666 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



order to prove the truth, of my assertion, to remind you that 

 neither in Norway, nor in Sweden, nor in Australia, does rabies 

 exist ; and yet nothing would be easier than to introduce this ter- 

 rible disease into those countries by importing a few mad dogs. 

 Let England, which has exterminated its wolves, make a vigorous 

 effort and it will easily succeed in extirpating rabies. If firmly 

 resolved to do so, your country may secure this great benefit in a 

 few years ; but, until that has been accomplished, and in the pres- 

 ent state of science, it is absolutely necessary that all persons bit- 

 ten by mad dogs should be compelled to undergo the anti-rabic 

 treatment. Such, it seems, is a summary of the statement of the 

 case by the Lord Mayor. The Pasteur Institute is profoundly 

 touched by the movement in support of the meeting. The inter- 

 est which his Royal Highness the Prince of "Wales has evinced in 

 the proposed manifestation is of itself enough to secure its suc- 

 cess. Allow me, my dear colleague, to express my feelings of 

 affectionate devotion." — Nature. 



ORIGIN OF THE RIGHTS OF PROPERTY. 



By HENRY J. PHELPOTT. 



IN" the joint enterprise of making a living, human beings not 

 only potentiate but they also stimulate one another. The 

 power and the stimulus are often combined, just as some foods 

 furnish at the same time nutrition and stimulation to the human 

 body. Sometimes we may distinguish between the two elements. 

 It is so in the case of property. Wealth is power. Property is a 

 stimulant. In order to make this distinction clear, we draw an- 

 other. We must explain the difference in meaning between 

 wealth and property. This will not be a hard task. Property is 

 ownership, and wealth is the thing owned. "Wealth is a thing, 

 property a right to it. Wealth is mine and thine, property mine- 

 ness and thineness. True, we often confuse the terms, and speak 

 of the thing itself as property ; especially do we speak of a body 

 of real estate as a piece of property. This is justified by usage 

 and by the dictionaries. For the present, however, I should like 

 to confine the term to its original meaning. In this I shall follow 

 Macleod, who says : 



" When we understand the true meaning of the word property, 

 it will throw a blaze of light over the whole science of econom- 

 ics, and clear up difficulties to which the word wealth has given 

 rise ; in fact, the meaning of the word property is the key to all 

 economics. 



"Most persons, when they hear the word property, think of 



