TRUE AND FALSE SOCIALISM 219 



cause atrophy and death to the body politic; or do we 

 regard it as a thing to be buffeted and abused by some, 

 envied and hated by others, and held up to slander and 

 contumely by, perhaps, half the people of the land? 



That many of us take the last-mentioned course is an 

 indubitable fact, but in doing this we show a lamentable 

 lack of that fair play, upon which we, as a people, pride 

 ourselves so much, and we display, at the same time, a 

 deplorable absence of tact, prudence and common sense. 



All classes possess the inalienable right of claiming 

 equality of consideration, and yet it delights a certain 

 section of the people to hold the rich and well-to-do 

 classes up to contumely, merely because they are rich 

 and well-to-do ; while the present Government, indeed 

 all Governments, seem to take a positive delight in " rub- 

 bing it in," by assuming a foolish and unnecessarily hos- 

 tile attitude towards British tax-payers as a body. 



Now in most things of life, if we have a valuable asset, Judicious 

 a reliable source of income, or any good thing which 

 yields us an abundant supply of what we need, we do our 

 best to safeguard our precious possession by wise precau- 

 tion and judicious protection, so that it may come to no 

 possible harm, and in this we are right. 



But in regard to the valuable national asset we possess 

 in our rich and well-to-do folk and in our large philan- 

 thropic public, we do nothing of the kind. Governments 

 and these modern Socialists take that course which 

 severs rather than connects, which divorces ra.ther than 

 weds ; and if we alienate the sympathies and good will of 

 those who help us, of those who serve us loyally and well, 

 we shall assuredly suffer for our folly sooner or later. 



