40 THE NATION AND THE LABOURER,

a larger share of this wealth and revenue than you well
know what to do with ; and you, Class B, are receiving
more than sufficient to enable you to enjoy all the comforts,
 luxuries and refinements of civilized life, and to
provide a fund for your successors. Let us agree to
make some little alterations in the arrangements, so that
for the future our class may receive somewhat more,
and yours somewhat less.” If A and B were to answer
them: —‘ Oh! what you propose is entirely out of the
question: why we should all go to the dogs together.
We should be no more able to compete with the foreigner:
 the trade of the country would be ruined.” It
seems to us that it would be open to Class C, to respond:
‘Not so; it is simply a question between ourselves. Our
having a somewhat larger share, and your having less,
will not prevent our competing with the foreigner. We
shall still be able to do all the work there is to he done,
Just as well and better than heretofore, but we would
like to have a little more time to attend to other things
besides work, and for the enjoyment of our lives,’
In thus pointing out that the (uestion of fixing the
rate of the labourer’s wages, is, or may be made, one
of willing agreement, that if the wealthy and the
very wealthy classes choose to give up, respectively, some
part of that share which is now conventionally considered
 to belong to them, in order that the other class,
which can scarcely be said to receive at the present time
any share of the profits, may receive some part of them,
we may express the opinion that, under such an alteration,
 the two wealthier classes would not necessarily find
their respective incomes actually diminished excepting