Ch. xi. Condition of the Poor considered. 381 



" competition. It may almost be questioned, 

 " whether the contrary policy ought not to be em- 

 " braced ; whether difficulties should not be laid 

 " on the marriage of those who cannot make it 

 " appear that they have the prospect of main- 

 " tainingthe children that shall be the fruit of it? 

 " But why encourage marriages, which are sure 

 " to take place in all situations in which they 

 " ought to take place ? There is no instance to be 

 " found of plenty of regular employment being 

 " first established, where marriages have not fol- 

 " lowed in a proportionate degree. The policy 

 " therefore, at best, is useless, and may be per- 

 " nicious." 



After having once so clearly understood the 



principle of population, as to express these and 



many other sentiments on the subject, equally 



just and important, it is not a little surprising to 



find Mr. Young, in a pamphlet, entitled The 



Question of Scarcity plainly stated, and Remedies 



considered (published in 1800 J observing, that " the 



" means which would of all others perhaps tend 



" most surely to prevent future scarcities so op- 



" pressive to the poor as the present, would be to 



•* secure to every country labourer in the king- 



" dom, that has three children and upwards, half 



" an acre of land for potatoes ; and grass enough 



" to feed one or two cows.* * * * if each had 



" his ample potatoe-ground and a cow, the price 



" of wheat would be of little more consequence to 



'' them than it is to their brethren in Ireland." 



* P. 77. 



