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。　　He　lives　on　a　small　portion　of　it；　and　goes　on　digging　and　delving　little　by　little；　until；　after　many　years　of　Herculean　labour；　he　hews　out　for　himself；　and　his　children　after　him；　a　freehold　estate。　　Freehold　estates；　I　admit；　are　not　to　be　had　for　the　picking　up　on　English　soil；　but　if　a　man　will　but　work　in　England　as　they　work　in　Canada　or　in　Australia；　he　will　find　as　little　difficulty　in　making　a　livelihood　here　as　there。

I　may　be　wrong；　but　when　I　travel　abroad　and　see　the　desperate　struggle　on　the　part　of　peasant　proprietors　and　the　small　holders　in　mountainous　districts　for　an　additional　patch　of　soil；　the　idea　of　cultivating　which　would　make　our　agricultural　labourers　turn　up　their　noses　in　speechless　contempt；　I　cannot　but　think　that　our　English　soil　could　carry　a　far　greater　number　of　souls　to　the　acre　than　that　which　it　bears　at　present。　　Suppose；　for　instance；　that　Essex　were　suddenly　to　find　itself　unmoored　from　its　English　anchorage　and　towed　across　the　Channel　to　Normandy；　or；　not　to　imagine　miracles；　suppose　that　an　Armada　of　Chinese　were　to　make　a　descent　on　the　Isle　of　Thanet；　as　did　the　sea…kings；　Hengist　and　Horsa；　does　anyone　imagine　for　a　moment　that　Kent；　fertile　and　cultivated　as　it　is；　would　not　be　regarded　as　a　very　Garden　of　Eden　out　of　the　odd　corners　of　which　our　yellow…skinned　invaders　would　contrive　to　extract　sufficient　to　keep　themselves　in　sturdy　health？　　I　only　suggest　the　possibility　in　order　to　bring　out　clearly　the　fact　that　the　difficulty　is　not　in　the　soil　nor　in　the　climate；　but　in　the　lack　of　application　of　sufficient　labour　to　sufficient　land　in　the　truly　scientific　way。

〃What　is　the　scientific　way？〃　　I　shall　be　asked　impatiently。　　I　am　not　an　agriculturist；　I　do　not　dogmatize。　　I　have　read　much　from　many　pens；　and　have　noted　the　experiences　of　many　colonies；　and　I　have　learned　the　lesson　that　it　is　in　the　school　of　practical　labour　that　the　most　valuable　knowledge　is　to　be　obtained。　　Nevertheless；　the　bulk　of　my　proposals　are　based　upon　the　experience　of　many　who　have　devoted　their　lives　to　the　study　of　the　subject；　and　have　been　endorsed　by　specialists　whose　experience　gives　them　authority　to　speak　with　unquestioning　confidence。


SECTION　1。THE　FARM　PROPER。

My　present　idea　is　to　take　an　estate　from　five　hundred　to　a　thousand　acres　within　reasonable　distance　of　London。　　It　should　be　of　such　land　as　will　be　suitable　for　market　gardening；　while　having　some　clay　on　it　for　brick…making　and　for　crops　requiring　a　heavier　soil。　　If　possible；　it　should　not　only　be　on　a　line　of　railway　which　is　managed　by　intelligent　and　progressive　directors；　but　it　should　have　access　to　the　sea　and　to　the　river。　　It　should　be　freehold　land；　and　it　should　lie　at　some　considerable　distance　from　any　town　or　village。　　The　reason　for　the　latter　desideratum　is　obvious。　　We　must　be　near　London　for　the　sake　of　our　market　and　for　the　transmission　of　the　commodities　collected　by　our　Household　Salvage　Brigade；　but　it　must　be　some　little　distance　from　any　town　or　village　in　order　that　the　Colony　may　be　planted　clear　out　in　the　open　away　from　the　public　house；　that　upas　tree　of　civilisation。　A　sine　qua　non　of　the　new　Farm　Colony　is　that　no　intoxicating　liquors　will　be　permitted　within　its　confines　on　any　pretext　whatever。　The　doctors　will　have　to　prescribe　some　other　stimulant　than　alcohol　for　residents　in　this　Colony。　　But　it　will　be　little　use　excluding　alcohol　with　a　strong　hand　and　by　cast…iron　regulations　if　the　Colonists　have　only　to　take　a　short　walk　in　order　to　find　themselves　in　the　midst　of　the　〃Red　Lions；〃　and　the　〃Blue　Dragons；〃　and　the　〃George　the　Fourths；〃　which　abound　in　every　country　town。

Having　obtained　the　land　I　should　proceed　to　prepare　it　for　the　Colonists。　　This　is　an　operation　which　is　essentially　the　same　in　any　country。　　You　need　water　supply；　provisions　and　shelter。　　All　this　would　be　done　at　first　in　the　simplest　possible　style。　　Our　pioneer　brigade；　carefully　selected　from　the　competent　Out…of…Works　in　the　City　Colony；　would　be　sent　down　to　layout　the　estate　and　prepare　it　for　those　who　would　come　after。　　And　here　let　me　say　that　it　is　a　great　delusion　to　imagine　that　in　the　riffraff　and　waste　of　the　labour　market　there　are　no　workmen　to　be　had　except　those　that　are　worthless。　Worthless　under　the　present　conditions；　exposed　to　constant　temptations　to　intemperance　no　doubt　they　are；　but　some　of　the　brightest　men　in　London；　with　some　of　the　smartest　pairs　of　hands；　and　the　cleverest　brains；　are　at　the　present　moment　weltering　helplessly　in　the　sludge　from　which　we　propose　to　rescue　them。

