, 1865-12-29

never can choose a handicraft, be he
never so we'll fitted for it, or be it never
so pleasant to him. He could not, for
instance, if he had the mania for turning
which so many cultivated men have, sell
little ivory turnings, any more than he
could sell roasted chestnu;s in the Strand.
The adventurous lad with high courage
and no brains cannot enlist, cannot
stkeep store" cannot do anything except
turn farmer without capital, or try one
or those professions for which he knows
himself TO be unfit, and in which he in
terruptS some one else who is filter. The
alton loses a great deal when the best
maker of stamps on earth is made 10 say
he will not make stamps because clubs
will not receive him. Again, the work
man who could do the professional work
is daunted by the general sense that be-
ing a workman, say a r~ail-Splitter, his
grade does not qualify him for an attor-
news Office. He would not in England
rel in. - If he did would be rendered
miserable hY his comrades and rivals.
The loss of power to the nation caused
NV this limitation OF career is excessive,
probably much greater than that caused
10y any other pre- JUDGE In the world.
Though far greater IN extent, 1T IS IN
depth like the loss of martial power
caused 10 Great Britain by the refusal of
grade to private soldiers. No army would
probably equal one composed Of the En-
gtish middle class, but then the English
middle class cannot afford 10 accept even
for two wears the loss of grade involved
in enlistment, and has accepted volunteer
ing, or imperfect soldierShip, instead.
The efrct on the nation is clear, but
that on the individual is more doubtful.
There are not too many impelling forces
in the world. Engllshmen have almost
forgotten the truth in their eager rush
UPWARDS, but the natural instinct of men
is TO do as little as they conveniently can.
It is not hard in the absence OF external
pressure to develope the evil passion
called content, and the abolition Of the
link between work aud grade immensely
reduces The external weight. Take away
from men the "root of all evil'-the love
of money, and EngIi>hmen at all events
would do only a percentage upon their
present work, while the extinction of
ambition generally means the extinction
also of energy. Of all the useless people
in the world the cultivated man without
ambition is usually the most useless, and
the hope of winning grade, or the fear Of
losing grade, is one spur of modern am
bition. IF grade ceased to he connected
with work, why rise from one depart
ment of life into another, why care 10 be
officer in the battle Of civilization when
YOU can be soldier? Comfort is an in
%centive, and so is duty, and so is the
thirst for power, but we are not Gear
that the average m ass Of men would
work us hard without the ~superadded
stimulous of social ambition. The best
would, but it is the average which rules
the ouiturn, and the average would, we
fear, work less. 1t is a great drawback
10 The progress of Italy that an Italian,
when his moderate wants are secure,
strives for nothing more, but lives at
ease. Nor are we quite certain that the
passion for grade once worked into the
blood of IA race ever does die, whether if
grade ceased to be fixed by occupation it
might not be fxed by something worse.
The mass of character, intellectual and
moral, might be made the standard, as
political philosophers have dreamed, but
it also might not, and, if it were "re-
cnonb;iitys would foo often ha the fest