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"violations increased in number and extent, the more "active and comprehensive intellects of the society would soon perceive, that while population was fast increas

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ing the yearly produce of the country would shortly "begin to diminish. The urgency of the case would "suggest the necessity of some immediate measures

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being taken for the' general safety. Some kind of "convention would then be called, and the dangerous "situation of the country stated in the strongest "terms. It would be observed, that while they lived in "the midst of plenty it was of little consequence who "laboured the least, or who possessed the least, as every.

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man was perfectly willing and ready to supply the "wants of his neighbour. But that the question was no longer whether one man should give to another that "which he did not use himself; but whether he should give to his neighbour the food which was absolutely "necessary to his own existence. It would be represented "that the number of those who were in' want very greatly "exceeded the number and means of those who should

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supply them; that these pressing wants, which from "the state of the produce of the country, could not "all be gratified, had occasioned some flagrant viola"tions of justice; that these violations had already "checked the increase of food, and would, if they

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were not by some means or other prevented, throw "the whole community into confusion: that im-> "perious necessity seemed to dictate, that a yearly. "increase of produce should, if possible, be obtained. "at all events; that in order to effect this first great. " and indispensable purpose it would be advisable to "make a more complete division of land, and to

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secure every man's property against violation by the "most powerful sanctions.

"It might be urged perhaps, by some objectors, "that as the fertility of the land increased, and various accidents occurred, the shares of some men

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might be much more than sufficient for their support; and that when the reign of self-love was once established, they would not distribute their surplus produce without some compensation in return. It "would be observed in answer, that this was an in"convenience greatly to be lamented; but that it "was an evil which would bear no comparison to the "black train of distresses which would inevitably be. "occasioned by the insecurity of property; that the quantity of food which one man could consume, was

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necessarily limited by the narrow capacity of the hu"man stomach; that it was not certainly probable that “he should throw away the rest; and if he exchanged "his surplus produce for the labour of others, this would "be better than that these others should absolutely 66 starve.

"It seems highly probable therefore, that an ad"ministration of property not very different from that ແ which prevails in civilized states at present would be established as the best though inadequate remedy "for the evils which were pressing on the society.

"The next subject which would come under discussion, intimately connected with the preceding, is the commerce of the sexes. It would be urged

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by those who had turned their attention to the true cause of the difficulties under which the community "laboured, that while every man felt secure that all his "children would be well provided for by general benevo"lence, the powers of the earth would be absolutely inadequate to produce food for the population which would inevitably ensue; that even if the whole atten"tion and labour of the society were directed to this "sole point, and if by the most perfect security of "property, and every other encouragement that "could be thought of, the greatest possible increase "of produce were yearly obtained; yet still the "increase of food would by no means keep pace with "the much more rapid increase of population; that "some check to population therefore was imperiously "called for; that the most natural and obvious check "seemed to be to make every man provide for his own children; that this would operate in some

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respect as a measure and a guide in the increase of "population, as it might be expected that no man "would bring beings into the world for whom he "could not find the means of support; that where "this notwithstanding was the case, it seemed neces

sary for the example of others, that the disgrace " and inconvenience attending such a conduct should "fall upon that individual who had thus inconsider"ately plunged himself and his innocent children into "want and misery.

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"The institution of marriage, or at least of some express or implied obligation on every man to supદ port his own children, seems to be the natural re

"sult of these reasonings in a community under the "difficulties that we have supposed.

"When these two fundamental laws of society, "the security of property, and the institution of mar

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riage were once established, inequality of conditions "must necessarily follow. Those who were born "after the division of property would come into a "world already possessed. If their parents from hav"ing too large a family were unable to give them "sufficient for their support, what could they do in a world where every thing was appropriated? We "have seen the fatal effects that would result to society if every man had a valid claim to an equal "share of the produce of the earth. The members of "a family which was grown too large for the original "division of land appropriated to it, could not then "demand a part of the surplus produce of others as a "debt of justice. It has appeared that from the inevit"able laws of human nature some human beings will be exposed to want. These are the unhappy persons who "in the great lottery of life have drawn a blank. The "number of these persons would soon exceed the ability of "the surplus produce to supply. Moral merit is a very

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difficult criterion except in extreme cases. The owners

of surplus produce would in general seek some more "obvious mark of distinction; and it seems to be both "natural and just, that except upon particular occasions "their choice should fall upon those who were able, and 'professed themselves willing to exert their strength in procuring a further surplus produce, which would at "once benefit the community, and enable the proprietors

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"to afford assistance to greater numbers. All who were " in want of food would be urged by imperious necessity "to offer their labour in exchange for this article, so absolutely necessary to existence. The fund appropriated "to the maintenance of labour would be the aggregate

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quantity of food possessed by the owners of land be"yond their own consumption. When the demands upon "this fund were great and numerous it would naturally "be divided into very small shares. Labour would be "ill paid. Men would offer to work for a bare sub"sistence; and the rearing of families would be "checked by sickness and miscry. On the contrary, "when this fund was increasing fast; when it was "great in proportion to the number of claimants, it "would be divided in much larger shares. No man "would exchange his labour without receiving an ample

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quantity of food in return. Labourers would live in ease and comfort, and would consequently be able to rear a numerous and vigorous offspring.

"On the state of this fund the happiness or the degree of misery, prevailing among the lower classes of people in every known state, at present chiefly "depends; and on this happiness or degree of misery depends principally the increase, stationariness, or "decrease of population.

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"And thus it appears, that a society constituted according to the most beautiful form that imagination can conceive, with benevolence for its moving principle instead of self-love, and with every evil disposition in all its members corrected by reason,

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