thout well-grounded disappointment and discontent arising among their
members. However it may be desirable for a peasant or an artisan to be
possessor of the garden which he cultivates, and of the house he dwells
in--however clear and great the gain to him in this case--it is by no
means equally certain that he can derive any adequate pecuniary
advantages from the possession of a plot of ground which is too far from
his daily work for him either to erect a dwelling on it, or to cultivate
it as an allotment, and which, from its diminutive size, he will find it
very difficult for him to let for any sufficient remuneration. In many
cases a barren site will be his only reward for 50 pounds of savings; and
however he may value this in times of excitement, it will, in three
elections out of four, be of little real interest or moment to him." Of
course we do not affirm that a badly-conducted society will pay in spite
of mismanagement. We believe it will do nothing of the kind, and that
discontent will arise; but facts show that the reviewer is wrong; that
the allotments cost less than he supposes; that thus they offer a better
return for his money than the allottee can get in any other way.
Numerous as these societies are, multitudinous as are their members,
extensive as have been their dealings--no one yet has found fault with
them as a means of investment. Indeed, every day they have come to be
more and more regarded in this light alone. Where, we ask, can a man
make more by his shilling a-week than by putting it in a Freehold Land
Society? This is the question which every man should ask himself; and if
he does this, we can await with satisfaction the result. It is easy to
imagine difficulties, but we turn to the testimony of facts. That is
unanimously in its favour. The present time is void of all political
interest. There are no great struggles, and no great hopes and aims.
England seems satisfied with coalitions. Yet this precisely is the time
when the Freehold Land Movement finds most favour with the public. The
reason is obvious. The times are good. The public has money to invest,
and the public finds no such desirable investments as those offered by
the Movement; hence it is the societies flourish; hence it is they gain
the hearty support of all who can only spare a little, but who would put
a little by against a rainy day.

V.--MOVEMENT CONSIDERED POLITICALLY.

But we may be told, politically the