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 HOW POVERTY WAS ABOLISHED 
 
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 HOW TO ABOLISH POVERTY 
 
 HOW POVERTY WAS ABOLISHED 
 
 
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 1 
 
 MONTREAL 
 J899 
 
Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada^ 
 in the year 1899, by M« Guerin, at the Department 
 of Agriculture* 
 
 
 1 • ' t ; . ) ' -. 
 
 I , I ' • : ! . » » > r • , « 
 
PREFACE 
 
 It may seem bold, to the point of rashness, to 
 attack that ancient and mighty institution called 
 Poverty* 
 
 In the first part of this little work, I include 
 the ideas of Leo XIII on the duties of Govern- 
 ments concerning the question. 
 
 In the second part, I suggest some of the 
 practical means by which it would be certainly 
 diminished; amongst others a new system of 
 Life Insurance* 
 
 In the third part, I reproduce an account of 
 the manner in which the Poverty question was 
 solved several centuries ago. 
 
 It is the subject of the hour, worthy of the 
 study and assistance of all men. 
 
 The ** Iron Chancellor ** Bismarck established 
 compulsory working men's insurance in Ger- 
 many, and thereby overcame socialism. 
 
 The ** Grand Old Man'' Gladstone devoted a 
 
VI PREFACE 
 
 large poition of his life to the improvement of 
 the condition of the tenant farmers and working- 
 men of the United Kingdom. 
 
 The ** Pamell Cottages '^ as they are called, 
 in Ireland, provided by Government aid for farm 
 laborers, are so many monuments to Ireland's 
 greatest son. 
 
 In Britain, the demand of British organised 
 labour has gone forth, for a pension for the 
 aged. * 
 
 The writer of a recent paper in the '* Fort- 
 nightly Review,'' says on this subject : 
 
 ** It is completely in line with the charity and 
 beneficence of the Christian Religion, as it is with 
 the soundest teaching of economic science; 
 while at the same time it is perfectly intelligible 
 to the dullest comprehension, and at least by 
 nine tenths of Parliamentary electors would be 
 received with enthusiastic satisfaction. To go 
 to the poll with the definite promise of old age 
 
 • Review of Reviews, May \5, J899. 
 
PREFACE Vn 
 
 pensions for everybody, would certainly be 
 about the most popular election cry the wit of 
 man could devise just now, and probably will 
 be so next general election. It is the one leading 
 liberal measure ripe for action . . . and the libe- 
 rals would sweep the country with it/' 
 
 Will the astute Chamberlain go one step 
 further and give legislative existence to the pro- 
 ject, while the liberals are promising it ? 
 
 In New - Zealand ** the most progressive 
 colony/' pensions for the aged are now in exis- 
 tence : large estates have been purchased by the 
 State and divided among small proprietors and 
 Arbitration between workmen and their 
 employers has been made compulsory by 
 statute. 
 
 In the United States, the silver question and 
 the Spanish War have diverted the attention of 
 the nation temporarily from the social question, 
 but once it is taken up we may expect to see H 
 dealt within a comprehensive manner. And 
 
Vm PREFACE 
 
 in Canada, — the farmers have had good crops 
 during several years; the manufacturers are 
 doing a fair business. But the working people, — 
 are they not living from hand to mouth ? . We 
 hear of strikes — of wages of 98 cents per day I 
 and at the same time of the great prosperity of 
 the Railways and of the country at large 1 
 
 Our legislators are not in the power of a plu- 
 tocracy ; they are not controlled by trusts or 
 great Railways corporations. They are free to 
 do right : therefore in all confidence do I recom- 
 mend to them the perusal of this paper 
 
 Montreal June 9th, J 899. 
 
^'RERUM NOVARUM'^ 
 
 N the 1 6th of May, 189 J, His Holiness 
 Leo Xnit the theologian, the philan- 
 thropist, the philosopher, gave to the 
 world a pronouncement or Ency- 
 clical Letter on the condition of the workingmen, 
 from which, I shall quote a few extracts. 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM THE ENCYCLICAL OF HIS 
 HOLINESS LEO Xm ON THE CONDITION 
 OF THE WORKINGMEN i " RERUM 
 NOVARUM.** 
 
 The authorities of a country should 
 so contrive that not only the public but 
 the private welfare of its people should 
 be the natural and spontaneous out come 
 of the system and executive action of the 
 Government. 
 
 It is a matter not only of national pru- 
 dence but is the bounden duty of the gov- 
 erning class. 
 
2 ** RERUM NOVARUM " 
 
 What makes a nation prosper ? 
 
 Morality, the family tie held in honour, the 
 practice of religion, Justice, public offices held 
 by moderate men and equitably divided amongst 
 the people, the pursuit of Industry and Com- 
 merce, a flourishing condition of Agriculture 
 and of other like interests. 
 
