264 Of the Checks to Population Bk. ii. 



viding for a family. From the small number of 

 people, and the little variety of employment, the 

 subject is brought distinctly within the view of 

 each individual ; and he must feel the absolute 

 necessity of repressing his inclinations to mar- 

 riage, till some such vacancy offer. If, from the 

 plenty of materials, he should be led to build a 

 house for himself, it could not be expected, that 

 the farmer, if he had a sufficient number of la- 

 bourers before, should give him an adequate por- 

 tion of land with it ; and though he would in 

 general find employment for three or four months 

 in the summer, yet there would be little chance 

 of his earning enough to support a family during 

 the whole year. It is probable, that it was in 

 cases of this kind, where the impatience of the 

 parties prompted them to build, or propose to 

 build a house themselves, and trust to what they 

 could earn, that the parish priests exercised the 

 discretionary power of refusing to marry. 



The young men and women therefore are obliged 

 to remain with the farmers as unmarried servants, 

 till a houseman's place becomes vacant : and of 

 these unmarried servants there is in every farm, 

 and every gentleman's family, a much greater 

 proportion, than the work would seem to require. 

 There is but little division of labour in Norway. 

 Almost all the wants of domestic economy are 

 supplied in each separate household. Not only 

 the common operations of brewing, baking, and 

 washing, are carried on at home, but many fami- 

 lies make or import their own cheese and butter, 



