194 Darwinism and Other Essays. 



tailed by the interference of government. Laws 

 fixing a minimum of wages have caused thousands 

 of labourers to be turned out of employment. 1 

 Laws regulating marriage have ended in increas 

 ing the number of illegitimate births. 2 Laws for 

 the establishment of sanitary supervision have 

 spread disease, and lengthened out the mortality 

 returns. 3 Laws for the support of colonial gov 

 ernment have given rise to the most barbarous 

 tyranny. 4 Trade-union projects, economic exper 

 iments, poor - laws, education - laws, church - laws, 

 currency-laws, have all turned out to be failures, 

 and in many cases have inflicted upon society pos 

 itive misery, instead of conferring upon it positive 

 benefit. Paradoxical as all this may at first seem, 

 it is but a statement of historic facts. 5 Modern 

 history is filled with similar examples, all show 

 ing the utter incompetence of government to reg 

 ulate the affairs of men. The duty of govern 

 ment is to insure the fulfilment of the first prin 

 ciple of morality, that no man shall infringe 



1 As in the case of the Spitalfields weavers in 1773. 



2 As in Bavaria. 



8 As in England, some years ago, during the cholera pestilence. 



4 As in the case of the East India Company, and of the American 

 Colonies hefore the Revolution. 



5 See the evidence in Spencer s Social Statics, pp. 195-406, and in 

 MJ. Buckle s volumes. 



