38 Social Environment 



competition of the market remained unchecked, 

 is still more questionable. It is true that the 

 propaganda of neo-Malthusianism has enabled 

 families to rise in the social scale, though, un- 

 fortunately, not without the accompanying 

 danger of a degenerative race suicide. But 

 the raising of any considerable mass of popu- 

 lation has proved to be far more practicable 

 through legislation checking commercialism 

 and establishing standards. Given improved 

 standards of living as set, for example, by 

 factory laws and compulsory education, and 

 the desired restriction of population readily 

 follows, just as other marks of rational living 

 follow. The world is indebted to Malthus for 

 pointing out one aspect of natural law that 

 needs wise regulation for the good of society, 

 yet he failed to see that the unrestricted play 

 of individualistic forces in the market is 

 equally as dangerous to social progress as the 

 unrestricted play of reproductive forces. 



The doctrines of Malthus and the other 

 laissez-faire economists proved to be convin- 

 cing and logical to contemporaneous England, 

 particularly to the rising classes. Indeed, even 

 the poor began to be reconciled to the situa- 

 tion, and gradually learned to accept with grati- 



