368 ARISTOCRA C Y AND E VOL UTION 



Book iv the claimant to the park and estate whose case we 

 Jr 4 have been just imagining, is that whilst the latter is 

 deceived into expecting that he individually can 

 be made rich by a law-suit, the latter are deceived 

 into expecting that they all can be made rich by 

 legislation. 



The practical The desire for wealth, as something distinct 

 weaith g is r from competence, is a desire which normally affects 

 fineTto ly those men on ty m proportion as they believe themselves 

 Senior some to k e possessed of power by which they may 

 creating it, individually earn it ; and so long as men recognise 



and the pain 111 r i i 



caused by its the truth that, apart from rare chances, the powers 

 naturaUy S C on- that earn wealth are the exceptional powers that 

 fined to such create i t) ^ crav i n g f or wealth which makes the 



non-possession of it a pain is confined to a minority 

 composed of exceptionally constituted individuals. 

 The absence of wealth amongst the majority causes 

 unhappiness only when false theories with regard 

 to its attainability and men's natural rights to it 

 have produced in the average man an artificial and 

 diseased sensitiveness. There is no surer means of 

 exaggerating inequalities in happiness than the false 

 and pestilent teachings which encourage equality of 

 expectations. 



The socialistic And not only do these teachings, so far as they 

 cause ? barren 7 have any effect at all, create private unhappiness and 

 multiply private disappointments, but they give rise 

 amongst masses of men to an impracticable temper, 

 which is the source of many of the difficulties con- 

 fronting us in the domain of politics, and most of 

 those confronting us in the domain of industry. 



