,5 J-i THE SOCIAL OUGANISM. 



alimentation, becomes devoted to the co-ordinated move- 

 incuts of the entire body politic. 



Equally remarkable is a further analogy of like kind. 

 After the mucous and serous layers of the embryo have, 

 separated, there presently arises between the two, a third, 

 known to physiologists as the vascular layer a layer out 

 of which are dcvclojH-d the chief blood-vessels. The mu 

 cous layer absorbs nutriment from the mass of velk it en 

 closes; this nutriment has to be transferred to the overlv- 

 ing serous layer, out of which the nervo-muscular sy.-tcm 

 is being developed ; and between the two arises a vascular 

 system by which the tran.-fer is effected a system of ves- 

 M-ls which continue-; over alter to be the transferrer of nu 

 triment from the places where it is absorl&amp;gt;ed and prepared, 

 to the places where it is needed for growth :ml repair. 

 Well, may we not trace a parallel step in social progress? 



Between the governing and tin; governed, there at lirst 

 exists no intermediate 1 (.-lass ; and even in some societies 

 that have reached considerable si/es, there are scarce! v anv 

 but the nobles and their kindred on the one hand, and the 

 serfs on the other: the social structure being such, that the 

 transfer of commodities takes place directly from slaves to 

 their masters. ])tit in societies of a higher type, there 

 grows up between these two primitive classes, another 

 the trading or middle elas^. Kqually, at lirst as now, wu 

 may see that, speaking generally, this middle class is the 

 analogue of the middle layer in the embrvo. For all tra 

 ders are essentially distributors. Whether they be whole 

 sale dealers, who collect into large masses the commodities 

 of various producers; or whether they be retailers, who 

 divide out to those -who want them, the masses of com 

 modities thus collected together; all mercantile men arc 

 agents of transfer from the places where things are pro 

 duced to the places where they are consumed. Thtia the 

 distributing apparatus of a society, answers to UK- di&amp;gt;Uib:i 



