SMALL HOLDINGS. 319 



were undoubtedly the better for the operation, and the 

 land, as divided, yielded more produce as well as more happi- 

 ness. In the south-western corner of Germany, which was 

 the first part of the country to be civilised — Caesar and 

 Tacitus knew nothing about " Prussia " and " Saxony," 

 which were not " Germany " in their days — the " mailed 

 fist " of the manor has never fastened its choking grip 

 upon peasant holdings, which are there as old as civihsa- 

 tion. In France mischievous Malthusianism, restricting 

 the family to two children, prevents excessive " pulveri- 

 sation." There are not many to put forth fresh claims for 

 land. The proprietaire is careful to keep his property 

 intact, as well as his family small. But even there the 

 Government has judged it right to create facilities — by 

 means of advances of money on easy terms (by the law of 

 1910)— to very small people — farm servants, landless 

 labourers and very small landowners anxious to increase 

 their holdings — for acquiring new parcels of land. And 

 the measure, due to the initiative of M. Decharme, 

 the devoted Director of the Credit Agricole, has proved 

 one of the most successful and most popularly welcomed 

 operations affecting the land ever taken in hand. In Italy, 

 Roumania, and Serbia co-operative tenancy societies, formed 

 independently but subsequently encouraged by their several 

 Governments, have done all in their power to create indepen- 

 dent small holdings. (It is interesting to note that such 

 practice of co-operative land-holding — for reclamation — has 

 already spread into Burma.) The success, more particularly 

 in poverty-stricken Sicily — but there has been good success 

 also in Emilia and in other parts of Italy — has been remark- 

 able. Everywhere on the Continent — for Spain, too, is 

 moving in the same direction — the tendency has been since 

 many ages to divide the land and people it with small 

 cultivating folk. Rendered wise by experience, legis- 

 lators have rebelled against and reversed the disastrous 

 policy of Rome, complained of by Pliny, of thinking — as 

 we seem to be disposed to do at the present moment — in 

 his words, " more of wheat than of men." And, men being 

 raised, there has been a systematic push upward, reaching 