 The more these conditions prevail, the more 
 will the lives and the happiness of the people be 
 increased* 
 
 Whereas by all these means the State can 
 benefit the other classes, in like manner it can 
 greatly improve the lot of the working class, 
 and this with the full force of its right, without 
 fear of reproach from any section, because in 
 the very nature of its office, the State exists for 
 the good of alL It is evident that the more the 
 State accomplishes in this direction, the less will 
 the workingmen be forced into other channels 
 to remedy their condition. 
 
 But here is another consideration that goes 
 deeper into the subject. 
 
 The State exists for the benefit of its mem- 
 bers, one and all, great and small. The poor. 
 
** RERUM NOVARUM ** 3 
 
 by natural right, are citizens of the State just as 
 much as the rich, and in fact, in the cities, tliey 
 form the majority. 
 
 How unreasonable it would be to look after 
 one class of citia^ens and to neglect another. 
 
 It is very evident, therefore, that it is the 
 duty of the common7i>edtth to take the means 
 necessary to safe-guard the salvation and the 
 interests of the <ivorking-ctasses* If the com- 
 monwealth neglects this duty, it violates the law 
 of Justice : to render to each one what is due to 
 him. St. Thomas very wisely says : ''As the 
 '' part and the whole are in some manner the 
 ** same thing, in like manner that which belongs 
 *' to the whole is also to a certain extent the 
 ** property of the part.'' 
 
 Therefore among the most important of the 
 numerous duties of a Government, desirous for 
 the public weal, the duty paramount to all 
 others, is to have an equal solicitude for all 
 classes of its citizens, by rigorously observing 
 the laws of Justice in relation to each distinct 
 class. 
 
 In a well organized community there must 
 
4 "RERUM NOVARUM" 
 
 exist a certain amount of the good things of the 
 woild *^ the use of which is required for the ex- 
 ercise of virtue/* (St. Thomas.) 
 
 The labour of the workingman, in the field 
 and in the factory, is the necessary and fruitful 
 source of all this wealth. 
 
 cl^y, more, labour is so fruitful and so power- 
 ful that we can affirm without fear of error, 
 that it is the sole source from which proceeds the 
 "wealth of nations* 
 
 Equity demands that the State should study 
 the requirements of the labouring classes, and 
 that it should take such action that they receive a 
 fair portion of the good things they procure for 
 society at large, that they be properly housed 
 and clothed and that they may be able to live 
 with less trouble and privation. 
 
 Whence it fotloTbs that ' the State should 
 faLt>our dberything which, near or far, appears 
 likely to better their condition* 
 
 This solicitude, very far from causing any 
 class an injury, will,on the contrary, be to the ad- 
 vantage of all, because it is of so'bereign impor- 
 tance to the chQition that the men who are, for 
 
'•RERUM NOVARUM*' 5 
 
 their countiy, the J^ery producers of everything 
 that is indispensable^ should not be continually 
 <wrestling with the horrors of misery* 
 
 The rights of all should be religiously res- 
 pected. However in the protection of private 
 rights, the State must in a special manner look 
 after the weak and the needy • The rich man 
 surrounded with his wealth requires less State 
 protection, but the poor man not having riches 
 to shield him from injustice, looks for protection 
 to the State. 
 
 Let the State therefore declare itself specially 
 appointed to be the prol>idence of the *ivorking- 
 man* 
 
 The workingman who receives sufficient 
 wages to easily provide for his own and his 
 family's wants, will, if he be wise, follow the 
 counsel which nature itself gives him : he will 
 endeavour to be economical, and by his savings, 
 he will manage to put aside a little money, so 
 that he may one day be the ol^ner of his own 
 little homestead* 
 
 We have come to the conclusion that the 
 labour question can only be solved by esta- 
 
6 **RERUM NOV ARUM'' 
 
 blishing, as a fundamental principle, that private 
 property must be respected* 
 
 It is consequently necessary that the law 
 should favour the idea of property ownership, 
 and should awaken and develop it, as much as 
 possible, among the masses of the people. This 
 result once obtained would be the source of the 
 greatest advantages, and first of all, of a more 
 equitable division of wealth. 
 
 Violent political changes have divided the 
 people into two classes, between which an im- 
 mense abyss now exists. 
 
 On one side wealth all-powerful, a faction 
 which being the absolute mistress of both manu- 
 facturing and commercial enterprises, diverts 
 wealth from its natural channels and absorbs 
 itself, all the sources thereof ; a faction more- 
 over which holds in its hand more than one of 
 the springs of the Government of the country. 
 
 On the other side. Weakness and Poverty : 
 a multitude sore to the very soul, always ready 
 to start disorder. 
 
 Well then, let the industry and activity of the 
 people be stimulated, by thz prospect of owning 
 
-^RERUM NOVARUIW 7 
 
 their share of the land, and, little by little, we 
 shall see the abyss ^illed up, which divides opu- 
 lence and want, and the two classes will be 
 brought near together. 
 
