The sun., 1908-08-16

among the upper Glasses sport is no lopa.,
cruel. Among tho nnasses Of the EnpIjsh
people the judicial statistics show steady
decrease In crimes of. violence. The ordi.
nary observer no longer Sues the constant
street brawls OF men and boys that Dickdns
described.
The decay OF the doctrine Of laiss,s
taire, coupled with the growth Of humani.
tartan feelings and some change In national
temperament due to the substitution Of
an urban or suburban for rural environ.
ment has produced in England q great deal
OF paternal--some may DO inclined to say
grandmotnerfy-ie -iegiziation. Prof. Lowell
recognizes that the tendency 10 by no msapa
confined to the United Kingdom. But
although. theNprocess has gone on In many
countries II has been particularly remarked
In England because Of the contrast with
earlier theories and because in some direc.
tions Il has been carried far. To show
how true this 10 the author runs through
the statute book for the few years OF the
twentieth century He points out for ex.
ample that the factory and workshop
act Of 1901, mainly consolidation Of earlier
laws, prescribes the sanitary condition Of
factories and workshops. the number Of
people who may work In o certain space,
the fencing OF machinery. fire escapes, the
conduct Of trades dangerous to health, the
limit Of humidity In textile mills and the
hours Of work for women and children.
A force of inspectors is kept busy TO see
that these provisions are carried out. The
merchant shipping act Of 1905, which ex-
tends to foreign vessels series OF existing
statutes, regulates the load line, the cargo,
the equipment and tho accommodation and
food OF both passengers and crew. Another
series Of statutes. ending in tho agricultural
holding act Of the same year. gives to the
tenant farmer. without regard to the terms
of any future lease, compensation for Inn
provements he has made and for damage
done by game that he is not permitted to kill.
allows him to crop the land as he pleases
and gives him compensation also for the
termination Of his tenancy without good
and sufficient cause. although his lease may
have expired. A workmens compensation
act oonsolidates and enlarges still another
line OF enactmsnts and provides that up
to O certain amount employers Of every
kind shall be liable for accidental injuries
to their employees, whether these are
caused by the negligence of fellow servants
or by the carelessness OF the person in.
jured, unless tho accident IL due to his seri-
GUS and wilful misconduct and does not
result in his death or permanent disable
ment. In this, as In many another case.
the rights granted by the act cannot be
reduced by contract between the parties
concerned.
In addition to imperial legislation Of this
kind great deal Of work Of paternal
character is carried on by means Of local
authorities. The allotment acts, for In.
stance, provide for the purchase OF land
to be let for small gardens TO laborers; and
the housing OF the working classes acts
provide for the construction of dwellings
and lodging houses to be occupied by work.
ing people not necessarily poor. There is
also the great field OF municipal trading
the gas works, electric lights, tramways
and other industries owned and managed
by public bodies. Prof. Lowell also ad.
duces as OF truly paternal nature the
recent statute which empowers local au-
thorities to order shops closed at such hours
as they may prescribe. Then again an
act Of 1905 allows such local authorities to
furnish meals to school children and to
recover the cost from parents who can
afford to pay, or II the children are unable
for lack Of food to take full advantage Of
the instruction the meals may be supplied
at public expense without involving pau
perism. Prof. Lowell's work was published
In the current year. yet at the time. when
1t left his hands he was justified in presum-
ing that the cost OF the South african war
had for the time placed the question Of old
age pensions beyond the range Of practical
politics. We scarcely need say that the
other day. just before the adjournment OF
Parliament, an old age pension bill became
law, although the annual burden imposed
by it on the imperial exohequer is vari-
ously computed at from thirty-two million
to fifty-seven million dollars.
Prof. Lowell's deduction from these
proofs OF the growth Of paternalism In
the United Kingdom 10 that beneficial as
much Of this legislation certainly is it
involves dangers that are not lessened
by the English form Of government. The
habit Of dealing with immediate needs
instead OF seeking for ultimate causes
acquires exceptional strength In country
like England. where the Cabinet, with its
virtual conttoi oVer tne Iiouoo Vi Soninohe'
has all the powers Of the State in its hands
and has come to be expected to rectify
everything that Ia wrong. The Ministers
must take steps for the relief Of every acute
ailment or convince the public that to act
at all would be unwise-the latter course
being not by any means easy to pursue.
On the other hand. with all tho cares OF
the nation on their shoulders, the Min
listers are not inclined to add to their
burdens by trying to deal with matters
which do not appear to be urgent and in
which the public is not much interested.
This habitual attitude Of the British Cabinet
means a tendency to take short views and
crowd out the farsighted policy that looks
for results in the remote future.
DUAL PERSONALITY.