, or Chief Justice; the Town Clerk; the Chamberlain,
who is the Treasurer; the Remembrancer; and the Common Sergeant.

The education of the young, the maintenance of the old, the paving and
cleansing of the streets, the lighting, the removal of waste, the
engines for extinguishing fires, the regulation of the road traffic, the
preservation of order, all these things are conducted by the various
Councils and Courts of the City, and the cost is provided by that kind
of taxation known as the rates. That is to say, every house is 'rated'
or estimated as worth so much rent. The tenant who pays the rent has to
pay, in addition, a charge of so much in the pound for this and that
object. Thus for education, if the rate be 1_s._ in the pound, a man in
a house whose rent is 100_l._ has to pay 5_l._ on that charge. He has to
pay also for the Police, the Fire Brigade, the Poor, lighting and
paving. His own water supply is managed by a private company, and
another private company gives him his gas or his electricity. In the
same way the food is provided by private persons and brought to the
city by private companies. Thus you are governed by men whom you are
supposed yourselves to elect: order is kept for you: education,
protection, and conveniences are found for you: in a word, life is made
tolerable for you by your own Government--elected by yourselves--and at
your own cost.

62. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY.

PART III.

That is the best Government which gives the greatest possible liberty to
its people: only that people can be happy which is capable of using
their freedom aright. You have seen how your personal freedom from
violence, robbery, and molestation in your work is secured for you: how
you are enabled to live in comfort and cleanliness--by a vast machinery
of Government whose growth has been gradual and which must always be
ready to meet changes so as to suit the needs of the people. One point
you must carefully remember, that your greatest liberty is liberty of
speech and of thought and of the Press. It is not so very long since
martyrs--Catholic as well as Protestant--were executed for their
religious belief: Catholics and Jews until quite recently were excluded
from Parliament. A hundred years ago the debates of Parliament could not
be reported: one had to weigh his words very carefully in speaking of
the Sovereign or the Ministers: certain forms of opinion were not
allowed to be published. All that is alter