152 NO STRUGGLE NO SELECTION 



have grown up and are able to earn their own living ; 

 and the general experience of the race shows that he is 

 justified in entertaining such a hope. But the working 

 man, justified in the light of the general experience in 

 cherishing this confidence, is nevertheless incapable of 

 the madness of contemplating immediate marriage 

 unless he is in receipt of a daily wage, and has also 

 a reasonable prospect of continuing to earn it. 



The labour market is supplied by a continuous 

 accession of young men occupying posts that death 

 has rendered vacant, or that have been vacated by men 

 who have retired from them on account of age, or for 

 other reasons, or by men who have emigrated and left 

 the country. In addition to those young men who 

 occupy vacated posts, there is no lack of young men 

 to enter upon such posts as are created by the 

 expansion of commerce and industry. 



In the wider arena of the labour market, the same 

 principle prevails that we see operative in a large 

 commercial firm where promotion from one post to 

 another goes by seniority. A high official in the 

 service of the firm dies or retires, and the post he held 

 is occupied by the holder of the post immediately 

 below it. The post thus vacated is at once filled 

 up by the advancement to it of the holder of the post 

 next in the order of succession ; and the process of 

 juniors being raised to fill the posts vacated by seniors 

 is continued, until the lowest position which enables its 

 occupant to marry is reached. This also being rendered 

 vacant by the promotion of him who occupied it requires 



