224 CONSERVATION 



True, these interests are in the hands of show that our wisest plan is to let 

 individuals, who look only to their own things take their own course ;" and, in 

 immediate profit, and not to the public his The Study of Sociology (page 21) 

 advantage, or to the distant future, he says: "The one thing needful is to 

 They are not only selfish ; they are maintain the conditions under which 

 often ignorant, short-sighted and un- the natural actions have fair play." 

 conscious of much of the work that Some of the saner writers, it is true, 

 they do. But society is a complex and as John Stuart Mill, in Chap. XI. of 

 delicate machine, the real Author and his Political Economy, where he dis- 

 Governor of which is Divine. Men are cusses "the grounds and limits of the 

 often His agents, who do His work, and laisser-fairc, or non-interference prin- 

 know it not. He turneth their selfish- ciple," recognize the possibility of ex- 

 ness to good ; and ends which could not tending that principle much too far. 

 be accomplished by the greatest sa- Mill satisfied himself with maintaining 

 gacity, the most enlightened and dis- that "laisser-faire is the general rule, 

 interested public spirit, and the most but is liable to large exceptions." 

 strenuous exertions of human legisla- (Page 573.) 



tors and governors, are effected direct- The striking politico-scientific and 



ly and incessantly, even through the economic fact to-day is the number of 



ignorance, the wil fulness and the ava- exceptions which every advanced na- 



rice of men. Man cannot interfere tion is finding. It is true, Mr. Spencer 



with His work without marring it. listed many of these, pilloried them as 



Laisser-faire; 'these things horrible examples, and pointed to them 



regulate themselves, 'in common phrase ; as evidences of "The coining slavery," 



which means, of course, that God regu- : 'The sins of legislators," "The new 



lates them by His general laws, which Toryism" and "The great political 



always, in the long run, work to good, superstition;" but society marches 



In these modern days, the ruler or gov- straight on and, long before his death, 



ernor who is most to be dreaded is, not the great English philosopher was rec- 



the tyrant, but the busybody. Let the ognized as, sociologically, a "voice 



course of trade and the condition of crying in the wilderness." 



society alone, is the best advice which Speaking of Say's "Devil's philoso- 



can be given to the legislator, the phy," Doctor Hale says, "We have now 



projector and the reformer. Busy your- gotten well beyond that." A striking 



selves, if you must be busy, with iridi- example of the distance which we have 



I'idual cases of wrong, hardship, or suf- actually gotten beyond it is found in 



fering; but do not meddle with the the article by Mr. John Martin in "The 



general laws of the universe." World's Work" for September last, en- 



In the same vein, Say (Political titled "Our Government's Widespread 



Economy, page 88) says: Socialistic Activities." The editors ex- 



"The grand mischiefs of authorita- plain that "Mr. Martin uses the word 

 tive interference proceed not from oc- socialism in its broad sense to denote 

 casional exceptions to established max- a wide range of activities beyond those 

 ims, but from false ideas of the nature that pertain to the individual." He 

 <if things, and the false maxims built begins with the statement that, "De- 

 upon them. It is then that mischief is mocracy in this country has acted social- 

 done by wholesale, and evil pursued istically and communistically to a de- 

 upon system." gree which few Americans realize." He 



This, of course, is the doctrine on then discusses "socialism for the farm- 

 winch Mr. Herbert Spencer earnestly er," "in reclamation work," "in the 

 insisted from the days of his Social swamps," "in the forest," "in our colo- 

 Statics, in 1850, until his death. In nies," "in the canal zone," "in the con- 

 thc book named, for example, (page sular service," "in public utilities," and 

 334) we find him saying: "Political "in National legislation." and ap- 

 economy has shown us in this matter preaches his close with the following 

 what, indeed, it is its chief mission to paragraph : 



