thout exertion of their own. You
would not desire to have it so changed. Once elevate your ideal of what
you wish to happen amongst the labouring population; and you will not
easily admit anything in your writings that may injure their moral or
their mental character, even if you thought it might hasten some physical
benefit for them. That is the way to make your genius most serviceable
to mankind. Depend upon it, honest and bold things require to be said to
the lower as well as to the higher classes; and the former are in these
times much less likely to have such things addressed to them.

* * * * *

In the same way that we are fond of laying the neglect, and the duty, of
exertion upon some class, even on our own, rather than on our especial
selves, we are much given to look for something new which, in a magical
manner, is to settle the whole difficulty. But when people look for a
novelty of this kind, what do they mean? Some moral novelty? The
Christian religion has been eighteen hundred years before the world, and
have we exhausted the morality in that? Some political novelty? We are
surely the nation, whose constitution, whatever may be said against it,
has been most wrought and tempered by diverse thought and action. Some
novelty in art or science? Where has man attained to a greater mastery
over matter than in this iron-shearing country? The utmost that one age
can be expected to do in the way of discovery is but little; and that
little by few men. Let us sit down and make use of what we have. The
stock out of which national welfare might be formed lies in huge,
unworked-up masses before us. Social improvement depends upon general
moral improvement. Moral improvement mostly comes, and at least is most
safely looked for, not in the way of acquisition but of development.
Now, as regards the conduct of the various classes of the state to each
other, we do not want any new theory about it, but only to develop that
kindly feeling which is already in the world between like and like, which
makes a parent, for instance, so kind even to the faults of his children.
We want that feeling carried over all the obstructions of imperfect
sympathy which hedge it in now. This will be done by both classes
knowing more of each other. One of the great reasons for the education
of the people is, that even educating them a little enables rich and poor
to understand each other better--in