In any case most men are now agreed that the right of private property cannot be left unfettered; it must be guarded against abuse. Society cannot wisely permit it to stand as an obstacle to the general interest. Even the right of private property, therefore, must bend to the good of the community. Men are allowed to own property because their doing so promotes the well-being of the whole people; the right should not go further than that. It is for this reason that we place various restrictions upon the right of private property, restrictions in the interest of the public health, or for protection against fire, or for the preservation of public morals. No one has the right to own and maintain property that constitutes a public nuisance, such as an unsanitary tenement house, for example, or a building that forms a fire trap. The right of private property is entitled to respect only in so far as it is exercised in keeping with its prime purpose, which is to advance the interests of the whole people by giving each individual a sufficient incentive to work and to save. General References H. C. ADAMS, _Description of Industry_, pp. 3-117; F. W. TAUSSIG, _Principles of Economics_, Vol. I, pp. 1-110; H. R. SEAGER, _Introduction to Economics_, 4th ed., pp. 1-121; R. T. ELY, _Outlines of Economics_, 3rd ed., pp. 1-98; C. J. BULLOCK, _Introduction to the Study of Economics_, pp. 115-179; 375-431; H. R. BURCH, _American Economic Life_, pp. 1-37; 71-80; 315-335; T. N. CARVER, _Principles of National Economy_, pp. 3-46. Group Problems =1. The effects of division of labor and the ways in which we may retain its advantages while reducing its detrimental effects.= How division of labor arose. The extent to which it is now carried in industry. Its physical effects. Social, political, and economic effects. Its value. How its defects can be overcome. The reduction of hours in certain industries. Vocational education for the worker. The restriction of child labor. The better organization of the labor market. Recreation for the workers after work-hours. The merits and practical difficulties of each plan. References: F. W. TAUSSIG, _Principles of Economics_, Vol. I, pp. 30-48; _Thirteenth annual report of the United States Commissioner of Labor on Hand and Machine Labor_ (for illustrative material); H. R. SEAGER, _Introduction to Economics_, pp. 153-158; R. T. ELY, _The Evolution of Industrial Society_, pp. 398-424. See also the references given at end of chapters XX-XXI in this book. =2. The justification of private property. References:= L. C. MARSHALL, _Readings in Industrial Society_, pp. 144-223; 947-988; JOHN M. MECKLIN, _Introduction to Social Ethics_, pp. 302-322; F. A. CLEVELAND and JOSEPH SCHAFER, _Democracy in Reconstruction_, pp. 69-95; HERBERT SPENCER, _Social Statics_, pp. 62-65. Short Studies