Agricultural colonies; Poor -- Great Britain; Salvation Army; Unemployed -- Great Britain
Doubtless this would be a real difficulty, and we should have to
prepare for it. We certainly, at the outset, should have to guard
against too many of this class being left upon our hands, although we
should not be compelled to keep anyone. It would, how ever, be painful
to have to send them back to the dreadful life from which we had
rescued them. Still, however, this would not be so ruinous a risk,
looked at financially, as some would imagine. We could, we think,
maintain them for 4s. per week, and they would be very weak indeed in
body, and very wanting in mental, strength if they were not able to
earn that amount in some one of the many forms of employment which the
Colony would open up.
VII.--Again, it will be objected that some efforts of a similar
character have failed. For instance, co-operative enterprises in
farming have not succeeded.
True, but so far as I can ascertain, nothing of the character I am
describing has ever been attempted. A large number of Socialistic
communities have been established and come to grief in the United
States, in Germany, and elsewhere, but they have all, both in principle
and practice, strikingly differed from what we are proposing here:
Take one particular alone, the great bulk of these societies have not
only been fashioned without any regard to the principles of
Christianity, but, in the vast majority of instances, have been in
direct opposition to them; and the only communities based on
co-operative principles that have survived the first few months of
their existence have been based upon Christian truth. If not absolute
successes, there have been some very remarkable results obtained by
efforts partaking somewhat of the nature of the one I am setting forth.
(See that of Ralahine, described in Appendix.)
VIII.--It is further objected that it would be impossible to maintain
order and enforce good discipline amongst this class of people.
We are of just the opposite opinion. We think that it would --nay,
we are certain of it, and we speak as those who have had considerable
experience in dealing with the lower classes of Society.
We have already dealt with this difficulty. We may say further--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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