248 LIGHT SCIENCE FOR LEISURE HOURS. 



been entered upon. In Mill's Principles of Political 

 Economy, this argument has been urged, though 

 cautiously. The Protection should be temporary, the 

 industry suitable, the aid tentative. American writers 

 have often referred to the passage (Book v. chap. x. 

 sec. 1) as though it sufficiently supported, not merely 

 all their arguments for the Protection of suitable indus- 

 tries, but also their arguments for the Protection of all 

 undeveloped industries. It can scarcely be said that 

 Mill's idea has hitherto been put to the test ; because, 

 as yet, every suitable industry to which Protection has 

 been afforded for the purpose of development has 

 struggled successfully to have such Protection extended 

 far beyond the period of mere experiment. In the 

 majority of cases, indeed, it may be urged that, the 

 effects not having been hitherto so favourable as Mill 

 supposed they might be, the experiment has not been 

 tried long enough. But in the few cases in which 

 a manufacture seems to have been encouraged by 

 Protection, the experiment of discontinuing Protection 

 has not been tried. In these cases, too, it remains 

 altogether probable that the natural protection referred 

 to above would in the same time have proved at least 

 equally effective. In some cases an effect which might 

 have been predicted has followed from a tariff practi- 

 cally prohibitory. For want of that healthy competi- 

 tion which would have compelled the exercise of all 

 possible care and skill in some particular manufacture, 

 articles of inferior quality continue to be manufactured. 

 In such cases, instead of a branch of industry being 



