第12章

SECT。XIVIamnowcometothemostarduouspartofmyundertaking。Someremedymustbefoundforthegrowingevil,andthose

whichhavebeenhithertoproposedhavebeenfoundinadequate。Inlayingdownaplan,Ishallbeginwithestablishingthegeneralprinciplesonwhichwemustproceed。Itisevidentthen,thatnosystemcanbegoodwhichdoesnot,inthefirstplace,encourageindustry,economy,andsubordination;and,inthesecondplace,regulatepopulationbythedemandforlabour。Topromoteindustryandeconomy,itisnecessarythatthereliefwhichisgiventothepoorshouldbelimitedand

precarious。\"Languescetindustria,intendetursocordia,sinullusexsemetusautspes;etsecuriomnesalienasubsidia

expectabunt,sibiignavi,nobisgraves。\"Nomanwillbeaneconomistofwater,ifhecangotothewellortothebrookas

oftenasheplease;norwillhewatchwithsolicitousattentiontokeepthebalanceevenbetweenhisincomeand

expenditure,ifheissuretoberelievedinthetimeofneed。Thelabouringpooratpresentaregreatlydefective,bothin

respecttoindustryandeconomy。Consideringthenumberstobemaintained,theyworktoolittle,theyspendtoomuch,

andwhattheyspendisseldomlaidouttothebestadvantage。Whentheyreturnfromthreshingorfromplough,theymight

card,theymightspin,ortheymightknit。Wearetold,thatonethousandpairofShetlandstockingsareannuallyimported

intoLeith,ofwhichthepriceisfromfivetosevenpenceapair:yetlabouratLearwick,thesmallcapitalofShetland

islands,istenpenceaday。Thesestockingsaremadeatleisurehours。Intheseislandstheyhavenodependancebutupon

theirindustryandfrugality。Theyconsumeneithertea,norsugar,norspices,becausetheycannotaffordtopurchasethese

uselessarticles;neitherdotheywearstockingsorshoes,tillbytheirdiligencetheyhaveacquiredsuchaffluenceastobear

thisexpence。Howdifferentistheirsfromthedressanddietofourcommonpeople,whohavelostallideasofeconomy。

Ifbytheirindustrytheycouldprocurethesearticlesofluxury,oriftheirlinen,theircotton,andtheirsilk,werespun,and

wove,andknitintheirownhouses,andatleisurehours,theirdesiretoobtainthesethingswouldbeadvantageoustothe

state:butsurely,ifinthecolderregionsoftheNorththesearenotessentialtotheirexistence,oreventotheirhappiness,

theyshouldbeconsideredintheSouthonlyastherewardsofindustry,andshouldnever,fromthecommonfund,begiven

promiscuouslytoall,astheywillinevitablybe,unlessthatfundshallhavesomeotherlimitsbesidesthewantsand

expectationsofthepoor。Unlessthedegreeofpressurebeincreased,thelabouringpoorwillneveracquirehabitsof

diligentapplication,andofseverefrugality。Toincreasethispressure,thepoor\'staxmustbegraduallyreducedincertain

proportionsannually,thesumtoberaisedineachparishbeingfixedandcertain,notboundless,andobligedtoanswer

unlimiteddemands。Thisenormoustaxmighteasilyinthespaceofnineyearsbereducednine—tenths;andtheremainder

beingreservedasapermanentsupply,thepoormightsafelybelefttothefreebountyoftherich,withouttheinterposition

ofanyotherlaw。Butifthewholesystemofcompulsivecharitywereabolished,itwouldbestillbetterforthestate。Iam

notsingularinthisopinion。BaronMontesquieuhasgivenhisopinion,\"Quedessecourspassagesvaudroientmieuxque

desé;stabissemensperpetuels;\"(24)andourowncountryman,whohadbeenlongconversantwiththisbusiness,hastoldus,

