The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists [152]
'em was shut up, it would just mean that all them what works there would be out of a job. Live and let live, I say: all these things makes work.'
`'Ear, 'ear,' shouted the man behind the moat.
`Yes, I know it makes "work",' replied Owen, `but we can't live on mere "work", you know. To live in comfort we need a sufficiency of the things that can be made by work. A man might work very hard and yet be wasting his time if he were not producing something necessary or useful.
`Why are there so many shops and stores and emporiums? Do you imagine they exist for the purpose of giving those who build them, or work in them, a chance to earn a living? Nothing of the sort. They are carried on, and exorbitant prices are charged for the articles they sell, to enable the proprietors to amass fortunes, and to pay extortionate rents to the landlords. That is why the wages and salaries of nearly all those who do the work created by these businesses are cut down to the lowest possible point.'
`We knows all about that,' said Crass, `but you can't get away from it that all these things makes Work; and that's what we wants - Plenty of Work.'
Cries of `'Ear, 'ear,' and expressions of dissent from the views expressed by the lecturer resounded through the room, nearly everyone speaking at the same time. After a while, when the row had in some measure subsided, Owen resumed:
`Nature has not provided ready-made all the things necessary for the life and happiness of mankind. In order to obtain these things we have to Work. The only rational labour is that which is directed to the creation of those things. Any kind of work which does not help us to attain this object is a ridiculous, idiotic, criminal, imbecile, waste of time.
`That is what the great army of people represented by division number three are doing at present: they are all very busy - working very hard - but to all useful intents and purposes they are doing Nothing.'
`Well, all right,' said Harlow. `'Ave it yer own way, but there's no need to keep on repeating the same thing over an' over again.'
`The next division,' resumed Owen, `stands for those who are engaged in really useful work - the production of the benefits of civilization - the necessaries, refinements and comforts of life.'
1 2 3 4 +------------+-------------+-------------+------------+------------+ | Tramps | Exploiters | All those | All those | | | Beggars | of Labour | engaged in | engaged in | | | Society | Thieves | unnecessary | necessary | U | | People | Swindlers | work | work - the | N | | Aristoc- | Pickpockets | | production | E | | racy | Burglars | | of the | M | | Great | Bishops | | benefits | P | | Landowners | Financiers | | of | L | | All those | Capitalists | | civiliz- | O | | possessed | Share- | | ation | Y | | of | holders | | | E | | hereditary | Ministers | | | D | | wealth | of religion | | | | +------------+-------------+-------------+------------+------------+
`Hooray!' shouted Philpot, leading off a cheer which was taken up enthusiastically by the crowd, `Hooray! This is where WE comes in,' he added, nodding his head and winking his goggle eyes at the meeting.
`I wish to call the chairman to horder,' said the man on the pail.
When Owen had finished writing in the list of occupations several members of the audience rose to point out that those engaged in the production of beer had been omitted. Owen rectified this serious oversight and proceeded:
`As most of the people in number four are out of work at least one quarter of their time, we must reduce the size of this division by one fourth - so. The grey part represents
`'Ear, 'ear,' shouted the man behind the moat.
`Yes, I know it makes "work",' replied Owen, `but we can't live on mere "work", you know. To live in comfort we need a sufficiency of the things that can be made by work. A man might work very hard and yet be wasting his time if he were not producing something necessary or useful.
`Why are there so many shops and stores and emporiums? Do you imagine they exist for the purpose of giving those who build them, or work in them, a chance to earn a living? Nothing of the sort. They are carried on, and exorbitant prices are charged for the articles they sell, to enable the proprietors to amass fortunes, and to pay extortionate rents to the landlords. That is why the wages and salaries of nearly all those who do the work created by these businesses are cut down to the lowest possible point.'
`We knows all about that,' said Crass, `but you can't get away from it that all these things makes Work; and that's what we wants - Plenty of Work.'
Cries of `'Ear, 'ear,' and expressions of dissent from the views expressed by the lecturer resounded through the room, nearly everyone speaking at the same time. After a while, when the row had in some measure subsided, Owen resumed:
`Nature has not provided ready-made all the things necessary for the life and happiness of mankind. In order to obtain these things we have to Work. The only rational labour is that which is directed to the creation of those things. Any kind of work which does not help us to attain this object is a ridiculous, idiotic, criminal, imbecile, waste of time.
`That is what the great army of people represented by division number three are doing at present: they are all very busy - working very hard - but to all useful intents and purposes they are doing Nothing.'
`Well, all right,' said Harlow. `'Ave it yer own way, but there's no need to keep on repeating the same thing over an' over again.'
`The next division,' resumed Owen, `stands for those who are engaged in really useful work - the production of the benefits of civilization - the necessaries, refinements and comforts of life.'
1 2 3 4 +------------+-------------+-------------+------------+------------+ | Tramps | Exploiters | All those | All those | | | Beggars | of Labour | engaged in | engaged in | | | Society | Thieves | unnecessary | necessary | U | | People | Swindlers | work | work - the | N | | Aristoc- | Pickpockets | | production | E | | racy | Burglars | | of the | M | | Great | Bishops | | benefits | P | | Landowners | Financiers | | of | L | | All those | Capitalists | | civiliz- | O | | possessed | Share- | | ation | Y | | of | holders | | | E | | hereditary | Ministers | | | D | | wealth | of religion | | | | +------------+-------------+-------------+------------+------------+
`Hooray!' shouted Philpot, leading off a cheer which was taken up enthusiastically by the crowd, `Hooray! This is where WE comes in,' he added, nodding his head and winking his goggle eyes at the meeting.
`I wish to call the chairman to horder,' said the man on the pail.
When Owen had finished writing in the list of occupations several members of the audience rose to point out that those engaged in the production of beer had been omitted. Owen rectified this serious oversight and proceeded:
`As most of the people in number four are out of work at least one quarter of their time, we must reduce the size of this division by one fourth - so. The grey part represents