 Besides, the land belonging to each family 
 will produce everything in greater abundance. 
 For man is so constituted that the thought of 
 working on his own pr perty will redouble his 
 ardour and application. 
 
 He will very soon put his whole heart into 
 the land he has cultivated himself and which 
 will provide for him and his family not only the 
 absolute necessaries of life, but a certain compe- 
 tency. 
 
 The happy effects will become manifest to 
 all, which the increased activity of the workers 
 will produce on the fruitfulness of the soil and on 
 the wealth of the nation. 
 
 A third advantage will be to stop emigration : 
 nobody would consent to leave his native land 
 and go to a strange country, except in order to 
 better his condition. 
 
 But there is one indispensable condition to the 
 realization of all these advantages: it is that 
 
8 '^RERUM NCVARUM* 
 
 private property be not exhausted by an excess 
 
 of taxation. It is not from human laws^ but 
 
 from nature itself that the right of individual 
 
 ownership of land takes its origin: the law 
 
 cannot therefore abolish it^ all it can do is to 
 
 regulate its uses in conformity with the general 
 
 well-being. 
 
 Consequently when the law^ underthe name 
 
 of taxation, places too many burdens on private 
 
 property, it acts against Humanity and Jus- 
 tice. 
 
 The tdw should safeguard the physical or 
 bodily condition of the workingmen hy snatching 
 them from the hands of those speculators 7i)ho 
 making no difference between a man and a 
 machine, abuse beyond all measure, the bodily 
 strength of their employees, in order to satisfy 
 their oTbn insatiable greed for money* 
 
 To exact an amount of work, which, while 
 deadening the faculties of the soul, crushes the 
 body and consumes and exhauts a man^s 
 strength, is a line of conduct that cannot be tol- 
 erated either by Justice or Humanity. 
 
 A man^s activity, like his nature, is limited 
 
"RERUM NOYARUM" 9 
 
 wHhln bounds which he cannot exceed* It in- 
 creases, doubtless, by exercise and I^iabit, but only 
 on condition of getting an occasional reprieve 
 and intervals of rest. 
 
 Thus the number of hours of a day's work 
 should not exceed the measure of a man's 
 strength, and the intervals of rest should be pro- 
 portionate to the nature of the work, to the health 
 of the workman, and regulated according to the 
 circumstances of time and place. 
 
 LEoxm. 
 
OUR COUNTRY 
 
 |ANADA, to-day, is one of the richest 
 countries of the world. 
 
 Its territory cotnprises over three 
 million square miles, and it is a ques- 
 tion if there is any unproductive area within its 
 confines* 
 
 Its sea-coasts abound in valuable fish- 
 eries ; its forests contain illimitable quan- 
 tities of wood; its farmlands and prairies 
 are of unexcelled fertility, while even its 
 mountains are vast store-houses of miner- 
 als of all kinds, not excepting gold. 
 
 Its climate is bracing and healthy, and 
 its magnificent lakes, rivers, and moun- 
 tains present a panorama of natural 
 scenery of unsurpassed grandeur. 
 
 Its form of government is stable, pro- 
 gressive and responsible to the people. 
 
J2 ** RERUM NOVARUM " 
 
 Its people comprise the descendants of the 
 finest races of the Old World. 
 
 The French, who with their chivalry and 
 light-heartedness, give colour and refinement to 
 social life, while their innate artistic tendencies 
 give an extra value to any fabric or nuterial 
 that may pass through their hands for the pur- 
 poses of manufacture ; 
 
 The Irish, who, with their trust in God, and 
 their warmth of heart, give proof that life is not 
 a dreary waste, while their industry, both in 
 agriculture and other pursuits, has gone a great 
 way to build up the success achieved by this 
 country ; 
 
 The English with their genius for commerce, 
 and their straightforward character ; 
 
 The Scotch with their determined persevc- i 
 ranee, energy and thrift. . . j 
 
 Add to all of these qualities a high standard j 
 of intellect and breadth of mind, and you will ^ 
 not wonder why divorces are so rare and sui- | 
 cides almost unknown. * 
 
 With all this wealth of land, of forest and of {^ 
 minerals still in the possession of the People's ^ 
 
OUR COUNTRY J3 
 
 representatives, the country must be very rich, 
 and the people likewise. 
 
 As a whole. — Yes 1 
 
 As individuals — No I 
 
 That is, wealth is not at all evenly and 
 properly distributed, and while it is compara- 
 tively easy for the wealthy man to increase his 
 store, it is almost impossible for the poor man 
 to make his first step towards acquiring a 
 competency. 
 
