238 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



shall then clearly perceive that all those propensities and 

 passions that under bad conditions of society inevitably led 

 to it, will under good conditions add to the variety and the 

 capacities of human nature, the enjoyment of life by all, and 

 at the same time greatly increase the possibilities of develop- 

 ment of the whole race. I myself feel confident that this is 

 really the case, and that such considerations, when followed 

 out to their ultimate issues, afford a complete solution of the 

 great problem of the ages — the origin of evil. 



The last letter I had from Mill was in April, 1871, when 

 a great public meeting of the Association was to be held on 

 May 3, as to which he said, " It would be very useful to 

 the Association, and a great pleasure to myself, if you would 

 consent to be one of the speakers at the meeting. There is 

 the more reason why you should do so, as you are the author 

 of one very valuable article of the programme. Were you 

 to explain and defend that article, it would be a service 

 which no one is so well qualified to render as yourself." I 

 had then recently visited the stone circles and bridges of 

 Dartmoor, and also Stonehenge, and urged the importance 

 of preserving them. At that time there would probably 

 have been no question of paying more than the actual 

 selling value of the land, and we should have been spared 

 the disgrace of having our grandest ancient monument, after 

 centuries of neglect and deterioration, claimed to be private 

 property, and having an exorbitant price demanded for it. 

 But Mill's death soon afterwards put an end to the associa- 

 tion, and we had to wait many years for the present very 

 imperfect legislation on the subject. 



The question of land nationalization continued at in- 

 tervals to occupy my mind, but having become strongly 

 impressed by the teachings of Spencer, Mill, and other 

 writers as to the necessity for restricting rather than extend- 

 ing State agency, and by their constant reference to the 

 inevitable jobbery and favouritism that would result from 

 placing the management of the whole land of the country 

 in the hands of the executive, that I did not attempt to 



