　the　protection　of　their　own　interests；　the　betterat　any　rate　for　this　worldand　not　only　for　their　own　interests；　but　for　those　of　every　other　section　of　the　community。　　But　can　we　rely　upon　this　agency　as　a　means　of　solving　the　problems　which　confront　us？　　Trades　Unionism　has　had　the　field　to　itself　for　a　generation。　　It　is　twenty　years　since　it　was　set　free　from　all　the　legal　disabilities　under　which　it　laboured。　　But　it　has　not　covered　the　land。　　It　has　not　organised　all　skilled　labour。　　Unskilled　labour　is　almost　untouched。　　At　the　Congress　at　Liverpool　only　one　and　a　half　million　workmen　were　represented。　　Women　are　almost　entirely　outside　the　pale。　　Trade　Unions　not　only　represent　a　fraction　of　the　labouring　classes；　but　they　are；　by　their　constitution；　unable　to　deal　with　those　who　do　not　belong　to　their　body。　　What　ground　can　there　be；　then；　for　hoping　that　Trades　Unionism　will　by　itself　solve　the　difficulty？　　The　most　experienced　Trades　Unionists　will　be　the　first　to　admit　that　any　scheme　which　could　deal　adequately　with　the　out…of…works　and　others　who　hang　on　to　their　skirts　and　form　the　recruiting　ground　of　blacklegs　and　embarrass　them　in　ever　way；　would　be；　of　all　others　that　which　would　be　most　beneficial　to　Trades　Unionism。　　The　same　may　be　said　about　Co…operation。　　Personally；　I　am　a　strong　believer　in　Co…operation；　but　it　must　be　Co…operation