 This paper will deal with the question of how 
 to level up the condition of the latter, especially 
 amongst the toilers in cities; and, adjuvante 
 Deo, I hope that I may be able to suggest 
 some means of alleviating, at least, the conditions 
 which prevail at present, — not by any revo- 
 lutionary methods, — not by drastic measures 
 Involving loss to any portion of the com- 
 munity, — but simply by helping the '*bone 
 and sinew'' of the country to derive the 
 benefits due to their own thrift ; supplemented 
 perhaps by the proportion which is due them, 
 in accordance with their numbers, out of the 
 extraordinary revenues derivable from the 
 
J4 " RERUM NOVARUM ** 
 
 mining royalties and other sources which arc 
 the common heritage of all the people alifce^ 
 
 An estimate of the division of employments 
 amongst the population in Canada, gives the 
 following results : 
 
 Farm owners 25 per cent. 
 
 Employees of all klndst inclucUng workers 
 
 on farms and in cities 60 ** ** 
 
 Merc^ntsy traders, professionnal men, and 15 " ** 
 
 all others . • • • • 
 
 100 
 
 The Executive of the Government of Canada 
 comprises : the Governor General and the Cabi- 
 net : which latter is composed of the Ministers 
 of the following Departments, viz : 
 
 Inland Revenue ; 
 
 Post Office ; 
 
 Marine and Fisheries ; 
 
 Finance ; 
 
 Justice including Penetentiary branch ; 
 
 Railways and canals ; 
 
 Public works ; 
 
 Interior, including Indian Department and 
 Immigration ; 
 
OUR COUNTRY J5 
 
 Agriculture ; 
 
 Trade and Gjmmerce ; 
 
 Militia and Defence ; 
 
 Customs* 
 
 All the above Deparments are most useful and 
 necessary ; but there is one Department missing. 
 
 Our working people deserve as much consi- 
 deration as Immigrants, upon whom the Gov- 
 ernment spends large sums annually. I shall 
 not draw any comparison between themand the 
 Indian population which the Government looks 
 after so carefully and creditably* 
 
 Besides the Federal Government, we have in 
 Ginada eight Provincial Governments. 
 
 The Ministers of Departments in the Province 
 of Quebec are as follows : 
 
 The Treasurer ; 
 
 Attorney General ; 
 
 Minister of Crown Lands, Forests and Fish- 
 eries; 
 
 Minister of Colonization and Mines ; 
 
 Minister of Public Works ; 
 
 Minister of Agriculture ; 
 
 Provincial Secretary ; 
 
)6 **RERUM NOVARUM" 
 
 but no Department devoted to the working 
 classes, who dwell in cities. 
 
 The farmer is well looked after, but the city- 
 worker, who furnishes a very large proportion 
 of the funds that support the Governmental ma- 
 chine is not specially represented in the Govern- 
 ment at alL 
 
 I do not submit these questions as a grievan- 
 ce, — but as a matter of right requiring redress. 
 
 To further the interests of the working classes, 
 in so far as the functions of the Federal Govern- 
 ment, as defined by the B. N. A. Act, will permit, 
 we want in the Federal Government at Ottawa 
 a Minister and a Department of Labour and In- 
 dustry. 
 
 We want a similar Department in each Local 
 Government. 
 
 Not merely to gather statistics, as I believe is 
 done in the United States, — not merely to make 
 reports to Parliament, and then let the matter lie, 
 as has already been done in a former Parlia- 
 ment, on the subject of Government Life Insu- 
 rance but to keep abreast of the times, and to 
 substitute action for mere speculation or theory. 
 
 i 
 
INDEPENDENCE 
 
 HAT can a government do when 
 this Department is established ? 
 
 The government of a country like 
 ours should devote its best endea- 
 vours to promote the general good of all classes, 
 — and I am proud to say that it does so ; but not 
 only that, — it should devote itself for the 
 special good of each class. 
 I The agricultural and commercial class- 
 es are well represented ; the labouring 
 class, except in so far, as it is connected 
 with the two former, has not, in the past, 
 been the especial care of any government of 
 this country, and, I may say, of hardly any 
 Other country. 
 Mankind is prone to be selfish. 
 The labouring or industrious classes 
 of the community are hindered by the 
 
S8 ** RERUM NOVARUM ** 
 
 very nature of their callings by their all-absorb- 
 ing toil, and consequent fatigue, from thinking 
 out and shaping the policy most beneficial to 
 themselves. 
 
 The duty becomes then all the greater for the 
 governments to think for them and in their 
 interests. 
 
 What is the goal of every man in business ? 
 To amass a competency, if not a fortune, and 
 become independents 
 
 The goal of every farmer is to own his farm, 
 to pay his debts, and become independent. 
 
 Is there any reason, in God's fair world, be- 
 cause a man is a labourer, and consequently has 
 less time to plan and scheme for his advance- 
 ment, that he should be condemned to work 
 year after year, without hope of ever becoming 
 independent ? 
 
 But some wiseacres will answer me by saying, 
 that the welfare of the masses cannot be accom- 
 plished by Act of Parliament, and that their pros- 
 perity depends entirely on themselves, and will 
 add, as a parting shaft, some remark about want 
 of thrift or intemperance. 
 
