ABSTRACT
Ever since the days of good King Alfred, even until now, there have been found those who believe our present social arrangements to be radically wrong, or at least very defective. Of course, there have been plenty who have from time to time come forward to repair these defects. And what is it now? A thing of shreds and patches. We sometimes hear it called our social system; but system it is not. Many of its parts are so wholly inconsistent with the others, that there are continual wars between them; hence it is become a thing of compromises. But there are others who declare this patching to be useless, and that nothing less than an entire change can save us from decay. But one thing is certain, that something must be done to adjust our social differences, or they will develope features which will be of the most serious character; and one of the first questions to be grappled with is the question of Labour. Ever and anon it becomes the most absorbing topic of the day; it then lingers a little while, and, when there appears the greatest calm, it suddenly breaks out afresh, eclipsing in interest all others. Labour is the primary source of all wealth: all men share in its fruits, and all should share in its duties and responsibilities. But there is a class who believe that they have the right to live upon the produce of others, and hence, instead of labour being shared by all (as its fruits are), one class is made subservient to the other, and has to do double work, because they provide subsistence for the idlers. But it unfortunately happens that those who work less enjoy more, and have got the law-making power in their hands, and by this means have been able to keep down the real producers. This state of things has, of course, produced repeated feuds between these two parties, and still continues to do so, under the title of “Dispute between Employers and Employed.”
