Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-06-12
The scnoolmaster looked with surprise

did not interest his pupils THE
wealth." said the schoolmaster, ''is
taken by those who earn it, and who by
their industry and frugality deserve
it."
Have you much wealth." said Jim,
looking in to the face of his master, who
the whole neighborhood knew was
model of industry and frugality.
A troubled look passed over the face
of the schoolmaster as he replied: MY
occupation is not directly productive,
but as every man can not educate his
own children, a schoolmaster by doing
so leaves others more time to produce,
and thus keeps the carpenters, tailors
and factory hands in production and
adds to the national wealth."
Jim didn't see that this was an answer
to his question, SO he tried again. do
all carpenters, tailors and factory hands
who are sober and frugal share in this
wealth that you say population gives to
the State?"
Yes" said the schoolmaster; ''iN a
degree, of course they do, but their
share is much smaller than that which
goes for interest and rent"
''Why?" said Jim.
''Why?" said the schoolmaster, ''whyS
Because population means more labor
crs, and more laborers mean more com.
petition, and more competition means
less wages"
Then population does not give value
to LAHORE" said Jim.
No said the Schoolmaster: ''on the
contrary, competition reduces the value
of labor
yet it gives increased wealth to the
community. Who gets the value popu-
lation gives?" said Jim.
Those" said the schoolmaster, who
possess certain advantages which labor
must use to live, and for the use of
which labor makes large return
Are there many people possessing
such advantages?' asked jim.
No" replied the schoolmaster; ''they
are in one sense numerous but com pared
to population as whole they are few,
very few"
Are those few persons Industrious.
temperate and frugal? Do they take the
wealth because they earn it. and by
their industry ard frugality deserve it?"
said Jim.
1T by no means follows" said the
schoolmaster; 'those few persons pos
sessing certain advantages gain wealth
by the possession of those advantages,
and may be neither Industrious, frugal
nor temperate"
''And they ge. the largest share?"
said Jim.
yes" said the schoolmaster
cit does not seem fair" said Jim.
L
schoolmaster, that is not our place to
grumb}e at; tt csc advantages are natural
opportunities, principally land, which
few people have obtained and which
entities them to the value given by pop
ulation."
Then if population does not give
value to labor it only gives value to
land" said Jim, because labor can not
do without it; and tho man who owns
the land gets the greatest share of the
value"
eff you could only prove that, my boy"
said the schoolmaster, you would make
out case for the followers of Henry
George, whose works, by the way, have
not read. Unfortunately for his theo-
ries, population gives value to many
things beside land"
Permanent valued" said Jim.
Yes" said the schoolmaster.
what things?" said Jim.
''WelI," said the schoolmaster, 'let
me see. Here are the boys hats, for
example. If a store-keeper had a lot
of hats, and population suddenly in
creased, hats would become valuable"
THAT is not permanent value" said
Jim, but merely temporary. AS pcpu-
lation increased competition would in
crease, and wages go down, they would
start making hats, and the value of
hats would decrease; but the value of
land would go up. Is there any thing
besides land that population gives a per-
manent value to, that is what l want to
know?''
WELL" said the schoolmaster, 'it
may be 50; we need not discuss it,
Don't you Think said Jim, "that. if
land takes the greater part of the value
population gives. those who by their in
dustry and frugality deserve it should
get larger share than they do?"
THAT would mean" said the school.
master, 1.-The handing over of those nat.
ural advantages which private individ-
ualS now hold to the community for
their general advancement, which can
never be."
"Who?" said Jim.
James said the schoolmaster, Sc.
verely, "things have come to a pretty
pass when a boy of your age can not
take his teachers word without asking
why. We will go on with the next les
son. Peter Pickle, in Australian
Standard.