246 THE MURDER OF AGRICULTURE 



Let the Cobdenite school, who, over half a century 

 ago, destroyed agriculture and cut off the people's best 

 and surest source of employment, answer. 



For half a century, and more, have Governments, 

 political parties, and Cobdenites inflicted a cruel in- 

 justice on millions of unoffending people; and because 

 their political or personal interests stood in the way, they 

 would not right the wrong they had done. Let them see 

 to it. Let them be called upon to render an account of 

 their stewardship, so that they may receive the due 

 reward of their work. Let them be called upon to make 

 restitution to a cruelly wronged and undeservedly de- 

 graded people, and let that restitution be full and com- 

 plete and speedily made. 

 Strength of But in spite of the miserable condition to which so 



the iVlsisscs 



Sapped many of our people have been reduced, there are not 

 wanting those who will endeavour to controvert the 

 position of affairs by the usual methods of cheap scepti- 

 cism, by assuming the " bally-rot " attitude, or by 

 pointing to the fact that as we excel in various feats of 

 athleticism and are continually " breaking records " in 

 running, cycling and the rest of it, we cannot be deterio- 

 rating in physical fitness. 



This line of argument is the quintessence of meretri- 

 ciousness, but it is, nevertheless, convincing enough to 

 some people. 



In the first place our athletes are the pick of the race, 

 and they are not drawn from that unfortunate section of 

 the people whose deplorable condition we are here con- 

 sidering. 



Rome had her array of splendid gladiators, who main- 