I　am　not　speaking　without　book　in　this　matter。　　Some　of　my　best　Officers　to…day　have　been　even　such　as　they。　　There　is　an　infinite　potentiality　of　capacity　lying　latent　in　our　Provincial　Tap…rooms　and　the　City　Gin　Palaces　if　you　can　but　get　them　soundly　saved；　and　even　short　of　that；　if　you　can　place　them　in　conditions　where　they　would　no　longer　be　liable　to　be　sucked　back　into　their　old　disastrous　habits；　you　may　do　great　things　with　them。

I　can　well　imagine　the　incredulous　laughter　which　will　greet　my　proposal。　〃What；〃　it　will　be　said；　〃do　you　think　that　you　can　create　agricultural　pioneers　out　of　the　scum　of　Cockneydom？〃　　Let　us　look　for　a　moment　at　the　ingredients　which　make　up　what　you　call　〃the　scum　of　Cockneydom。〃　After　careful　examination　and　close　cross…questioning　of　the　Out…of…Works；　whom　we　have　already　registered　at　our　Labour　Bureau；　we　find　that　at　least　sixty　per　cent。　are　country　folk；　men；　women；　boys；　and　girls；　who　have　left　their　homes　in　the　counties　to　come　up　to　town　in　the　hope　of　bettering　themselves。　　They　are　in　no　sense　of　the　word　Cockneys；　and　they　represent　not　the　dregs　of　the　country　but　rather　its　brighter　and　more　adventurous　spirits　who　have　boldly　tried　to　make　their　way　in　new　and　uncongenial　spheres　and　have　terribly　come　to　grief。　　Of　thirty　cases；　selected　haphazard；　in　the　various　Shelters　during　the　week　ending　July　5th；　1890；　twenty…two　were　country…born；　sixteen　were　men　who　had　come　up　a　long　time　ago；　but　did　not　ever　seem　to　have　settled　to　regular　employ；　and　four　were　old　military　men。　Of　sixty　cases　examined　into　at　the　Bureau　and　Shelters　during　the　fortnight　ending　August　2nd；　forty…two　were　country　people；　twenty…six　men　who　had　been　in　London　for　various　periods；　ranging　from　six　months　to　four　years；　nine　were　lads　under　eighteen；　who　had　run　away　from　home　and　come　up　to　town；　while　four　were　ex…military。　　Of　eighty…five　cases　of　dossers　who　were　spoken　to　at　night　when　they　slept　in　the　streets；　sixty…three　were　country　people。　　A　very　small　proportion　of　the　genuine　homeless　Out…of…Works　are　Londoners　bred　and　born。

There　is　another　element　in　the　matter；　the　existence　of　which　will　be　news　to　most　people；　and　that　is　the　large　proportion　of　ex…military　men　who　are　among　the　helpless；　hopeless　destitute。　　Mr。　Arnold　White；　after　spending　many　months　in　the　streets　of　London　interrogating　more　than　four　thousand　men　whom　he　found　in　the　course　of　one　bleak　winter　sleeping　out　of　doors　like　animals　returns　it　as　his　conviction　that　at　least　20　per　cent。　are　Army　Reserve　men。　　Twenty　per　cent！　　That　is　to　say　one　man　in　every　five　with　whom　we　shall　have　to　deal　has　served　Her　Majesty　the　Queen　under　the　colours。　　This　is　the　resource　to　which　these　poor　fellows　come　after　they　have　given　the　prime　of　their　lives　to　the　service　of　their　country。　　Although　this　may　be　largely　brought　about　by　their　own　thriftless　and　evil　conduct；　it　is　a　scandal　and　disgrace　which　may　well　make　the　cheek　of　the　patriot　tingle。　Still；　I　see　in　it　a　great　resource。　　A　man　who　has　been　in　the　Queen's　Army　is　a　man　who　has　learnt　to　obey。　　He　is　further　a　man　who　has　been　taught　in　the　roughest　of　rough　schools　to　be　handy　and　smart；　to　make　the　best　of　the　roughest　fare；　and　not　to　consider　himself　a　martyr　if　he　is　sent　on　a　forlorn　hope。　　I　often　say　if　we　could　only　get　Christians　to　have　one…half　of　the　practical　devotion　and　sense　of　duty　that　animates　even　the　commonest　Tommy　Atkins　what　a　change　would　be　brought　about　in　the　world！

Look　at　poor　Tommy！　　A　country　lad　who　gets　himself　into　some　scrape；　runs　away　from　home；　finds　himself　sinking　lower　and　lower；　with　no　hope　of　employment；　no　friends　to　advise；　him；　and　no　one　to　give　him　a　helping　hand。　　In　sheer　despair　he　takes　the　Queen's　shilling　and　enters　the　ranks。　　He　is　handed　over　to　an　inexorable　drill　sergeant；　he　is　compelled　to　room　in　barracks　where　privacy　is　unknown；　to　mix　with　men；　many　of　them　vicious；　few　of　them　companions　whom　he　would　of　his　own　choice　select。　　He　gets　his　rations；　and　although　he　is　told　he　will　get　a　shilling　a　day；　there　are　so　many　stoppages　that　he　often　does　not　finger　a　shilling　a　week。　　He　is　drilled　and　worked　and　ordered　hither　and　thither　as　if　he　were　a　machine；　all　of　which　he　takes　cheerfully；　without　even　considering　that　there　is　any　hardship　in　his　lot；　plodding　on　in　a　dull；　stolid　kind　of　way　for　his　Queen　and　his　country；　doing　his　best；　also；　poor　chap；　to　be　proud　of　his　red　uniform；　and　to　cultivate　his　self…respect　by　reflecting　that　he　is　one　of　the　defenders　of　his　native　land；　one　of　the　heroes　upon　whose　courage　and　endurance　dep