144 PROBLEMS OF VILLAGE LIFE 



the cry of " three acres and a cow " had a 

 definite meaning and had not yet passed into 

 the limbo of political absurdities. 



In the concluding chapters of this book we 

 propose to deal in summary with various 

 suggestions brought before the country as 

 remedies, more or less complete, for some or 

 all of the existing ills of country life. 



Before, however, any consideration of future 

 reforms is undertaken, the impartial student 

 of country life must acknowledge the immense 

 value of two great and beneficent measures 

 which have become law within the last few 

 years. The economic position of the labourer 

 has been signally affected by the Old-Age 

 Pensions and National Insurance Acts. 



The Old-Age Pension came as a veritable 

 blessing to the poor toilers of the village. Our 

 villagers hate the Poor Law, and nothing but 

 starvation will bring them to accept the shelter 

 of the workhouse. Until the State pension 

 was granted as the inalienable right of a poor 

 citizen, the menace of pauperism was always 

 present before the eyes of something like half 

 our old people in the rural parishes. One 

 indirect result has brought much happiness 

 to the parents of married sons and daughters ; 

 these old folk have been enabled in many 

 instances by their possession of 5/- a week to 



