508 Thoughts Suggested by Patent Rights. [October, 



scientific man himself who works apparently for pure honour. 

 Still how many even of these would work if no universities 

 gave them a living ? We must not look too near ; the 

 number of men that work at science and make no living by 

 it is not great. Even literary men whose work is pure 

 thought, do they not make their thought a business ? And 

 are not the poets of the highest class ready also to receive 

 their reward from every new poem and new edition, adding 

 to their fields and flocks and herds ? Have the materialists 

 and utilitarians suddenly found that there is a class of men 

 called inventors to whom money is nothing, — a class that will 

 be satisfied with honour, and so be made to work for the 

 benefit of the nation at a very cheap rate. It is the old 

 principle, " So long as the poor slaves do our work for their 

 living only, let them live like the lower animals. We shall 

 take their work until their friends raise up a great emanci- 

 pation-explosion. If they must be free we shall try what 

 can be done with coolies. Or if we must give them land 

 they shall be ' bound to the soil,' and work for us free 

 a part of the year." But freedom finds them out. The 

 masters, however, are on the alert. " Let us give them 

 wages enough to keep them well." This is done, and the 

 days of good wages arise because good wages bring good 

 workmen in some places. " But let us keep them to their 

 own work ; let us give them no education lest they rebel ; 

 let us not teach them the trade lest they be independent ; 

 let us teach one to tie a thread and one how to wind a reel ; 

 but let us not teach any one all the art." And so these 

 uneducated fragments of machinery are tossed about our 

 great towns, until they are caught in the central whirlpool, 

 diminished in body and stunted in mind,, sickly, dirty, 

 and short lived ; they keep whirling nearer and nearer 

 to the great gulf, until the outside world raises up friends 

 and demands universal education. 



We scarcely expected that the spirit of the task-master 

 would find a resurrection in a new and parliamentary form, 

 and seek to make slaves of the inventive genius of the 

 country, saying, " Work for me and find your own living." 

 This is the lowest stage of slavery — it is done by the despot 

 who has conquered; he refuses even bread. He counts the 

 cost thus, " What shall I gain if I do not feed these men, 

 and how much shall I gain if I feed them ?" This is the 

 worst utilitarian-national view. This is what some people 

 call taking a wide view of a subject. It is known to be a 

 narrow view ; it is known that good wages and good work 

 are most advantageous, and necessarily must come together 