INDEPENDENCE J9 
 
 There is no doubt but that the welfare of 
 " each individual depends to a great extent upon 
 himself, and tliat industry, when accompanied 
 by sobriety and thrift, will go, a great way, 
 towards bettering his condition. But everybody 
 is not bom thrifty. There are some open-handed 
 and generous natures, which think not of the mor- 
 row. K any man has an excuse for a stimulant, 
 it is certainly the man whose physical strength 
 is, for the moment, impaired by a hard day's 
 work. But let us suppose the case of an indus- 
 trious workingman, with a wife and family of 
 growing children to support. He earns one dol- 
 lar or one dollar and a half per day, by hard 
 labor, and he is of temperate habits. He fulfils 
 the above mentioned requirements, being per- 
 force economical. 
 
 What is the result of his life's work ? 
 
 What savings can he accumulate ? 
 
 What provision can he make for sickness, 
 accident, old age ? 
 
 Does he ever attain the goal which should be 
 within the reach of every man : Independence ? 
 
 — No ; — he is condemned to remain poor 
 
20 "RERUMNOVARUM" 
 
 all his life, although — (and here is where the 
 bitter injustice comes in) — the country, in which 
 he lives, is progressing by leaps and bounds in 
 material prosperity. 
 
 His earnings are, as soon as received, returned 
 to the landlord, the grocer, the store-keeper, 
 while these latter return them to the merchant, 
 the banker, the Government, the foreign mer- 
 chant. All together contribute to the building 
 up of the nation's wealth, but the wages of the 
 working man remain about the same, — regu- 
 lated, not by the increased measure of wealth 
 which the toilers contribute to procure, but mere- 
 ly by the question of supply and demand, — 
 reduced when foreign immigrant labour which 
 the Government spends money upon, in order 
 to increase the population of the Country, comes 
 into competition with that of the toiler bom and 
 bred in Canada* 
 
 His vote has the power to return represen- 
 tatives to Parliament, who, in their turn, can 
 grant millions of money, and of acres of land to 
 Railway Companies, to Steamship Companies 
 for harbour improvements, and indirectly to 
 
INDEPENDENCE 2J 
 
 manufacturing concerns, by imposing high pro- 
 tective tariffs, and all of this, in the interest of 
 the Qjuntry. 
 
 During this time, the workingman continues 
 his laborious career — while he can work, — his 
 labour diminishes in value with advancing age, 
 — and he is unable, to the very end, to claim 
 repose as his right, till he inherits his reward 
 in another world — where all men are equal : 
 
 But there come times of depression and crisis 
 periodically, when the willing worker cannot 
 find employment* I shall not prolong the picture. 
 We have all known it. 
 
 Bums the Philosopher-Poet says : 
 
 ** Many and sharp the numerous ills, 
 
 ** Inwoven with our frame I 
 ** More pointed still we make ourselves, 
 
 ** Regret, remorse and shame 1 
 ** And man whose hcav'n — erected face 
 
 ** The smiles of love adorn, 
 " Man's inhumanity to man, 
 
 ** Makes countless thousands mourn 1 
 
 ** See yonder poor, overlaboured wight, 
 
 ** So abject, mean and vile, 
 ** Who begs a brother of the earth 
 
 ** To give him leave to toil i 
 
22 ** RERUM NOVARUM ** 
 
 ** And see his lordly fellow-worm 
 ** The poor petition spurn 
 
 " Unmindful tho' a weeping wife 
 ** And helpless offspring mourn. 
 
 '* If I'm designed yo« lordling's slave— 
 
 " By nature's law designed, 
 ** "Why was an independent wish 
 
 ** E'er planted in my mind ? 
 ** If not, why am I subject to 
 
 ** His cruelty or scorn ? 
 ** Or why has man the will and pow*r 
 
 ** To make his fellow mourn ? " 
 
THE DUTY OF GOVERNMENTS 
 
 UT to become practical: — What can 
 
 the Government do ? 
 One of the earliest lessons in the 
 
 Old Testament is the dream of Pha- 
 raoh, interpreted by Joseph, who showed the 
 Government of Egypt, that in years of 
 plenty, provision must be set aside for 
 years of depression. 
 
 I This country is almost entirely unde- 
 veloped. Judicious expenditure in develop- 
 ment will return ten-fold the amount in- 
 vested, and make the country teem with 
 wealth and prosperity. 
 
 The plans for development should be in 
 process of being matured continuously,but 
 the execution should be proceeded with 
 more especially when good times are de- 
 clining, so that the spending of Govern- 
 
24 "RERUM NOV ARUM" 
 
 ment money in useful Public Works during the 
 hard times would have the effect for Canada of 
 Joseph's forethought for the people of Egypt. 
 
 We ourselves saw the benefit of this mode of 
 action when, by the construction of the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway, bad times were averted, and the 
 country continued to prosper. 
 
 What can the Government do ? 
 
