THE QUACK AND THE LAND. 25 



before she had not one-fifth of that number. 

 No one doubts that the new state of things is 

 superior to the old. 



To a greater extent even than in the question 

 of defence there intrude into the question of the 

 land considerations of sentiment. Wisdom will 

 give them always a hearing, and will give them a 

 way when that is not actually dangerous and is 

 politically desirable. The quack land reformer 

 is most mischievous when he is met by a stupid 

 laissez-faire. Many English victims of his foolish 

 outcries are apt to think that he is a special 

 invention of the devil sent to plague particularly 

 this nation and this generation. Perhaps it 

 would teach them patience if they reflected that 

 he has afflicted every age and every civilization. 

 So soon as any nation reached that stage of 

 civilization which added the classes of pro- 

 fessional workers, artificers, and factory workers 

 to the original community, which had consisted 

 almost solely of landlords, farmers, and farm 

 workers, there arose a land question ; and 

 there came a condition of conflict between the 

 class of the landlords, feeling that they had 

 still a right to their old monopoly of the ruling 



