《the days of my life》第163章

ed　the　reasons　for　this。　For　two　years　I　studied　them；　going　through　England；　village　by　village；　county　by　county；　town　by　town。　And　I　found　out　what　they　were。　In　England　the　chief　cause　was　lack　of　prospect　on　the　land。　We　are　cramped　in　England　with　the　remains　of　a　feudal　system　which　works　nothing　but　ill；　and　under　that　system　it　is　so　that　no　man　on　the　land　seems　to　have　a　chance　to　rise。　The　labourer　on　the　land；　say　at　two…and…twenty；　is　earning　as　high　a　wage　as　he　can　ever　hope　to　earn。
I　ask　you；　gentlemen；　how　should　any　of　us　like　to　know　that　at　two…and…twenty　we　were　doing　the　best　we　could　hope　to　do　in　life？　That　is　the　lot　of　the　labourer　on　the　land。　All　that　he　has　to　look　forward　to　at　the　end　of　his　long　career　of　forty　or　fifty　years　of　toil　is　probably　a　place　in　the　workhouse。　Is　that　an　attractive　prospect？　Then；　no　doubt；　the　spread　of　education；　the　facilities　of　travel；　and　other　things　of　that　kind　conduce　to　the　immigration　into　the　cities；　and　this　movement　goes　on　with　ever…increasing　rapidity。
At　the　present　moment　in　England；　I　believe　we　have　but　one…seventh　of　our　population　living　on　the　land。　In　the　United　States；　if　the　figures　given　me　are　correct；　matters　are　very　little　better。　And　so　it　is　in　other　countries　—　everywhere　the　land　dwellers　heap　themselves　into　the　cities。　And　what　happens　to　them　when　they　get　there？　How　many　succeed？　Not　one　in　five；　I　say。　The　rest　of　them；　for　the　most　part；　get　nothing。　If　sickness　strikes　a　man；　when　he　arises　from　his　bed　his　place　is　gone。　His　children　grow　ill　through　crowding　together　in　narrow　courts　and　unsanitary　rooms；　and　bee　decimated　by　disease。　Bad　times　e　and　the　workmen　are　dismissed　by　the　thousand　from　their　employ。　Grey　hairs；　at　any　rate；　e　at　last；　and　with　grey　hairs　the　notice　to　quit；　and　so　they　go　down；　and　they　go　under　and　bee　part　of　that　mass　which　is　known　as　the　submerged　tenth　—　though　I　imagine　there　is　a　good　deal　more　than　a　tenth。　And　there　they　are　—　miseries　to　themselves；　useless　to　their　country；　and　a　burden　upon　the　town　that　has　to　support　them。
Gentlemen；　if　you　think　I　exaggerate；　ask　missioner　Booth　Tucker；　and　he　will　tell　you。　He　will　tell　you；　he　who　knows；　as　one　of　the　heads　of　the　great　organisation　that　is　today　dealing　with　this　class　of　people。　He　will　tell　you　how　many　children　they　have　to　feed　in　the　morning　in　the　big　cities　in　order　that　they　may　go　to　school；　how　many　dock　labourers　they　have　to　feed；　and　so　on。　He　can　tell　you　tales　you　will　scarcely　believe　of　the　suffering　—　the　horrible　suffering；　the　inconceivable　misery　of　these　great　cities　which　the　foolish　peoples　of　the　earth　rush　into　to　dwell　there。
Now；　that　is　what　is　going　on　in　the　great　city。　Let　us　look　at　the　other　side　of　the　question。　Let　us　go　to　places　like　Fort　Amity；　where　I　saw　the　Colony　of　the　Salvation　Army。　As　your　president　told　you；　I　am　not　at　liberty　to　forestall　my　report　in　any　way；　but　I　can　say　this　—　that　there　I　went　to　the　schools；　as　I　did　in　other　places；　and　saw　the　children。　The　parents　of　these　Fort　Amity　children　were　taken　from　a　great　city；　the　city　of　Chicago；　where　mostly　they　were　working　as　day　labourers。　They　came　with　nothing；　in　fact；　it　was　necessary　to　pay　the　fares　of　most　of　them。　They　had　no　prospects；　nothing　earned；　nothing　to　hope　for。　If　we　could　get　at　the　facts；　no　doubt　we　should　find　they　lived　in　one　or　two　rooms；　and　not　too　well。　I　went　and　looked　at　these　children。　My　daughter　photographed　them　in　the　schools　at　Fort　Amity。　Never　did　you　see　a　healthier；　happier；　more　robust；　more　promising　set　of　children　in　your　life。　And　I　wondered　how　these　children　would　have　looked　had　not　the　Salvation　Army　had　the　idea　of　starting　this　Colony　and　had　they　been　left　to　wander　about　in　the　streets　of　Chicago。　And　I　wondered　also；　gentlemen；　how　many　of　these　faces　—　these　happy；　contented　faces　—　would　have　been　wanting；　but　for　the　change　made　in　the　condition　of　these　children。
But　you　may　be　political　economists；　some　of　you；　and　we　all　know　that　political　economy　is　a　hard　doctrine。　And　you　may　say：　Well；　these　people　went　to　the　cities　of　their　own　accord；　let　them　expiate　their　fault　in　the　city；　let　them　welter　and　let　them　perish　there；　dead　beats；　and　the　world　is　well　rid　of　them。　Well；　I　am　going　to　submit；　if　you　will　allow　me；　another　side　of　the　argument　for　your　consideration。　If　you　do　not　want　to　do　anything　on　the　ground　of　humanitarianism　to　help　the　people；　I　submit　to　you；　gentlemen；　and　I　submit　to　everyone；　that　there　is　another　ground　on　which　the　thing　should　be　done；　and　that　is　the　ground　of　the　welfare　of　the　nation。
I　will　start　out　with　an　axiom。　If　the　Western　nations　allow　this　sort　of　thing　to　go　on；　allow　their　population　to　crowd　into　the　cities；　then；　I　say；　the　career　of　the　Western　nations　is　going　to　be　short。　The　city　folk；　those　who　remain；　will　never　hold　their　own　in　the　world　—　not　only　because　of　the　weakened　physique　and　changed　character；　but　because　of　another　and　more　final　reason。　Gentlemen；　children　are　not　bred　in　the　cities。　There　will　e　a　time　when　the　children　bred　there　are　too　few　—　it　is　ing　now。　And　if　the　children　are　not　bred；　if　there　is　not　the　supply　of　healthy　children　to　carry　on　the　nation；　how　can　the　nation　stand？　With　the　people　on　the　land　it　is　different。　Self…interest　es　into　play。
A　large　family　is　a　valuable　asset　to　the　small…holder；　in　the　city　it　is　nothing　but　a　drawback。　Let　any　one　of　you　gentlemen　think　of　himself　with　a　home　consisting　of　a　single　room　in　a　tenement　in　New　York　or　a　back　slum　in　London；　and　with　six　or　eight　children；　and　then　think　of　the　contrast　with　those　six　children　upon　the　land　and　able　to　assist　in　your　business　of　caring　for　the　cattle　or　carrying　on　many　of　the　other　operations　of　the　farm。　We　must　look　at　facts。　With　dwellers　on　the　land　self…interest　es　in；　on　the　land　alone　will　the　supply　of　children　be　available　that　is　necessary　to　carrying　on　our　white　races。　And　if　they　are　not　carried　on　in　sufficient　numbers　what　of　it？　Of　course；　you　have　all　heard　of　what　they　call　the　yellow　peril；　and　many　people　have　laughed　at　it　as　a　bogey。　Is　it　a