368 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the time lost in carrying them out so cripples the workmen that 

 they fail of being a remedy for low prices of labor. 



If we take two families in rather poor circumstances, and apply 

 the principle of short hours of labor to one and not to the other, 

 we can get a tolerably clear idea of its operation. The families 

 consist, say, of the fathers and mothers and six young children 

 each, all the children being too young to be of great assistance. 

 Mrs. A rises at five in the morning, prepares breakfast, after 

 breakfast clears off the table, washes the dishes, gets dinner and 

 tea, clears up, at some time sweeps the rooms, sews a little, knits 

 a little, mends and darns a little, and thus uses up nearly every 

 moment of time until ten or eleven o'clock at night. Her house is 

 kept in order and her children appear at school and church neatly 

 clad, hold up their heads with a self-respecting air, and are able 

 to associate with pupils quite superior to them in pecuniary cir- 

 cumstances ; but it is due to sixteen hours of diligence and well- 

 applied labor on the part of the mother. On the other hand, Mrs. 

 B holds to the theory that eight hours of labor is enough, and 

 puts it in practice. She omits the sweeping, and her house and 

 furniture become untidy and unattractive. She omits the darn- 

 ing and mending, so that her children can not go to church, and 

 go to school in rags, whereby they fall in standing and association, 

 acquire the manners and morals of the neglected classes, and grow 

 up cursing destiny and preparing to retaliate on society for having 

 consigned them to a life of ignorance, want, and degradation. 

 The contrast between the two families in the matters of comfort, 

 morals, prospects, and happiness is striking. But contrasts of the 

 kind are often seen ; and it is generally recognized that the differ- 

 ence is owing to the unremitting fidelity and industry of the Mrs. 

 A's as set off against the lax work of the Mrs. B's. Should Mrs. A 

 shorten her hours of labor to eight, permanently, the family, in- 

 stead of faring better, must inevitably fare worse ; and what is 

 true of one family is true of two, of twenty, of a hundred, and of 

 all the community dependent on labor for support. This will re- 

 main true until the time comes when eight hours' labor will pay 

 for the comforts now secured by twelve or fourteen hours' labor. 



"Whether superficial knowledge be beneficial or deleterious may depend on 

 what is meant by the term. If we raenn by it incorrect knowledge, that certain- 

 ly is worse than no knowledjre at all ; if simply a small amount of knowledge, the 

 least is of advantage. A little knowledge on a great many subjects, as Mr. Bal- 

 four has said in his rectorial address at St. Andrew's, will conduce more to hap- 

 piness and enjoyment, and will better render a man's mind wide and liberal in 

 tone, and free from the prejudices of ignorance, than a great deal of knowledge 

 on one subject alone. The best condition is to know as much as possible on one 

 subject, and cultivate a little knowledge on many others. 