 To remove poverty means to enable a man, i 
 
 while providing for his reasonable wants and] 
 
 comforts consistent with his station in life, to save 1 
 
 enough out of his earnings to bring up and( 
 
 educate his family respectably, and at the same 1 
 
 time to make provision for his old age, or to i 
 provide for his family till grown up, in case of ( 
 
 his death. 
 
 To accomplish this would require : i 
 
 (a) To increase the value or price of labour* 
 
 (b) To decrease the cost of living, ^ut above j 
 alL 
 
 (c) To provide a man with the opportunity 
 and means of accumulating or saving a portion 
 of his earnings* 
 
 i 
 
i 
 
 THE DUTY OF GOVERNMENTS 25 
 
 ia) TO INCREASE THE VALUE OR PRICE OF LABOUR. 
 
 I This is a subject worthy of the fullest study 
 by the Government. It is not of easy solution. 
 
 I might make a few suggestions : 
 
 r ^or adults. 
 
 A system of a limited profit-sharing, over 
 nd above the wages earned, in all companies to 
 which the Government grants the privilege of a 
 charter, or joint stock companies, or to which the 
 municipality grants a bonus or exemption from 
 taxes. This would be greatly to the interest 
 of such establishments, where every employee, 
 being, to a limited extent a partner in the busi- 
 ness would exert himself for the welfare of the 
 concern. 
 
 I A minimum standard of wages in govern- 
 ment works and contracts. 
 I A share in profits in all lumbering, mining, 
 'distilling or other businesses deriving their 
 existence from government grants or favours. 
 » 2° ^or the young* 
 
 5 \ The teaching, while at school, of practical hor- 
 iculture, agriculture, fertilization of land, of the 
 raising of farm-yard products, etc., as taught in 
 
26 "RERUM NOVARUM'* | 
 
 France, and Germany; also of the trades most 
 useful and congenial to each individual. i 
 
 In this manner the value of labour would 
 become very much increased, each boy growing 
 up being a skilled workman at some branch of 
 trade. 
 
 We do this for criminals, — in the Reformatory 
 Schools, — should honest children be less fa- 
 voured ? 
 
I 
 
 A HOMESTEAD FOR ALL 
 
 b—ro DECREASE THE COST OF LIVING. 
 
 HE theory known as the " Henry 
 George *' or Single Tax theory is not 
 suited to the ideas of an ambitious 
 people* 
 Whilst our people want all the advantages 
 iaid to be derivable from Government 
 owership of land, each head of a family 
 wants his own fireside, his own ''vine 
 and fig tree/' in a word, he wants his 
 own home. 
 
 } Generally speaking, about one quarter 
 of a man's income is paid out for rent, 
 and the poor man pays much more in 
 proportion than any one else. 
 
 1 
 
 HOMESTEAD SCHEME 
 
 I would suggest that the Federal Gov- 
 
28 ''RERUM NOV ARUM" 
 
 emment, out of the funds it holds on deposit in 
 the Post Office Saving Department, purchase in 
 the neighbourhood of large cities, some farm 
 lands, and that it resell them, at cost price,- in 
 lots of 50 or 100 feet front, — or, where more 
 remote, in plots of J, 2 or 3 acres, on credit at 
 3% interest. Buildings of a certain standard 
 only, of stone and brick, be to allowed to be erect- 
 ed on these lots, costing $1,000.00 to $2,000.00, 
 The Government to advance, at 3% interest, 
 seventy-five per cent of the value of the build- 
 ings, leaving the owner to furnish either in work, 
 or in cash the balance. 
 
 Take for instance, a lot of 50 feet front by lOCf 
 feet deep, making an area of 5,000 feet. Neai 
 the city of Montreal it would cost about ter 
 cents per foot, or $500.00 ; if further away, z 
 lot double the size or 100 feet square woulc 
 cost the same price ; or if at a still greater dis 
 tance, one or two acres could be acquired foil 
 
 the same amount. ^ 
 
 li 
 
 I 
 
 h 
 
 I 
 
A HOMESTEAD FOR ALL 29 
 
 EXAMPLE No. i 
 
 The owner would have to pay annually as 
 agfroundrent t3% on$5()0.00 . • . $15.00 
 
 Besides this, if the buildins; cost $1»000.00» 
 of which $750 00 advanced by the Gov- 
 ermnent ; Z% interest on $750.00 . • $22.50 
 
 3^ Sinking Fund, or repayment of princi- 
 pal , 22.50 
 
 $45.00 
 
 Total annual payment ^60,00 
 
 duimg a period of 23 years, or $5.00 per 
 month. 
 
 EXAMPLE No. 2 
 
 Ground rent, 3% on $500.00 .... $15.00 
 
 If building cost $2,000.00, of which advan- 
 ced by Government $1,500.00 ; 3 ^ inter- 
 est on $1,500.00 $45.00 
 
 3% Sinking Fund 45.00 
 
 $90.00 
 
 Total annual payment ....... $105.00 
 
 during a period of 23 years, or $8.75 per 
 month. 
 
