« LANDLORDISM." 145 



subsequent full withdrawal, on the threat of a 

 libel writ, of all that was material in the allega- 

 tions. There are harsh landlords, undoubtedly, 

 as there are harsh ironmasters, shopkeepers, and 

 soap-boilers, because owning land makes a man 

 a saint no more than it makes him a sinner. 

 But I do honestly believe, in the light of what 

 knowledge I have, that English landowners are 

 above the average of the community in their 

 regard for the interests of the people employed 

 by them, and in public spirit. 



If it can be concluded that " landlordism " is 

 only a term without any reality behind it ; that 

 it is not necessary that the ownership of land, 

 even in large quantities, should blight the morals 

 and pervert the nature of Man ; the ground 

 will be cleared for a consideration of the ques- 

 tion, whether there is any actually useful place 

 in the English economy for the landlord— that 

 is, the man who holds land which he does not 

 directly cultivate himself. I think the con- 

 clusion will be that the " good landlord ' has 

 some real value, and that it would be a pity 

 to " scrap " him — at any rate until the transi- 

 tion stage has been passed from a depressed 



