Chapter 17 Economics - 12

But what about the poor minority?It may be seen, that just as some men are in a higher external condition than the savages, others are in proportionately lower than them.The luxury of one class is maintained by the poverty of another.On one side is the palace, on the other the workhouse and the "silent poor".The millions of workers who built the pyramids of those pharaohs' tombs had to eat some garlic, and they would not be able to do a decent burial in the future.After completing the cornices on the palace, the masons who returned home at night probably returned to a hut that was worse than a pointed house.It is a mistake to think that in a country with a moderate civilization the condition of the majority of the inhabitants is not so bad as that of the savages.I'm still talking about poor people who live badly, and I'm not talking about rich people who live badly.To see this, you need not look very far, but behold the railroads, where there are sheds here and there, the most unimproved in civilization; I walk every day, and see the people there living in filthy sheds, All winter the door was always left open to let in the light, and there was no fire in sight, which existed only in their imagination, and the bodies of young and old, huddled with long suffering from the cold, Permanently deformed, the development of their limbs and faculties stops.It is natural to look at this class of men: it is they who have done all the great engineering of this generation.In England, the great workshop of the world, the same is more or less the case with the artisans of various enterprises.Perhaps I can refer to you the case of Ireland, which is shown on the map as a white enlightened region.Compare the physical condition of the Irish with that of the Indians of North America, or the Islanders of the South Seas, or any savage who has not come into contact with civilized man and has not therefore fallen.I have no doubt at all that the rulers of these savages were as wise as the rulers of civilized men in general.Their condition only demonstrates the filth and filth of civilization!Now I need not mention at all the laborers of our Southern States, who produced the chief produce of this country: and they themselves became one of the chief produce of the Southern States.However, without going too far, I will only talk about those who are in a moderate situation.

Most people never seem to think what a house is, and though they ought not to be poor, they are in fact poor all their lives, because they always want a house like that of their neighbours.As if you could only wear whatever a tailor made for you, and you gradually gave up palm-leaf hats or bonnets topped with dog fur, you could only lament the difficulty of living in these times, because you couldn't afford them. A crown!It is possible to invent a house with more convenience and splendor than what we already have, but it is admitted that we cannot afford to afford any of these.Shall we always study how to get more and more, and not be content now and then to get a little less?Do those respectable citizens solemnly use their words and deeds to teach young people to prepare a few pairs of extra leather shoes, a few umbrellas, and empty guest rooms to entertain non-existent guests long before they die of old age? ?Why should not our furniture be as simple as that of the Arab or the Indian?We honor the saviors of the nation as the messengers of heaven, the messengers who bring gifts from the gods to mankind. When I think of them, I think about them, but I can't imagine that there will be servants at their heels. Vehicles with stylish furniture.What if I agree with the following statement—isn't that a strange agreement? —The argument is that if we are morally and intellectually superior to the Arabs, then our furniture should also be more complicated than theirs!At the moment our house is so full and soiled with furniture that a good housewife would rather sweep most of it into the dump than let her morning's work go by.Morning work!In the reddish dawn, in the music of Manyi, what morning work should the people of the world do?On my desk, there are three limestones, and I have to dust them off every day, which shocks me, and throws them out of the window in disgust before the dust in my mind has time to dust off.How do you think I deserve a furnished house?I would rather sit in the open air, because there is no dust on the blades of grass, unless it is a place where human beings have already defiled.

The luxurious and dissipated set the fashion, which the herd diligently follows.A traveler who lodges in what is called the prettiest room will find this out, for if he accepts the hospitality of the innkeepers who treat him as Saada Naples, he will soon be completely Lose the masculine spirit.I think of the railway carriages. We would rather spend more money on the luxury of the decoration than the safety and convenience of driving. In the end, neither safety nor convenience can be discussed. The carriage has become a modern living room with soft mattress sofas. , Turkish-style thick couches, sun-shading curtains, and a hundred other oriental patterns, we have moved them to the West. It was invented by the wives and concubines in the family, which Jonathan was ashamed to hear the name of.I'd rather sit on a big pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.I'd rather ride in an ox cart and come and go freely than go to heaven on some fancy tour and breathe dirty air all the way.