Barnardo and Miss Rye, the plan of rescuing children and
despatching them to our colonies has succeeded beyond the
most sanguine expectations of those who have undertaken
it. The time has come when such a beneficial work to all
concerned should not be relegated to individual, and neces-
sarily spasmodic effort, but should be undertaken by the
State. The benefit of this is palpable. It must be borne in
mind that individual interests are protected by the community



294 NEO-MALTHUSIANISM

and vice versa. The individual, therefore, owes something to
the community, and by withdrawing himself, not, however, to
his own detriment, but the contrary, from its hurt, he benefits
it as well as himself. Under a judicious and effective system
of State-aided emigration both the community and the
individual would benefit, the individual inasmuch as he would
have better opportunities for advancement in life put before
him, and the community inasmuch as it would have one
less to trouble it. This it would do in contributing the funds
necessary to bring about this benefit to itself, and the money
would be well expended, for it would lessen the expense which
would necessarily ensue if the individual had remained within
it. Even in its own self-interest the community should under-
take a large system of wholesale emigration. No greater
question for statesmen to solve can exist than how to deal
with the vast army of the unemployed which is arising up
in these modern days. It is altogether a new problem,
and requires the most serious consideration. No such ques-
tion has ever arisen before, that men who are anxious to work
should have it denied them. In it are involved interests
which it appears nothing but emigration, on a large State-aided
scheme, can solve. Lamentable and terrible as the conditions
are at present under which many worthy Englishmen have to
live, they will not have existed in vain if they succeed in calling
the attention of everybody to the necessity for their relief, and
to the priceless boon which we have in our colonies towards
reducing so many grievances. 