\"Iampersuadedthattoprovideforthepoor,whoareunabletowork,mightbesafelylefttovoluntarycharity,unenforcedbyanycompulsivelaw。\"(25)Toassisttheindustriouspoor,whohaveneithertoolsnormaterials,butmoreespeciallytotrainupthechildrenofthe

dissoluteinusefullabour,theremightbeineachparishoneormorework—shops,wheretheymightbecertainof

employment,andofdailypayfortheworkperformed。Intheseshopstheyshouldneitherbelodgednorfed,beingtaught

todependeachforhimselfonhisowndiligenceandpatientapplicationtohisbusiness。Thebuilding,thetools,andthematerials,wouldbeallthatrequiredassistancefromthepublicfund。Thegrandresourcehowevershouldbefromthelabouringpoorthemselves,previoustotheirbeingincumberedwith

families。Theyhavethroughoutthekingdomanumberoffriendlysocietiesestablished,whichhavebeenproductiveof

goodeffects,andinsomeplaceshavereducedtherates。Butthesesocietieshavemorethanonedefect。Alltheirmembers

contributeequallytothepublicfund,withoutrespecttotheirability,totheproportionoftheirgains,ortothenumberof

theirchildren。Bythisregulationsomepaytoolittle,otherspaytoomuch。Thesum,whichtheydepositweekly,is

insignificantandtriflingwhencomparedwithwhatitoughttobe。Butthegreatestmisfortuneis,thattheyarealtogether

lefttotheirownoptiontojointhesesocietiesornot;inconsequenceofwhichliberty,manyoftheseassociationsfor

mutualassistancearegoingtodecay。Ifthisbeindeedagoodexpedient,itshouldbepushedasfarasitwillgo:itshould

befirmlyestablished,madeuniversal,andsubjectedtowholesomeregulations。Theunmarriedmanshouldpayonequarter

ofhiswagesweekly,andthefatheroffouryoungchildrennotmorethanonethirtiethofhisincome,whichisnearlythe

sumwhichallcontributetotheirpresentclubs。Todrivethemintothesesocieties,nomanshouldbeintitledtorelieffrom

theparochialfundwhodidnotbelongtooneofthese。Thuswouldsobriety,industry,andeconomy,takeplaceofdrunkenness,idleness,andprodigality,andduesubordinationwouldbeagainrestored。Aslongasitshouldbefoundexpedienttoretainagivenproportionofthepresentpoortax,thedisposalofthisshouldbe

whollyatthediscretionoftheminister,churchwardens,andoverseers,orthemajorityofthem,subjectonlytotheorders

ofavestry。Bythisprovisionthesubordinationofthepoorwouldbemoreeffectuallysecured,andthecivilmagistratewouldbeatlibertytobendhiswholeattentiontothepreservationofthepeace,andtothegoodgovernmentofthepeople。Thisplanwouldbeaidedandassistedmuchbylayingasufficienttaxuponthealehousestoreducetheirnumber,thesebeingtheprincipalnurseriesfordrunkenness,idleness,andvice。Shouldthingsbeleftthustoflowintheirproperchannels,theconsequencewouldbe,that,asfarasitispossibleaccording

tothepresentconstitutionoftheworld,ourpopulationwouldbenolongerunnaturalandforced,butwouldregulateitselfbythedemandforlabour。###第13章Thereremainsonethingmoreforthelegislaturetodo,whichistoincreasethequantityoffood。Thismaybedonewith

ease,bylayingataxuponallhorsesusedinhusbandry,graduallyincreasingthistaxtillthefarmershavereturnedtotheuse

ofoxen。ThischangewouldenableEnglandnotonlytomaintainherpresentpopulation,butgreatlytoincreaseit。Theland

whichnowsupportsonehorse,inproperworkingorder,wouldbeartwooxenfordraftandfortheshambles,ifnotalso

onecowforthepail;oranytwoofthese,withaman,hiswife,andhisthreechildren。Ifweconsiderthenumberofhorses

atpresentusedforhusbandryinthisisland,shouldonlyhalfthatnumbergiveplacetooxen,itwouldnotbeeasyto

calculate,oreventoconceive,allthebenefitsandadvantageswhichthepublicwouldderivefromthisvastincreaseof

food。Inmanyparisheswheretheyhavenomanufactures,butthecultivationofthesoil,thehorsesconsumetheproduceof

morelandthantheinhabitantsthemselvesrequire。Supposeaparishtoconsistoffourthousandacresofarableandpasture

land;letthisbecultivatedbyonehundredandfiftyhorses,andletitfeedonethousandsouls:nowif,forthepresent,we

