194 Darwinism and Other Essays. 



tailed by the interference of government. Laws 

 fixing a minimum of wages have caused thousands 

 of labourers to be turned out of employment. 1 

 Laws regulating marriage have ended in increas- 

 ing the number of illegitimate births. 2 Laws for 

 the establishment of sanitary supervision have 

 spread disease, and lengthened out the mortality 

 returns. 3 Laws for the support of colonial gov- 

 ernment have given rise to the most barbarous 

 tyranny. 4 Trade-union projects, economic exper- 

 iments, poor-laws, education - laws, church -laws, 

 currency-laws, have all turned out to be failures, 

 and in many cases have inflicted upon society pos- 

 itive misery, instead of conferring upon it positive 

 benefit. Paradoxical as all this may at first seem, 

 it is but a statement of historic facts. 5 Modern 

 history is filled with similar examples, all show- 

 ing the utter incompetence of government to reg- 

 ulate the affairs of men. The duty of govern- 

 ment is to insure the fulfilment of the first prin- 

 ciple of morality, that no man shall infringe 



1 As in the case of the Spitalfields weavers in 1773. 



2 As in Bavaria. 



8 As in England, some years ago, during the cholera pestilence. 



4 As in the case of the East India Company, and of the American 

 Colonies before the Revolution. 



6 See the evidence in Spencer's Social Statics, pp. 195-406, and in 

 Mr. Buckle's volumes. 



