“That it shall be _our best_,” Arthur confidently replied. “And even _then_ ‘_we are unprofitable servants_.’ But let me illustrate the two fallacies. Nothing illustrates a fallacy so well as an extreme case, which fairly comes under it. Suppose I find two children drowning in a pond. I rush in, and save one of the children, and then walk away, leaving the other to drown. Clearly I have ‘_done good_,’ in saving a child’s life? But——. Again, supposing I meet an inoffensive stranger, and knock him down, and walk on. Clearly that is ‘_better_’ than if I had proceeded to jump upon him and break his ribs? But——” “Those ‘buts’ are quite unanswerable,” I said. “But I should like an instance from _real_ life.” “Well, let us take one of those abominations of modern Society, a Charity-Bazaar. It’s an interesting question to think out—how much of the money, that reaches the object in view, is _genuine_ charity; and whether even _that_ is spent in the _best_ way. But the subject needs regular classification, and analysis, to understand it properly.” “I should be glad to _have_ it analysed,” I said: “it has often puzzled me.” “Well, if I am really not boring you. Let us suppose our Charity-Bazaar to have been organised to aid the funds of some Hospital: and that A, B, C _give_ their services in making articles to sell, and in acting as salesmen, while X, Y, Z buy the articles, and the money so paid goes to the Hospital. “There are two distinct species of such Bazaars: one, where the payment exacted is merely the _market-value_ of the goods supplied, that is, exactly what you would have to pay at a shop: the other, where _fancy-prices_ are asked. We must take these separately. “First, the ‘market-value’ case. Here A, B, C are exactly in the same position as ordinary shopkeepers; the only difference being that they give the proceeds to the Hospital. Practically, they are _giving their skilled labour_ for the benefit of the Hospital. This seems to me to be genuine charity. And I don’t see how they could use it better. But X, Y, Z, are exactly in the same position as any ordinary purchasers of goods. To talk of ‘charity’ in connection with _their_ share of the business, is sheer nonsense. Yet they are very likely to do so.