74 RURAL DENMARK 



do not think that I spoke to any large landowner or 

 large farmer for in Denmark the two are practically 

 identical who was enthusiastic about this movement, 

 while most of them were distinctly averse to it. Still 

 this unanimity of hostile opinion should be heavily 

 discounted, for the reason that in every country with 

 which I am acquainted, not excluding England, the 

 large farmer looks on the small-holder with strong 

 dislike and quite apart from the question of whether 

 or no his existence is a benefit to the community as a 

 whole. Circumstances, into which I will not enter 

 now, make it more or less natural that he should do 

 so ; or even if this statement is disputed, the fact 

 remains that he does. 



Here is an example which I quote from The Times 

 of February 21, 191 1. The report says : 



" There were unusual incidents at the sale at Crewe yesterday 

 of a further instalment of Lord Tollemache's Cheshire estate. 

 Among the prospective buyers was the Cheshire County Council, 

 which requires land for the furtherance of its small-holding scheme. 

 The bidding on behalf of the Council provoked an unfriendly 

 demonstration by the large company of farmers present, who hooted 

 the Council's representatives so vigorously as to call forth a strong 

 protest from Mr. Manley, the auctioneer." 



It will be noted that the above does not refer to 

 a case in which land actually in the occupation of a 

 tenant is being compulsorily seized for the purpose 

 of small-holdings. Had it done so the demonstration 

 need scarcely excite remark, seeing that there can 

 be but few things more irritating or in most cases 

 more injurious to farmers, than that a portion of their 

 land should be forcibly taken away from them for the 

 benefit of other people. On the contrary, all that the 

 County Council did was to try to buy land in the open 