 This is less than the workingman now pays 
 tor rent> and in 23 years, he would be the abso- 
 lute owner of his property, barring the small 
 ground rent, which might be paid off, or not, at 
 bis option. 
 
30 ** RERUM NOVARUM " 
 
 Since writing the above, I have noticed, in 
 the despatches from England, that Mr. Cham- 
 berlain has introduced a measure for the pro- 
 motion of thrift, embodying a project of this 
 very kind, to be carried out by local bodies. 
 
 As a matter of morality, as a matter of health, 
 and of well-being, and as a matter of patriotism, 
 by which every citizen can have a stake in the 
 community, — this Homestead project will com- 
 mend itself without any further pleading. 
 
 In connection with the Homestead scheme 
 the Governments which grant charters to elec- 
 tric railways, and subsidies to other railways, 
 should fix low rates of transportation for work- 
 ingmen and their families. The continual de- 
 velopment and progress of rapid transit in the 
 vicinity of cities would make this a very feasible 
 process. 
 
 The objection which the Government might 
 have to entering the field of private enterprise, be- 
 coming a Loan Company, dealing in Real Es- 
 tate etc., would not be valid when the public 
 weal demonstrates the advantages of such action. 
 At the same time, I think that these transactions 
 
A HOMESTEAD FOR ALL 3J 
 
 should be limited, as regards the purchase of land, 
 to the amounts on deposit in Government Sav- 
 ings Banks, and should be distributed mostly in 
 the localities from which these deposits come, thus 
 giving the people the full benefit of their own thrift* 
 Commerce and speculation should not have the 
 advantage of the use of all the money in the coun- 
 try, to the exclusion of labour. 
 
 A man is thus provided with an incentive to 
 ambition. By paying less money than he now 
 has to pay for rent, he acquires a homestead, 
 with some land attached, which he can use, 
 as a play-ground for his children, or he can culti- 
 vate it, if he sees fit : but the principal gain is 
 that he also acquires the unearned increment, 
 viz : the increase in value of the land adjoining 
 the City, and his property will certainly double 
 in value before he has completed his payments. 
 
 The Government could not lose by the trans- 
 action, but would find, as already stated, a prof- 
 itable investment for the Savings of the people, 
 and this plan would moreover raise the standard 
 of the residents of each city, and would stimulate 
 the rapid transit question and the cheapening of 
 workingmen's fares on the tramways. 
 
32 ** RERUM NOVARUM » 
 
 In this chapter I have merely outlined a sketch 
 of what might be done, leaving, for future elabo- 
 ration, all matters of detail, such as exemption 
 from seia;ure, — power of selling, — intermedi- 
 ary by whom loans and collections could be ef- 
 fected ; — merely keeping in view the principle of 
 Government aid being supplied to enable the 
 borrower to obtain, at the lowest rate of interest, 
 and easiest terms of repayment, a plot of land 
 and a homestead, and employing the savings of 
 the people to do so. 
 
 In a like manner the Government, acting di- 
 rectly, or through an organization ad hoc, might 
 advance small loans for colonising purposes, tak- 
 ing the farm and improvements as security. Wc 
 could then choose our immigrants, and rapidly 
 promote immigration. 
 
A NEW SYSTEM OF LIFE INSURANCE 
 
 ow can a workingman accumulate, or 
 save, as circumstances now stand ? 
 He can put his money, on deposit, 
 in a bank, or with the Government 
 and receive IVi or 3 per cent interest. 
 
 The bank loans the money to the mer- 
 chant at 6% or 7% ; or if it be a Savings 
 Bank, amongst others, to the Stock Bro- 
 ker, who is thus enabled, with the work- 
 inginan's money, to speculate and en- 
 hance the values of stocks. The bank lends 
 at rates of interest, varying according to 
 the scarcity of money, but the interest it 
 pays to its depositors never increases, 
 nor varies except when the depositors 
 get an intimation that the rate will be 
 lowered. 
 
 LIFE INSURANCES 
 
 The annnal premium payable on a Life 
 
 k 
 
34 **RERUM NOVARUM ** 
 
 Insurance policy is composed of three elements ; 
 VIZ : 
 
 1. The Reserve Element. 
 
 2. The Mortality Element. 
 
 3. The Expense or Loading Element, (usually 
 about 2S% of the Premium.) 
 
 The Reserve Element is the amount required 
 to be set aside, every year and placed at Com- 
 pound Interest, in such a manner, that the sum 
 of these payments and interest will form the 
 amount of the Policy to each insured person, at 
 the term of his expectation of life. 
 
 The Mortality Element is the amount required 
 to be provided each year, to meet the death losses 
 or claims. 
 
 The Expense Element is the amount required 
 to pay the expenses, of the Company, such as 
 salaries, agents' commissions, advertisements, 
 etc., etc. 
 
