there, for example? Or
even to the best of these farmers?"

The girl looked away over the shimmering lake of yellow-green corn, a
choking came into her throat. Her gloved hand trembled.

"What is such a life worth? It's all very comfortable for us to say,
'they don't feel it.' How do we know what they feel? What do we know
of their capacity for enjoyment of art and music? They never have
leisure or opportunity. The master is very glad to be taught by
preacher, and lawyer, and novelist, that his slaves are contented and
never feel any longings for a higher life. These people live lives but
little higher than their cattle,--are _forced_ to live so. Their hopes
and aspirations are crushed out, their souls are twisted and deformed
just as toil twists and deforms their bodies. They are on the same
level as the city laborer. It makes me wild to think of it. The very
religion they hear is a soporific. They are taught to be content here
that they may be happy hereafter. Suppose there isn't any hereafter?"

"Oh, don't say that, please!" Lily cried.

"But I don't _know_ that there is," looking up at her pitilessly, "and
I do know that these people are being robbed of something more than
money, of all that makes life worth living. The promise of milk and
honey in Canaan is all very well, but I prefer to have mine here, then
I'm sure of it."

"What can we do?" murmured the girl.

"Do? Rouse these people for one thing; preach _discontent_, a noble
discontent."

"It will only make them unhappy."

"No, it won't, not if you show them the way out. If it does, it's
better to be unhappy striving for higher things, like a man, than to
be content in a wallow like swine."

"But what _is_ the way out?"

This was sufficient to set Radbourn upon his hobby-horse. He outlined
his plan of action, the abolition of all indirect taxes. The State
control of all privileges, the private ownership of which interfered
with the equal rights of all. He would utterly destroy speculative
holdings of the earth. He would have land everywhere brought to its
best use, by appropriating all ground rents to the use of the State,
etc., etc., to which the girl listened with eager interest but with
only partial comprehension.

As they neared the little schoolhouse, a swarm of midgets in pink
dresses, pink sun-bonnets, and brown legs, came rushing to meet their
teacher, with that peculiar devotion the children in the country
develop for a refined teacher.