lothed. A constant number never have any houses at all, and sleep
shelterless under the stars. Many are to be found, winter and summer,
shivering on the streets in their rags. They have good times and bad. In
good times most of them manage to get enough to eat, in bad times they
die of starvation. They are dying now, they were dying yesterday and
last year, they will die to-morrow and next year, of starvation; for
they, unlike the Innuit, suffer from a chronic condition of starvation.
There are 40,000,000 of the English folk, and 939 out of every 1000 of
them die in poverty, while a constant army of 8,000,000 struggles on the
ragged edge of starvation. Further, each babe that is born, is born in
debt to the sum of 22 pounds. This is because of an artifice called the
National Debt.

In a fair comparison of the average Innuit and the average Englishman, it
will be seen that life is less rigorous for the Innuit; that while the
Innuit suffers only during bad times from starvation, the Englishman
suffers during good times as well; that no Innuit lacks fuel, clothing,
or housing, while the Englishman is in perpetual lack of these three
essentials. In this connection it is well to instance the judgment of a
man such as Huxley. From the knowledge gained as a medical officer in
the East End of London, and as a scientist pursuing investigations among
the most elemental savages, he concludes, "Were the alternative presented
to me, I would deliberately prefer the life of the savage to that of
those people of Christian London."

The creature comforts man enjoys are the products of man's labour. Since
Civilisation has failed to give the average Englishman food and shelter
equal to that enjoyed by the Innuit, the question arises: _Has
Civilisation increased the producing power of the average man_? If it
has not increased man's producing power, then Civilisation cannot stand.

But, it will be instantly admitted, Civilisation has increased man's
producing power. Five men can produce bread for a thousand. One man can
produce cotton cloth for 250 people, woollens for 300, and boots and
shoes for 1000. Yet it has been shown throughout the pages of this book
that English folk by the millions do not receive enough food, clothes,
and boots. Then arises the third and inexorable question: _If
Civilisation has increased the producing power of the average man, why
has it not bettered the lot of the average man_?

There can be on