d his cup with tea, sat down in his usual place,
Philpot rose solemnly to his feet, and, looking round the company, said:

'Genelmen, with your kind permission, as soon as the Professor 'as
finished 'is dinner 'e will deliver 'is well-known lecture, entitled,
"Money the Principal Cause of being 'ard up", proving as money ain't no
good to nobody. At the hend of the lecture a collection will be took
up to provide the lecturer with a little encouragement.' Philpot
resumed his seat amid cheers.

As soon as they had finished eating, some of the men began to make
remarks about the lecture, but Owen only laughed and went on reading
the piece of newspaper that his dinner had been wrapped in. Usually
most of the men went out for a walk after dinner, but as it happened to
be raining that day they were determined, if possible, to make Owen
fulfill the engagement made in his name by Philpot.

'Let's 'oot 'im,' said Harlow, and the suggestion was at once acted
upon; howls, groans and catcalls filled the air, mingled with cries of
'Fraud!' 'Imposter!' 'Give us our money back!' 'Let's wreck the 'all!'
and so on.

'Come on 'ere,' cried Philpot, putting his hand on Owen's shoulder.
'Prove that money is the cause of poverty.'

'It's one thing to say it and another to prove it,' sneered Crass, who
was anxious for an opportunity to produce the long-deferred Obscurer
cutting.

'Money IS the real cause of poverty,' said Owen.

'Prove it,' repeated Crass.

'Money is the cause of poverty because it is the device by which those
who are too lazy to work are enabled to rob the workers of the fruits
of their labours.'

'Prove it,' said Crass.

Owen slowly folded up the piece of newspaper he had been reading and
put it into his pocket.

'All right,' he replied. 'I'll show you how the Great Money Trick is
worked.'

Owen opened his dinner basket and took from it two slices of bread but
as these were not sufficient, he requested that anyone who had some
bread left would give it to him. They gave him several pieces, which
he placed in a heap on a clean piece of paper, and, having borrowed the
pocket knives they used to cut and eat their dinners with from Easton,
Harlow and Philpot, he addressed them as follows:

'These pieces of bread represent the raw materials which exist
naturally in and on the earth for the use of mankind; they were not
made by any human being, but were created by the Great Spirit for the
benefit and sustenan