104 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



half-hardy shrubs, several of which grew there more freely 

 and flowered better than in any of my other gardens. 



In 1884 Messrs. Pears offered a prize of £100 for the best 

 essay on "The Depression of Trade," and Professor Leone 

 Levi had agreed to be one of the judges. As I had been 

 for some time disgusted with the utter nonsense of many of 

 the articles on the subject in the press, while what seemed to 

 me the essential and fundamental causes were never so much 

 as referred to, I determined to compete, though without any 

 expectation of success. The essay was sent in some time 

 during the summer of 1885, and in July I received a letter 

 from Professor Leone Levi, in which he writes : My colleague 

 and myself were greatly pleased with the essay bearing a motto 

 from Goldsmith. We, however, did not see our way to recom- 

 mend it for the prize, especially on account of disagreement 

 as to the remedies suggested. But, the essay having great 

 merit, we thought it proper to open the envelope in order 

 to correspond with the author." 



He then asked me if I would allow the first part of my 

 essay, upon " Conditions and Causes," to be printed with the 

 other essays. 



As my proposed remedies were the logical conclusion 

 from the Conditions and Causes," which I had detailed, and 

 of which the validity seemed to be admitted, I of course 

 declined this offer, and Messrs. Macmillan agreed to publish 

 it under the title, "Bad Times: An Essay on the Present 

 Depression of Trade, tracing it to its Sources in enormous 

 Foreign Loans, excessive War Expenditure, the Increase of 

 Speculation and of Millionaires, and the Depopulation of the 

 Rural Districts ; with Suggested Remedies." 



This little book was widely noticed, but most of the 

 reviewers adverted to the fact that I was an advocate 

 of land-nationalization, and therefore that my proposed 

 remedies were unsound. But a few were more open-minded. 

 The Newcastle Chronicle declared it to be " the weightiest con- 

 tribution to the subject made in recent times." The Freeman's 

 Journal thus concluded its short notice: "Every point is driven 



