and holds
that 'the friends of humanity' should encourage the poor to raise
their standard of comfort and enjoyment. The labourers, as he
elsewhere incidentally observes, are 'by far the most important class
in society.'[345] How should they not be if the greatest happiness of
the greatest number be the legitimate aim of all legislation?

It is true that in his argument Ricardo constantly assumes that his
'natural price' will also be the real price of labour. The assumption
that the labourers' wages tend to a minimum is a base for his general
arguments. The inconsistency, if there be one, is easily intelligible.
Ricardo agreed with Malthus that, though the standard might be raised,
and though a rise was the only way to improvement, the chances of such
a rise were not encouraging. Improved wages, as he says,[346] might
enable the labourer to live more comfortably if only he would not
multiply. But 'so great are the delights of domestic society, that in
practice it is invariably found that an increase of population follows
an amended condition of the labourer,' and thus the advantage is lost
as soon as gained.

I have tried to show what was the logical convenience of the
assumption. Ricardo, who has always to state an argument at the cost
of an intellectual contortion, is content to lay down a rule without
introducing troublesome qualifications and reserves. Yet he probably
held that his postulate was a close approximation to the facts.
Looking at the actual state of things at the worst time of the
poor-law, and seeing how small were the prospects of stirring the
languid mind of the pauper to greater forethought, he thought that he
might assume the constancy of an element which varied so slowly. The
indifference of the Ricardo school generally to historical inquiry had
led them no doubt to assume such constancy too easily. Malthus, who
had more leaning to history, had himself called attention to many
cases in which the 'prudential check' operated more strongly than it
did among the English poor. Probably Ricardo was in this, as in other
cases, too hasty in assuming facts convenient for his argument. The
poor man's character can, it is clear, be only known empirically; and,
in fact, Ricardo simply appeals to experience. He thinks that, as a
fact, men always do multiply in excess. But he does not deny that
better education might change their character in this respect. Indeed,
as I have said, an even excessive faith in the