on the Coming Civilization. 377 



capacity of no one would be changed. The weak would still 

 be weak, the dissipated would remain dissipated, the fool 

 would continue a fool, while the strong, the self-controlled, 

 the capable, would remain as they were before. The natural 

 redistribution that would inevitably follow would rapidly 

 bring back the old condition of affairs. There are thousands 

 who have neither the aptitude for making money, nor for 

 keeping it. While others, as Oliver Wendell Holmes says, 

 if the world were burned up, would get rich in a week by 

 the trade in potash. 



If, then, we wish to get ahead towards the " Coming Civ- 

 ilization," we may as well leave that road alone. 



2. One of the most fascinating books of recent years is 

 Mr. Henry George's "Progress and Poverty." When I 

 laid it down, after a first reading, I felt as though the 

 "kingdom of heaven" was so near that the only wonder 

 was that humanity had not stumbled into it without know- 

 ing. But a little study showed that his fundamental postu- 

 late was false. Instead of the rich having grown richer, 

 and the poor poorer, the hard facts are these : More persons 

 are getting rich than ever before, but the percentage of 

 profit that accrues to capital is constantly growing less. 

 This may be overbalanced by an increasing quantity of 

 business ; but the fact remains. While, so far as the poor 

 are concerned, not only has the price of labor increased, both 

 in England and America, during the last fifty years, but the 

 purchasing power of a day's wages has increased at the 

 same time. Mr. George's diagnosis of the disease, then, is 

 false, at the very outset. And, not on]y this, but the pan- 

 acea he offers is even ludicrously inadequate. He would 

 have the government take possession of all ground-rents 

 for the benefit of the people as a whole. This he claims 

 would abolish poverty. He thinks it would pay all govern- 

 ment expenses, and leave a large surplus for public works 

 and improvements of every kind. But here again a little 

 use of the arithmetic is worth a good deal of zealous talk. 

 Taking the census of 1880 as a basis, it is easily found 

 that the entire land-rent of the United States, if equally 

 divided, would amount to about two cents a head per day. 

 That is, it would reduce our present taxes about one-half. 

 So if there were no other objections to Mr. George's plan, 

 its utter inadequacy would be enough. I advise, therefore, 



