154 ROOT MATTERS IN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROBLEMS. 



of suffering humanity, and are free from the charge of indif- 

 ference. The latter, however, are too emotional to perceive 

 the great difl&culties of the problems which have always, 

 engaged the deepest attention of earnest Social Economists, 

 and are too ready to advocate the introduction of their own, 

 pet schemes, without having takeu sufficient trouble either to 

 test their adequacy, or to fathom the true nature of funda- 

 mental difficulties, which would in most cases be made vastly 

 more formidable by the various plans propounded by them 

 for their removal. Thus some, having been misled by the 

 assumption that all our evils are due to individual property 

 right and unequal distribution of wealtb, employ all their 

 ingenuity to show that all existing evils are attributable to 

 these, and to these alone. 



Yet there are many other influences far more potent for- 

 evil which no scheme yet propounded by Political Economists, 

 Socialists or Communists may wisely undervalue or ignore. 

 Of such are the following ; — 



(I.) The superabundant proportions of human beings 

 in existence who, free from restraint, are naturally 

 disposed to be idle, sensuous, and wicked ; or who 

 are ignora,nt, foolish, and improvident. 

 (2.) The difficulties of supplying other motives more 

 adequate than self-interest to so many in effecting 

 conformity to the necessary social laws and virtues, 

 and as a spur to industry and useful application of 

 powers. 

 (3.) The inequalities of different habitable portions of 

 the earth as regards productiveness, climate, 

 disease, density of population, and the difference- 

 of civilisation and racial characteristics. 

 (4.) The periodic failure of food supply (famine),, 

 whether due to seasonal influence, exhaustion of 

 soil, violence, wilful waste, or improvidence. 

 (5.) Effectual means for elimination from society of the 

 more pronounced forms of hereditary vice and 

 madness which, if allowed to persist, would 

 endanger society. 

 (6.) Absence of facilities for relieving the pressure of 



population in over-peopled lands by migration. 

 (7.) Difficulties connected with free exchange of products 

 between different nations whose artisans and 

 labourers are living under different material and 

 social conditions, e.g., slave labour and free labour. 

 (8.) Difficulties in effecting adequate exchange of pro- 

 ducts with other nations where, as in England,, 

 local foods, products, and the raw materials for 

 manufacture are locally far below the level of 

 requirement of an ever-increasing population. 



