ae 
to those changes ‘alone, which were 
free from. it, the world, at this mo- 
ment, would have exhibited the me- 
Jancholy spectacle of a thinly scat- 
tered race of ignorant and starving sa- 
vages. The occupancy of larger portions 
et land than formerly by individual far- 
mers, or the general introduction of any 
ibe of husbandry, by which produce 
more abundant, or of better quality, is 
raised by less labour: cannot therefore be 
justly char ved witha tendency to increase 
the amber de paupers; since such a sys- 
tem is a mere following up and extension 
of that principle on w ‘hich all Improve- 
ments have been made, and ensures that 
object, to which all improvements look. 
But it is urged, that most of those persous 
who are driven from agriculture by a 
consohdation of farms, engage in manu- 
factures, and thus are compelled to en- 
gage in that mode of life which, besides 
other great evils, mamfestly and necessa- 
rily tends to increase the number of 
paupers. 
This leads us to the consideration of 
another alleged source of pauperism, 
supported by more striking facts, and 
connected more closely and ‘immediately 
with the evil attributed to it. 
There seems no reason to doubt, that 
the paupers in a manufacturing district 
bear a much larger proportion to the rest 
of the inhabitants, than they do in an 
agricultural district. In order, however, 
to trace the mischief to its legitimate pa- 
rent, it is necessary to consider what 1s 
eculiar to manufactories; and whether 
what is found to be peculiar, must una- 
yoidly produce pauperism, whatever be 
the character of the persons employed 
in manufactories; or whether the pecu- 
liarities are, like some kinds of food, poi- 
sonous only to some constitutions. In 
the moral, as well as the physical world, 
it is absolutely necessary to separate. 
both in the substance that operates, and 
in the substance that is operated upon, 
the component part on which the action 
depends, from those parts which contri- 
bute nothing towards the effect, in order 
that we may gain that precise k nowledge, 
on which alone general principles can be 
founded. Even if every substance: were 
simple, this would be exped| ent, that we 
mieht not ascribe the effect to the wrong 
substance: but as, both in the physical 
world aud in the moral. every thing is 
very comphcated, this analysis becomes 
absolutely necessary, as by means of it 
alonue we are enabled ta point out on 
what component part the action turns. 
2 The Enquirer.—No. XXTUI. 
[Aug. }, 
On examination, manufactures will be 
found to differ from agriculture only in 
two respects: in the greater wages given, 
and in the numbers which work “together. 
Tt wall hardly be maintained, that either 
or both of these peculiarities will operate 
unfavourably, whatever be the characters 
of the persons enyaged in manutactures. 
On the contrary, ‘the first certainly, and 
the second probably, wou!d prevent pau- 
perism, if there were nothing morbid, no- 
thing that turned wholesome and nourish- 
ing food into poison, in the moral consti- 
tution. It is a lamentable picture of 
human nature, which exhibits itas neces- 
sarily driven to poverty by an increase of 
those means, by which ‘alone indepen- _ 
dence can be obtained. ‘Take a number 
of individuals, industrious, sober, well 
educated and well principled, and em-. 
ploy them in manufactories, where their 
wages are greater, and their means of as= 
sociating more frequent, than they enjoy- 
ed in agriculture, and they will raise them-= 
selves in the world, and mmprove their 
minds. The reverse will happen, if indi- 
viduals of a different character are placed 
in the same situation. To what cause, . 
therefore, the character, or the peculia- 
ities of the manufacturing system, ought 
we to attribute the results. As they vary 
according to the character ;—to the cha- 
racier, and not to the manufactures, they 
may jus tly beascribed. It may be very 
dithicult, but certainly it would not be 
impossible, to render the manufacturing 
system, or, to speak more correctly and 
precisely, an increase of wages, and more 
general communication of workmen, 
favourable to the obtainment of inde- 
pendence; at least, till it can be shewn 
that the qualities of the mind and heart, 
which imvest the cbvious and natural 
tendency of these circumstances, are so 
interwoven with the constitution of the 
labouring class of the community, that 
no process of education can root them 
out, the manufacturing system should 
not be held up as necessarily and in- 
trinsically the fiend of pauperism. 
At the same time it must be confessed 
that the temptations aid lures to idleness 
and extravagance, which the manutac- 
tures of this country, as they are at pre- 
sent conducted, hold out, Ww ould probably 
he too powertul even for persons much 
better educated aod principled thar 
those who engageintheny Butaltbough, 
to prevent dissip: ation and consequent 
pauperism, it would be necessary to con- 
duct the manufactur ing system differently, 
yet this change would produce very littie 
good 
