72 RURAL DENMARK 



such societies. Indeed, Mr. Mortensen added that it 

 would be difficult for Danish agriculture generally to 

 succeed in their absence. 



Mr. Frandsen, a very intelligent man, informed 

 me that he thought the State small-holders as a body 

 were getting on fairly well. Still the start was diffi- 

 cult, and it was necessary for a man to possess rather 

 more than the tenth of the capital which the law pre- 

 scribes. This, I think, from the appearance of the 

 place, must have been his own case. He said, what I 

 could well believe, that if he were to sell out he would 

 find himself considerably in pocket on the whole 

 transaction. 



I think that the reader will agree with me that on 

 the whole these examples of Danish State small- 

 holders had a satisfactory tale to tell, especially when 

 Mr. Mortensen's assurance is borne in mind, that 

 they were neither better nor worse than the average 

 of their class. Still I imagine that Mr. Larsen's esti- 

 mate that about one-half of such people really succeed, 

 while a third only just get on and the remainder fail, 

 is on the whole quite accurate. Indeed, in the circum- 

 stances, I do not see how it could be otherwise, since 

 even with the powerful aid of co-operation the fight 

 must be very hard, and one in which only good men 

 can win a decisive victory. 



In considering this question, I think we should 

 remember that the part of it which is concerned with 

 public policy, namely, whether such men should have 

 freeholds or leaseholds, must be kept apart from the 

 matter of the actual success or otherwise of those men. 

 At present it can make little financial difference to 

 such people whether they are freeholders or lease- 



