as made our
nation and our empire. But couple it with idleness, inertia, feebleness,
weak minds, and weaker bodies; why, then you get the complete article,
the vegetable human! the guinea-pig man; if you will, the "submerged,"
or at any rate a portion of them.

Originally I have no doubt the human family were nomads, and many of our
good old instincts still survive, but civilisation has killed others.
In every cross-bred species of animals or plants there are "reverts"
or "throwbacks," and the human family produces plenty of them. Every
civilised country has its "throwbacks," and the more monotonous
civilisation becomes, the more cast-iron its rules, and the more
scientific and educated its people, the more onerous and difficult
become the responsibilities and duties of citizenship; and the greater
the likelihood of in increased number of reverts to undisciplined and
wild life. In this direction the sea and our colonies are the safeguard
of England. But to-day we pay in meal or malt for our civilisation,
for many brave lads, with thews and muscles, are chafing, fretting and
wearing out their hearts in dull London offices or stores, where they
feel choked, hampered, cabined and confined, for civilisation chains
them to their desks.

But I am wandering too! I will hark back. Another cause, and a fruitful
cause, of nomadic life is to be found in the ever-increasing number
of young incapables that our present-day life produces. Characterless,
backboneless, negative kind of fellows with neither wisdom nor stature
abound. Up to eighteen years they pass muster, but after that age they
are useless; in reality they need caring for all their lives. They
possess no initiative, no self-reliance, and little capability for
honest work, unless it be simple work done under close supervision. Our
industrial life is too strenuous for these young men; they are laggards
in life's race, they quickly fall behind, and ultimately become
disqualified altogether.

Many of their parents refuse them shelter, the streets become their
home; absolute idleness supervenes; their day is past. Henceforward they
are lodging-house habitues, or wanderers on the face of the earth.

More pitiable still is the case of those that may be classed as
feeble-minded, and who are just responsible enough to be quite
irresponsible. Idiots and imbeciles have largely disappeared from
country villages and small towns. They are well taken care of, for our
large asylum