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ignorance, because of want of culture, the race is become the inheritor of hydra-headed disease. Multiplied and continually multiplying forms of disease do we bequeath to our children, and they are becoming degenerate, feeble, puny, sickly dwarfs; dyspeptics, consumptives, lepers, and worse than lepers, distorted physically and morally.

The physically degenerate, and the grossly depraved, together, constitute by far the larger portion of society.

Why should we not be sound, sane, full grown men ?—fully developed, physically, mentally, morally? Why should not ignorance of the laws of organization be as discreditable as ignorance of moral law, or mathematics?

Is it not indeed a great moral wrong to people the earth with so dwarfed and sickly a progeny, as in all cities?

Is it an inevitable concomitant of life, a fixed condition of humanity, that society must have these blotches and sores upon it?

We are, in the present condition of society, like men upon the descending side of a revolving wheel. Only the most active can ascend; those who are less so, barely sustain themselves, while the masses go down and are deposited in the mud at the bottom.

Even the successful need to be shod with iron and armed with claws, that they lose not an inch once gained. And they must plant their feet firmly, regardless of whose hands or whose feet, or whose face they set their iron heel upon; regardless of whose back they clutch into; though their heel grind out the eyes of their weaker brother, though they strip the last rag from the back of their brother's widow or orphan. Still they must stand firm and clutch tightly, nor must step nor slip, or the ever descending circle will bear them downward. And what can men do but to be scrambling? How can they be otherwise than selfish and grasping? And they do scramble on, and they are selfish and grasping. Whole classes live upon the fruits of the labor of other classes, like men harvesting the fields sown by other hands. And who hesitates-nay, who does not make a point of gathering with a long arm, striding far and swinging wide, come short who will, starve who may. And the weak make scanty gleanings, and they do come short, and the feeble do starve.

Our waysides are strown with the lost. Our hovels and sheds, our pauper houses, our prisons are filled with human wrecks, miserably defaced images of God. They almost look counterfeit. One scarcely recognizes them as the pure gold, enstamped in God's Mint. And this comes of the rivalry, the antagonism of interest; the recognition of no right but force, that characterizes the present order of society.

These are the fruits of present conditions; this the result and

tendency of circumstances under the law of force and antagonistic effort. Such must ever be the result.

None but men of more than common ability can hope to succeed in commerce. Failure is the common law, success the rare exception.

Nor in other departments of business are the tendencies to results less startling.

Concentrate your thought for a moment upon the railroad speed we are making toward a crisis. Look at the influence these two elements in human affairs-Capital and Skill, are working.

Capital from the principle of usury is constantly tending toward centres-constantly concentrating in masses. Skill is constantly inventing shorthand processes to results-constantly creating power-multiplying, labor-saving machines. Look into the statistics of the improvements in machinery, and processes of manufacture in the United States. Not a year passes but some important improvement is introduced, some more perfect and less laborious process is discovered in manufacturing.

But yesterday, nay to-day, in this generation, the tedious processes of hand labor were in requisition. Compared with these processes, the present modes are as a man multiplied by a thousand; compared with present processes, they are as a post-boy on a donkey to the air-cutting locomotive. Let us consider the inference to be drawn from comparing the results of hand-labor with those of the prodigious energies of steam and water power, the enormous product of vast systems of machinery. And we are but now learning, just in this generation as it were, finding out modes of successfully applying power, just in the rudiments of devising labor-saving processes.

We have not yet mastered the sciences. It is probable that a perfect knowledge of the powers and affinities of chemical agents, would revolutionize half of the existing processes of labor. But without anticipating, let us look at what is done now.

Capital, centralizing capital, the motive power of modern civilization, is absorbing the products of labor, aye the fields of labor, the land not excepted. All-controlling, all-absorbing capital, enters the field of industry in competition with human hands, and it avails itself of power, and the multiplications of power, and crowds out of the field of labor tens of thousands of laborers: it avails itself of skill, and skill refining upon skill in machinery, and other tens of thousands are forced out of the field of labor. It avails itself of chemical forces, chemical agents, electricities, of all known forces, and continues to avail itself of every new element of power, every new abridgment of labor as fast as thirst of knowledge, stimulating want, and grinding necessity can push discoveries; and again, the laborers give way; again must they

abandon larger and still larger districts on the introduction of each new labor-saving process, each new element or application of power; and at the accelerating rate of progress made within the last quarter of a century, the period is not distant when capital will have monopolized the entire field of labor, and the laborers be reduced to entire dependence, unable to obtain the means of mere physical life.

Is not this so? If so, what ought to be done? Let us ask ourselves in sober earnest what is to become of the masses who have but their hands with which to support themselves and families. There are no shops in which they may claim to labor; there is no land which they have a right to till; they have no disposition to beg, and yet they are here among us, aye and they have the majority too! They were placed here by our common parent, and before whom, with respect to natural rights at least, they stand as the equals of all others. And yet they are fenced out of the fields of labor.