allowonlytwoacresofoatsandtwoofhayforeachofthehorses,theamountwillbesixhundredproductiveacres,which

willbemorethansufficienttofeedthegivennumberofinhabitants。Butthefactis,thatahorse,tobefullyfed,requires

fivetonofhay,andfromthirteentothree—and—twentyquartersofoats,perannum,accordingtohiswork。Somefarmers

allowtheformer,andthelatterisgivenbythegreatcarriersonthepublicroads,whichwouldbringthecomputationto

abouteightacreseachforhorsesusedinhusbandry;butthenfewfarmerssuffertheirhorsestobehighlyfed。Ifweallow

threeacresofpastureforeachoxorcow,andconsider,thatincalculatingthequantityoflandsufficienttomaintainateam

ofhorses,theneedfulfallowsmustbecarriedtoaccount,weshallnotbeatalossforfood,whenwehavesubstitutedtwooxen,andonefamilyoffivepersons,intheplaceofeveryhorse。Itmustbeconfessed,thatthetaxonhorseswouldbeapparentlyataxonhusbandry,butinrealityitwouldonlybeataxon

prideandprejudice。Neitherwoulditbeataxforthepurposeofrevenue,whichwouldcertainlybemostimpolitic;butit

wouldbeataxfortheregulationoftrade,beneficialtothepublic,andhighlyadvantageoustothefarmer。InChinatheyuse

fewcattleinthecultivationofthesoil,andthereforetheyareabletosupportamoreabundantpopulation。Byrevertingto

theantientpracticeofploughingwithoxeninsteadofhorses,weshouldenjoythesameadvantage;andtillthepopulationofourcountryhadfounditsutmostlimits,weshouldrejoiceinaffluence。Withthesameintentions,thelegislatureshouldfacilitatethelayingcommonfieldsinseverally,leavingtheinclosureof

theselandstoeveryman\'sdiscretion。Wherevertheseallotmentshavebeencarriedintoexecution,thevalueoflandhas

beennearlydoubled。Yet,independentoftheexertion,thetime,andthefatigue,requisitetoprocureaprivateactof

parliamentforthispurpose,theexpenceoftheactitself,andoftheconsequentinclosure,ismorethanmanyaretoincur。

Thattheimproversoflandshouldbesubjecttothisexpenceisnotjust,andthatmenshouldbeobligedtoinclosethese

landsisneitherjustnorwise;becausehedge—rowsconsumemuchland,stintthegrowthofcorn,causeittolodge,prevent

itsdrying,andbarbourbirds。Ifmenareleftatliberty,withoutrestraint,whentheyfinditfortheirinteresttoinclose,theywillinclose。ShouldtheHouseofCommons,agreeabletotheresolutionsof1775,enterseriouslyintothisbusiness,andadoptsuch

regulationsasmayeffectuallyrelievethepublicfromthegrievousandstillincreasingburthen,whichformorethanhalfa

centuryhasbeenthesubjectofseriousinvestigationandofloudcomplaints;itwillbenecessaryformagistratestopay

morethancommonattentiontothepolice,tillindustryandsubordinationshallbeoncemorerestored。Thereinshavebeen

heldwithaloosehand,atatimewhentheidlenessandextravagance,thedrunkennessanddissipation,withtheconsequentcrimesandvicesofthelowerclassesofthepeople,calledforthemoststrenuousexertionsofthemagistrate,andthemoststrictexecutionofthelaws。Ifthelabouringpoor,inhealth,previoustomarriage,andwhilsttheirfamiliesaresmall,arecompelledtoraiseafundfor

theirownsupport,incaseofsicknessoroldage;therecanbenodoubt,thatwhenatanytime,frompeculiar

circumstances,thisfundshallproveinadequate,themostliberalcontributionswillbemadetorelieveanyoccasionaldistress。Noonecandoubtofthis,whohaswitnessed

thegenerouseffortswhichwerelatelymadetoassistthewoollenmanufacturersinGloucestershireduringthestagnationof

theirtrade。Moneywascollectedforthemfromalltheadjacentcounties,andinthemetropolis,tofeedandtoemploythem。AtMinchinHamptonin

