XXIX JUSTICE, NOT CHARITY 525 



child born into this world is a living soul, which has 

 come here to prepare itself for the higher life of the 

 spirit world, it must appear a crime against that world 

 and against humanity not to see that every such child 

 has the best possible nurture and training, at the very 

 least till it arrives at the adult age and becomes an 

 independent unit of the social organism. And if to each 

 is due the best, then none can have more than the best, 

 and we come thus again to equality of opportunity. 



Of course, many of my readers will say, " This is 

 impossible. How can we possibly give this equality of 

 nurture and education to every child ? " I admit that it 

 is difficult— by no means impossible. It must, of course, 

 be brought about gradually; and where there is a will 

 there is a way. As Herbert Spencer said of another 

 matter — the nationalization of the land — ''justice sternly 

 demands that it be done " ; and if we, boasting of our 

 civilization, declare that it cannot be done, then so much 

 the worse for us and for our false civilization. But it 

 wants only the will. And it is our duty to help to create 

 that will. 



Bat, again, you will say, " Where are the means of 

 doing this ? We are already taxed as much as we can 

 bear." True, we are shamefully over- taxed for all kinds 

 of unnecessary and hurtful expenses, some of which have 

 been exposed in preceding chapters; but, instead of 

 increasing the taxes, there is a necessary corollary of 

 "equality of opportunity" which will not only give us 

 ample funds to bring it about, but will at the same time 

 greatly reduce taxation and ultimately abolish it alto- 

 gether. For, if every child is given equality of oppor- 

 tunity, and every man and woman receives only "the 

 results of their own nature and consequent actions," then 

 it is evident that there must be no inequality of 

 inheritance : and to give equality of inheritance, the 

 State, that is, the community, must be the universal 

 inheritor of all wealth. At first, of course, it would only 

 be needful to take surplus wealth above a fixed maxi- 

 mum ; and, so far from this being an injury to the heirs 

 of a millionaire, it would be a great benefit; for it is 