Society, and the Church, exact of them their duties as citizens, and yet practically deny them the means of life. We surely cannot uphold as true, the present order of things-cannot but understand the wrong that is wrought; cannot but perceive that a continuation of present tendencies must end in a crisis; that a consummation of modern civilized society is a problem with but one unknown quantity, and that a mere question of time. What shall be that consummation? Shall we still disregard the earnest appeal of our brother, still deny his right? Shall we still cling, in spite of the gentle spirit of Christ, in spite of our common humanity, in spite of the commonest justice; shall we cling to old forms and elements of power, until the point of endurance is passed, and society, from its base becomes volcanic, upheaving with accumulated force from long compression, and pouring the destructive lava of revolutionary action alike upon individuals and institutions?

Let Society and the Church look to this. Men are asking for their rights, and Society and the Church may not avert their heads and say "I am weary." Let them determine whether or not it be a fixed order in the councils of eternity, that man shall antagonize his brother, that he shall struggle with the fierceness of despair for the means of life.

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But, we shall he asked for the remedy. The remedy is a radical, peaceful reform of the structure of society in all its pecuniary and business relations, removing nothing, disturbing nothing, destroying nothing without first providing something better: based not upon faith in the efficacy of healing the sores of Society with the plasters of Charity,-almsgiving, upon one side, and the scaffold upon the other side. No, repudiating these miserable

quackeries, that grow out of the more miserable infidelity that pervades the church and society; and proceeding upon full faith in God and in Humanity: faith in God that he is Divine and not Satanic, and that he designed for the human race a Divine and not a Satanic destiny; that he has reserved to humanity individually and socially, conditions of physical and spiritual health and forms of beauty, symmetrically developed in the likeness of the Divine: faith in Humanity that it can discover and apply the means which God has instituted for its true development, and that if we but plant aright, there will be "poured out like sunshine and rain," the spiritual light and dews of heaven upon this vineyard of God.

Let us review the

66 BETTER PLAN."

In place of the present

Antagonism of interests, and the consequent competitive effort of man against man, and man against capital and skill in the use of power and machinery, and the further consequent unjust distribution of profits, and denial of rights,

There should be substituted,

Unity of interests,
Co-operative labor,

Equitable distribution of profits,
Guaranty of rights.

The detail of which is to establish

Joint stock industrial and educational enterprises: In which all the members have a common interest; all co-operate to the same ends, with all the aids of capital, power, machinery, skill, and labor that the whole community can furnish; in which each member shall be entitled, and have the guaranty of the whole body that he shall receive, his equitable share of the earnings in proportion as he shall have contributed labor, capital, and talent; in which he may claim the right of earning the means of life-the right to be educated-developed, in all his powers, capacities, and affections, until he attain to the perfect image of his Maker.

The further detail would be, that in these joint stock institutions, all the property, real and movable, should be represented in transferable shares of, say twenty-five dollars each. The business to be the ordinary pursuits of life, say farming, gardening, and such of the mechanic arts, and branches of manufacture, as could with propriety be introduced.

Education should be provided for on the most liberal scale, and would here become practical-the application of science to

the pursuits of life, instead of merely teaching abstract theory as is now the fact. To establish such an institution would require the persevering effort of men devoted to the enterprise; the affair should therefore be in the hands of men of known philanthropy and business talent who are able and willing to devote the necessary time and attention to accomplish the work.

Let such men associate, and ascertain how many would be willing to engage in practical operations. Some of these would also be subscribers. Let them ascertain how much could be made up by individual subscriptions. Our "princely merchants" that endow colleges, make splendid donations, build factories, and invest in schemes of improvements, could surely afford to submit to moderate dividends for five years, on a small investment in a scheme to organize justice. If the sum of private subscription do not reach the amount deemed adequate, let the city make up the remainder. Then let there be an organization by electing a board of managers. Let land then be purchased, and suitable buildings for agricultural and manufacturing purposes erected; furnish the necessary teams, tools, implements, seeds, material for manufacturing, &c., introduce power and machinery, and all known labor saving processes, all of which are now to work for-to co-operate with, instead of competing with the operative. Erect suitable buildings for the accommodation of families and single persons, let there be suitable public rooms for the purpose of meetings, lectures, &c., and a reading room and library. Let the dwellings be heated and lighted in the most approved modes; let water be distributed to every tenement, and let there be ample convenience for bathing; let there be a large public dining room and kitchen, that those who wish may live at the public table, and let those who prefer to do so, furnish their own tables; let board, rent, and all articles of use or consumption furnished to the members, be charged at cost. Let each laborer be credited a certain nominal rate of compensation for all his labor, and each stockholder a nominal rate of interest for his capital, and at the close of the year, make careful inventories of all the improvements and the property on hand, deduct the expenses and losses, and if the gain during the year be greater than is indicated by the nominal rates credited to labor and capital, then distribute the surplus pro rata; and if the gain be less than is indicated by the nominal rates, let the deficit be likewise distributed pro rata upon the earnings of labor and capital. When this is done, bring forward balances of every account with persons and property, and commence the new year with every interest determined and the result of the past year's effort manifest to all.

Finally, let education be free to all the members: let the amplest provision for thorough practical education, be made at the public cost.

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