256 MY LIFE 



capacities of human nature, the enjoyment of life b) all. and 

 at the same time greatly increase the possibilities of develop- 

 ment of the whole rare. I myself feel confident that this is 

 really the ease, and that such considerations, when followed 

 out to their ultimate issues, afford a complete solution of the 

 great problem of the ages — the origin of evil. 



The last letter I had from Mill was in April, 1871, when 

 a great public meeting of the association was to be held on 

 May 3, as to which he said: "It would be very useful to 

 the association, and a great pleasure to myself, if you would 

 consent to be one of the speakers at the meeting. There is 

 the more reason why you should do so, as you are the author 

 of one very valuable article of the programme. Were you 

 to explain and defend that article, it would be a service which 

 no one is so well qualified to render as yourself." I had 

 then recently visited the stone circles and bridges of Dart- 

 moor, and also Stonehenge, and urged the importance of 

 preserving them. At that time there would probably have 

 been no question of paying more than the actual selling 

 value of the land, and we should have been spared the dis- 

 grace of having our grandest ancient monument, after cen- 

 turies of neglect and deterioration, claimed to be private 

 property, and having an exorbitant price demanded for it. 

 But Mill's death soon afterwards put an end to the associa- 

 tion, and we had to wait many years for the present very 

 imperfect legislation on the subject. 



The question of land-nationalization continued at intervals 

 to occupy my mind, but having become strongly impressed 

 by the teachings of Spencer, Mill, and other writers as to 

 the necessity for restricting rather than extending State 

 agency, and by their constant reference to the inevitable job- 

 bery and favouritism that would result from placing the 

 management of the whole land of the country in the hands 

 of the executive, that I did not attempt to write further upon 

 the subject. But when the topic of Irish landlordism became 

 very prominent in the year 1879- 1880, an idea occurred to 

 me which seemed to entirely obviate all the practical diffi- 



