assistants, and still more about the long hours of our own children at school; we strictly forbid carters to make their horses drag heavy loads, and we even organise the killing of cattle in slaughter-houses, so that the animals may feel it as little as possible. But how wonderfully blind we become as soon as the question concerns those millions of workers who perish slowly, and often painfully, all around us, at labours the fruits of which we use for our convenience and pleasure! CHAPTER III. JUSTIFICATION OF THE EXISTING POSITION BY SCIENCE. THIS Wonderful blindness which befalls people of our circle can only be explained by the fact that when people behave badly they always invent a philosophy of life which represents their bad actions to be not bad actions at all, but merely results of unalterable laws be} yond their control. In former times such a view of life was found in the theory that an inscrutible and unalterable will of God existed which foreordained to some men a humble position and hard work, and to others an exalted position and the enjoyment of the good things of life. On this theme an enormous quantity of books were written, and an innumerable quantity of sermons preached. The theme was worked up from every possible side. It was demonstrated that God created different sorts of people-slaves and masters; and that both should be satisfied with their position. It was further demonstrated that it would be better for the slaves in the next world; and afterwards it was shown that although the slaves were slaves and ought to remain such, yet their condition would not be bad if the masters would be kind to them. Then the very last explanation, after the emancipation of the slaves,* was that wealth is entrusted by God to some people in order that they may use part of it in good works, and so there is no harm in some people being rich and others poor. These explanations satisfied the rich and the *The serfs in Russia and the slaves in the United States of America were emancipated at the same time, 1861-1864.-Trans. |