The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists [150]
to snigger. `'E seems to 'ave got 'isself into a bit of a fog,' remarked Crass in a loud whisper to Slyme, who laughed.
The sound roused Owen, who resumed:
`All these people help to consume the things produced by labour. We will now divide them into separate classes. Those who help to produce; those who do nothing, those who do harm, and those who are engaged in unnecessary work.'
`And,' sneered Crass, `those who are engaged in unnecessary talk.'
`First we will separate those who not only do nothing, but do not even pretend to be of any use; people who would consider themselves disgraced if they by any chance did any useful work. This class includes tramps, beggars, the "Aristocracy", "Society" people, great landowners, and generally all those possessed of hereditary wealth.'
As he spoke he drew a vertical line across one end of the oblong.
+------------+-----------------------------------------------------+ | Tramps | | | Beggars | | | Society | | | People | | | Aristoc- | | | racy | | | Great | | | Landowners | | | All those | | | possessed | | | of | | | hereditary | | | wealth | | +------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
`These people do absolutely nothing except devour or enjoy the things produced by the labours of others.
`Our next division represents those who do work of a kind - "mental" work if you like to call it so - work that benefits themselves and harms other people. Employers - or rather Exploiters of Labour; Thieves, Swindlers, Pickpockets; profit seeking share-holders; burglars; Bishops; Financiers; Capitalists, and those persons humorously called "Ministers" of religion. If you remember that the word "minister" means "servant" you will be able to see the joke.
1 2 +------------+-------------+---------------------------------------+ | Tramps | Exploiters | | | Beggars | of Labour | | | Society | Thieves | | | People | Swindlers | | | Aristoc- | Pickpockets | | | racy | Burglars | | | Great | Bishops | | | Landowners | Financiers | | | All those | Capitalists | | | possessed | Share- | | | of | holders | | | hereditary | Ministers | | | wealth | of religion | | +------------+-------------+---------------------------------------+
`None of these people produce anything themselves, but by means of cunning and scheming they contrive between them to obtain possession of a very large portion of the things produced by the labour of others.
`Number three stands for those who work for wages or salaries, doing unnecessary work. That is, producing things or doing things which - though useful and necessary to the Imbecile System - cannot be described as the necessaries of life or the benefits of civilization. This
The sound roused Owen, who resumed:
`All these people help to consume the things produced by labour. We will now divide them into separate classes. Those who help to produce; those who do nothing, those who do harm, and those who are engaged in unnecessary work.'
`And,' sneered Crass, `those who are engaged in unnecessary talk.'
`First we will separate those who not only do nothing, but do not even pretend to be of any use; people who would consider themselves disgraced if they by any chance did any useful work. This class includes tramps, beggars, the "Aristocracy", "Society" people, great landowners, and generally all those possessed of hereditary wealth.'
As he spoke he drew a vertical line across one end of the oblong.
+------------+-----------------------------------------------------+ | Tramps | | | Beggars | | | Society | | | People | | | Aristoc- | | | racy | | | Great | | | Landowners | | | All those | | | possessed | | | of | | | hereditary | | | wealth | | +------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
`These people do absolutely nothing except devour or enjoy the things produced by the labours of others.
`Our next division represents those who do work of a kind - "mental" work if you like to call it so - work that benefits themselves and harms other people. Employers - or rather Exploiters of Labour; Thieves, Swindlers, Pickpockets; profit seeking share-holders; burglars; Bishops; Financiers; Capitalists, and those persons humorously called "Ministers" of religion. If you remember that the word "minister" means "servant" you will be able to see the joke.
1 2 +------------+-------------+---------------------------------------+ | Tramps | Exploiters | | | Beggars | of Labour | | | Society | Thieves | | | People | Swindlers | | | Aristoc- | Pickpockets | | | racy | Burglars | | | Great | Bishops | | | Landowners | Financiers | | | All those | Capitalists | | | possessed | Share- | | | of | holders | | | hereditary | Ministers | | | wealth | of religion | | +------------+-------------+---------------------------------------+
`None of these people produce anything themselves, but by means of cunning and scheming they contrive between them to obtain possession of a very large portion of the things produced by the labour of others.
`Number three stands for those who work for wages or salaries, doing unnecessary work. That is, producing things or doing things which - though useful and necessary to the Imbecile System - cannot be described as the necessaries of life or the benefits of civilization. This