第37章

It has been shown that the governing powers of any country may easily and economically give the subjects just sentiments and the best habits；and so long as this shall remain unattempted，governments will continue to neglect their most important duties as well as interests.Such neglect now exists in Britain，where，in lieu of the governing powers making any effort to attain these inestimable benefits for the individuals belonging to the empire，they must content themselves with the existence of laws which must create sentiments and habits highly injurious to the welfare of the individuals and of the state.

Many of these laws，by their never-failing effects，speak in a language which no one can misunderstand，and say to the unprotected and untaught，Remain in ignorance，and let your labour be directed by that ignorance，for while you can Procure what is sufficient to support life by such labour，although that life should be an existence in abject poverty，disease，and misery，we will not trouble ourselves with you，or any of your proceedings；when，however，you can no longer procure work，or obtain the means to support nature，then apply for relief to the parish，and you shall be maintained in idleness.

And in ignorance and idleness，even in this country，where manual labour is or always might be made valuable，hundreds of thousands of men，women，and children are daily supported.No one acquainted with human nature will suppose that men，women，and children，can be long maintained in ignorance and idleness，without becoming habituated to crime.

(It would，perhaps，prove an interesting calculation，and useful to government，to estimate how much its finances would be improved，by giving proper employment to a million of its subjects，rather than by supporting that million in ignorance，idleness，and crime.

Will it exceed the bounds of moderation to say，that a million of the population so employed，under the direction of an intelligent government，might earn to the state ten pounds each annually，or ten millions sterling per annum？Ten millions per year would be obtained，by each individual earning less than four shillings per week；and any part of the population of these kingdoms，including within the average the too young and the too old for labour，may be made to earn，under proper arrangements，more than four shillings per week to the state，besides creating an innumerable train of other more beneficial consequences.)

Why then，are there any idle poor in these kingdoms？Solely because so large a part of the population have been permitted to grow up to manhood in gross ignorance；and because，when they are，or easily may be trained to be willing to labour，useful and productive employment has not been provided for them.

All men may，by judicious and proper laws and training，readily acquire knowledge and habits which will enable them，if they be permitted，to produce far more than they need for their support and enjoyment：and thus any population，in the fertile parts of the earth，may be taught to live in plenty and in happiness，without the checks of vice and misery.

Mr Malthus is，however，correct，when he says that the population of the world is ever adapting itself to the quantity of food raised for its support；but he has not told us how much more food an intelligent and industrious people will create from the same soil，than will be produced by one ignorant and ill-governed.It is，however，as one to infinity.

For man knows not the limit to his power of creating food.

How much has this power been latterly increased in these islands！

And in them such knowledge is in its infancy.Yet compare even this power of raising food with the efforts of the Bosgemens or other savages，and it will be found，perhaps，as one to a thousand.

Food for man may also be considered as a compound of the original elements，of the qualities，combinations，and control of which，chemistry is daily adding to our knowledge；nor is it yet for man to say to what this knowledge may lead，or where it may end.

The sea，it may be remarked also，affords an inexhaustible source of food.It may then be safely asserted that the population of the world may be allowed naturally to increase for many thousand years；and yet，under a system of government founded on the principles for the truth of which we contend，the whole may continue to live in abundance and happiness，without one check of vice or misery；and under the guidance of these principles，human labour，properly directed，may be made far more than sufficient to enable the population of the world to live in the highest state of human enjoyment.

Shall we then continue to allow misery to predominate，and the labour of man to be most absurdly applied or wasted，when it might be easily directed to remove that misery？

The labour of every man，woman，and child，possessing sufficient bodily strength，may be advantageously employed for the public；and there is not，perhaps，a stronger evidence of the extreme ignorance and fallacy of the systems which have hitherto governed the world，than that the rich，the active，and the powerful，should，by tacit consent，support the ignorant in idleness and crime，without making the attempt to train them into industrious，intelligent，and valuable members of the community；

although the means by which the change could be easily effected have been always at their command！

It is not，however，intended to propose that the British Government should now give direct employment to all its working population.On the contrary，it is confidently expected that a national system for the training and education of the poor and lower orders will be so effectual，that ere long they will all find employment sufficient to Support themselves，except in cases of great sudden depression in the demand for，and consequent depreciation in the value of，labour.