LABOUR. 281 



as fully skilled as are industrial workmen and, as the event 

 has shown, perhaps even more difficult to replace. What 

 he sees in his daily round, and in his own appointed work, 

 and what is essential for his employment and the perfecting 

 of his skill, would escape the observation of the industrial 

 labourer ; but in agricultural employment it is of great 

 importance. The difference between the two is one not of 

 degree but of kind, as great as that between Lord Macaulay's 

 ' ' baker ' ' and his ' ' pianomaker. ' ' The degree of skill attained 

 differs between individual and individual. But skill there 

 is in all of the calling. 



Unfortunately there is one great, most regrettable feature 

 in our agricultural organisation which has, as by design, 

 kept the value of the agricultural labourer at a lower point 

 than was necessary — by withholding from him his coveted 

 little field and garden at home, and, beyond this, making 

 him as much of a " one job " man as was possible. Never- 

 theless in many cases high skill there is undoubtedly in 

 our man's knowledge of his work, and the belittlement to 

 which he has been exposed is wholly misplaced. 



It is natural that at the moment when the high value 

 of the agricultural labourer has come to be once more 

 appreciated, a comparison should have been drawn between 

 his present position and that of his industrial brother. A 

 hundred years ago — and less — there was not much to 

 choose between the two. They started even. The one 

 was as little thought of qua labourer as the other, as much 

 held in leash under employment and as freely made a mere 

 convenience of. In truth at that time the industrial labourer 

 was really worse off than the agricultural, who still possessed 

 his own little home and his common rights. Distress, 

 overwork, dependence, oppression were more rife among 

 industrial ranks than agricultural. And education simply 

 was not. Greater need in this case brought about prompter 

 action. Humane men forced the recognition of human 

 rights — to use M. Thiers' words, " the necessary liberties 

 of life " — from Parliament. Fifty years ago brought poH- 

 tical emancipation to our factory toilers, who became, in 

 Mr. Lowe's words, " our masters," importunately claiming 



