nd great wealth constitute two
extreme social evils. It is deplorable for a child to grow up with the
idea that he will inherit a large fortune, enjoy life without working,
and regard poor people more or less as subordinates. But it is still
worse for a man to remain all his life an object for exploitation, in
spite of the most repugnant and most arduous work, unless his superior
faculties and good luck give him the chance of rising. It is also
discouraging for a man to be unable by arduous work to obtain anything
for himself or his wife and children, and only to work for society,
and especially for the interests of capitalists.

Human instinct is not sufficiently social to allow of assiduous and
hearty work solely in the interests of the community. The egoistic
sentiments and family instincts of man are still much too strong.

If we take all these facts into consideration, the right of
succession becomes very important. It has been attempted to deal with
the question by progressive taxes on succession to large fortunes: but
this is not enough. I have not the presumption to give a positive
opinion on these matters which are not in my province, but I venture
to suggest the possibility of greatly restricting the right of
succession by postponing the right to the enjoyment of their heritage
till the children are of an age when they could earn their own living;
say, from twenty-five to twenty-six, so as not to interfere with their
higher education. In this way a man would not be deprived of the
pleasure of working for himself and his family; and every young man
and young woman, being obliged to work at some special subject, would
know that they could earn their living after twenty-five or
twenty-six, without counting on their heritage.

I do not pretend to build a new social system on this idea, for many
propositions of the kind have already been made. I only wish to draw
attention to one element of the problem, which consists in diminishing
the possibility of the exploitation of man by man, without destroying
the pleasure for work, at the same time favoring the procreation and
education of healthy and capable offspring. This naturally presupposes
a new moral and social state, in which family right would be changed
and good education organized for all. Even then intelligent men would
have the desire to rise above the average and bring up their children
with the same object. This is an instinct in mental development which