Our poor laws are not only unjust,oppressive,and impolitic,nor am they merely by accident inadequate to the purpose forwhich they were designed;but they proceed upon principles which border on absurdity,as professing to accomplish thatwhich,in the very nature and constitution of the world,is impracticable.They say,that in England no man,even though byhis indolence,improvidence,prodigality,and vice,he may have brought himself to poverty,shall ever suffer want.In theprogress of society,it will be found,that some must want;and then the only question will be this,Who is most worthy tosuffer cold and hunger,the prodigal or the provident,the slothful or the diligent,the virtuous or the vicious?In the SouthSeas there is an island,which from the first discoverer is called Juan Fernandez.In this sequestered spot,John Fernandoplaced a colony of goats,consisting of one male,attended by his female.This happy couple finding pasture in abundance,could readily obey the first commandment,to increase and multiply,till in process of time they had replenished their littleisland.(10)In advancing to this period they were strangers to misery and want,and seemed to glory in their numbers:butfrom this unhappy moment they began to suffer hunger;yet continuing for a time to increase their numbers,had they beenendued with reason,they must have apprehended the extremity of famine.In this situation the weakest first gave way,andplenty was again restored.Thus they fluctuated between happiness and misery,and either suffered want or rejoiced inabundance,according as their numbers were diminished or increased;never at a stay,yet nearly balancing at all times theirquantity of food.This degree of aequipoise was from time to time destroyed,either by epidemical diseases or by the arrivalof some vessel in distress.On such occasions their numbers were considerably reduced;but to compensate for this alarm,and to comfort them for the loss of their companions,the survivors never failed immediately to meet returning plenty.Theywere no longer in fear of famine:they ceased to regard each other with an evil eye;all had abundance,all were contented,all were happy.Thus,what might have been considered as misfortunes,proved a source of comfort;and,to them at least,partial evil was universal good.
When the Spaniards found that the English privateers resorted to this island for provisions,they resolved on the totalextirpation of the goats,and for this purpose they put on shore a greyhound dog and bitch.(11)These in their turn increasedand multiplied,in proportion to the quantity of food they met with;but in consequence,as the Spaniards had foreseen,thebreed of goats diminished.Had they been totally destroyed,the dogs likewise must have perished.But as many of the goatsretired to the craggy rocks,where the dogs could never follow them,descending only for short intervals to feed with fearand circumspection in the rallies,few of these,besides the careless and the rash,became a prey;and none but the mostwatchful,strong,and active of the dogs could get a sufficiency of food.Thus a new kind of balance was established.Theweakest of both species were among the first to pay the debt of nature;the most active and vigorous preserved their lives.
It is the quantity of food which regulates the numbers of the human species.In the woods,and in the savage state,therecan be few inhabitants;but of these there will be only a proportionable few to suffer want.As long as food is plenty theywill continue to increase and multiply;and every man will have ability to support his family,or to relieve his friends,inproportion to his activity and strength.The weak must depend upon the precarious bounty of the strong;and,sooner orlater,the lazy will be left to suffer the ,natural consequence of their indolence.Should they introduce a community ofgoods,and at the same time leave every man at liberty to marry,they would at first increase their numbers,but not the sumtotal of their happiness,till by degrees,all being equally reduced to want and misery,the weakly would be the first toperish.
To procure a more ample,certain,and regular supply of food,should they cut down their woods and take to breedingcattle,this plenty would be of long continuance;but in process of time its limits would be found.The most active wouldacquire property,would have numerous flocks and numerous families;whilst the indolent would either starve or becomeservants to the rich,and the community would continue to enlarge till it had found its natural bounds,and balanced thequantity of food.