particular,whenthepoor\'staxwassevenshillingsinthepoundontherackrents,andtheirpoorweremorethancommonly

distressed,twothousandtwohundredpersonswerecloathed,fed,andsettowork,byvoluntarybenefactions。Itshouldbe

added,forthecreditofthesepoorpeople,thattheyworkedfromsixinthemorningtilleightatnight。Hadthemanufacture

fallentorisenomore,themanufacturersmustinreasonhaveretired,ormusthaveturnedtheirhandstosomethingelse;

becausenofund,notax,nocharitablecontributions,cansupportsuchamultitudeofpeoplewhentheirtradeisgone。In

casesofsuddenemergencyassistancewillbeloudlycalledfor,andtheaffluentwillnotbetardyinsendingasupply。The

Englishhaveneveryetbeenchargedwithwantofcharity。Theyneednotmanyargumentstoexcitetheirpityand

compassion:theonlydifficultyistorestraintheimpetuosityoftheirbenevolence,andtodirecttheirbountytowardsthemostworthyobjects。Besidesthesesuddenemergencies,affectingthewholedistrictswhereextensivemanufacturesareestablished,individuals

mustbeeversubjecttooccasionaldistress,fromvariousaccidentsandfromunexpectedlosses,which,withoutthekind

assistanceofafriend,theyarenotabletosupport。Insuchcircumstances,wherecanthesuffererlookforhelp?Nottothe

overseersofthepoor;fortheirauthoritydoesnotextendbeyondfoodandraiment。Tomakegoodhislosses,andto

supporthiminhisstation,industryindistresscanfindnosufficientrefugebutinthegenerousaidofhismoreaffluentand

charitableneighbours。Thisrefugewillneverfailhim;norwilltheyeversufferhimtowant,iftheyareabletorelievehim,andifhehasprovedhimselfworthyofcompassion。Torelievethepoorbyvoluntarydonationsisnotonlymostwise,politic,andjust;isnotonlymostagreeablebothto

reasonandtorevelation;butitismosteffectualinpreventingmisery,andmostexcellentinitself,ascherishing,insteadof

rancour,malice,andcontention,theoppositeandmostamiableaffectionsofthehumanbreast,pity,compassion,and

benevolenceintherich,love,reverence,andgratitudeinthepoor。Nothinginnaturecanbemoredisgustingthanaparish

pay—table,attendantuponwhich,inthesameobjectsofmisery,aretoooftenfoundcombined,snuff,gin,rags,vermin,

insolence,andabusivelanguage;norinnaturecananythingbemorebeautifulthanthemildcomplacencyofbenevolence,

hasteningtothehumblecottagetorelievethewantsofindustryandvirtue,tofeedthehungry,tocloaththenaked,andto

sooththesorrowsofthewidowwithhertenderorphans;nothingcanbemorepleasing,unlessitbetheirsparklingeyes,

theirburstingtears,andtheirupliftedhands,theartlessexpressionsofunfeignedgratitudeforunexpectedfayours。Such

sceneswillfrequentlyoccurwhenevermanshallhavepowertodisposeoftheirownproperty。Whenthepoorareobliged

tocultivatethefriendshipoftherich,therichwillneverwantinclinationtorelievethedistressesofthepoor。

FINIS。

NOTES:

1。Deut。xxviii。52。

2。Job,xxix。

3。SirWilliamPetty,P。Arithmetic。

4。L。ii。p。73,74。edit。Elf。

5。Hesiod,302。

6。Geddes,AccountoftheMoriscoes。

7。Smith,WealthofNations。

8。Virgil\'sComplaint。

9。Dampier,Vol。ii。Partii。p。61。

10。Dampier,Vol。i。Partii。p。88。

11。Ulloa,B。ii。C。4……

12。SketchesonMan,P。56。

13。Deut。xv。11。

14。Smith,WealthofNations。

15。43Eliz。

16。3and4W。andM。

17。9Geo。I,c。7。

18。8and9W。c。30。f。:2。

19。Actsiv。32。

20。Actsv。4。

21。2Cor。ix。7。

22。Matt。xxv。

23。2Thess。iii。8—10。

24。L。xxiii。C。29。

25。FieldingonRobbers。