 In Co-operative or Assessment companies, 
 ^* The Reserve Element '' is largely eliminated : 
 the companies merely making assessments for 
 the ** Mortality Element,'' and a small amount, 
 comparatively speaking, being set aside as a 
 Reserve Fund. 
 
A NEW SYSTEM OF LIFE INSURANCE 35 
 
 NEW SYSTEM 
 
 The plan I would suggest is this : 
 Let either the Federal or Provincial Gov- 
 ernment undertake to perform, at cost price, the 
 duty of insuring the lives of such of its citizens 
 as are insurable in a Life Insurance Company. 
 The cost would be reduced to a minimum. The 
 " Expense, or Loading Element ** being sub- 
 tracted, the cost would be reduced one quarter, 
 or twenty-five per cent to begin with. 
 
 In the second place, it would no longer be 
 necessary to provide the Reserve Element, 
 because the Government of a country is a 
 permanent institution. It never dies nor comes 
 to an end. It does not require to provide 
 for the repayment of its bonds, but can issue 
 permanent bonds, providing only for the inter- 
 est ; this even applies to Municipal and Provin- 
 cial Bonds. In the same manner, by the Govern- 
 ment collecting from the insured, and thus provid- 
 ing for the ''Mortality Element'' in a Life Insur- 
 ance Premium, the ** Reserve Element '' would 
 disappear, and co-operative or Assessment Insur- 
 ance which is now an unsound investment. 
 
36 " RERUM NOVARUM " 
 
 would become, in the hands of the Government 
 more safe than the best, at less than one half of 
 the cost of regular life insurance rates* 
 
 But I, no doubt, shall be told that private 
 societies such as th'. ** Foresters/' the different 
 Mutual Benefit Societies, Knights of different 
 kinds. Mutual Reserve Associations, etc., are 
 now doing this very work. 
 
 This is true to a certain extent, but the cru- 
 cial point, with all these societies, is, that while 
 they flourish at the beginning, when the mem- 
 bers are young, they decrease in numbers as 
 the members grow older, and the death claims 
 become more numerous ; new members wifl 
 not then come in, and the society will generally 
 wind up in disaster. That has been the rule 
 so far and must infallibly continue. 
 
 But if the Government does the insuring at 
 cost, the case is different, — the new members 
 will always keep coming in, the average age 
 will remain stationary as the Government is a 
 permanent institution, and the rates can be ad- 
 justed after some experience, to a certainty. 
 
 At the same time the existing benefit societies 
 
A NEW SYSTEM OF LIFE INSURANCE 37 
 
 might retain their autonomy, by conforming to 
 the rates and regulations, to be fixed by the 
 Government, and do valuable service, as in the 
 past, by acting as feeders to enlighten the public 
 regarding the benefits to be acquired by Life 
 Insurance. 
 
 Of course a measure of this kind would be 
 for the benefit, principally, of the working classes 
 and would be for amounts of from $200.00 to say 
 $2,000.00 per beneficiary, as a maximum limit. 
 It would relieve the workingmen from paying 
 money into societies which he will probably 
 outlive, and, from finding himself, when he is 
 considerably older, unable to pay the increased 
 assessments, or to meet the larger payments ne- 
 cessary to enter into another society. 
 
 As regards the objections from regular Life 
 Insurance GDmpanies, I would say that the 
 maximum amount insurable being $2,000.00, 
 for any beneficiary, the system would not ma- 
 terially interfere with their clients, but would deal 
 largely with those who are now uninsured. But 
 in any case the project being for the Public good, 
 all private interests must yield. 
 
38 **RERUM NOVARUM" 
 
 It would only require a strict system of super- 
 vision and management, which our Government 
 is thoroughly competent to exercise, and a 
 prudent system of classifying the rates, accord- 
 ing to age at entrance, and limit of age at which 
 one may enter, and this plan would place the work- 
 man on terra, firma with regard to his present 
 efforts to provide, by Life Insurance, for the wants 
 of his family. 
 
 It might be objected that the Government should 
 not undertake any enterprise, from which any 
 citizen could be debarred for instance, the citizen 
 who could not pass the necessary medical exam- 
 ination. 
 
 But this project merely asks the Government 
 to furnish the necessary clerical work (as it does 
 in the P. O. Savings Department, for the bene- 
 fit of depositors,) and merely to act as a trustee 
 to collect the instalments, and pay the money 
 on proof of death claim; thus giving the moral 
 support and permanency requisite for success 
 and giving the masses insurance at less than 
 half the present cost. 
 
 The Government of Germany insures lives ; 
 
A NEW SYSTEM OF LIFE INSURANCE 39 
 
 SO does the Government of New-Zealand, and 
 doubtless others. Why should not the Govern- 
 ment of Canada ? 
 
 The people deserve to be protected to the full- 
 est possible extent — and more especially when 
 making laudable efforts to provide against the 
 consequence of death in their families. 
 
 This system might even be made obligatory, 
 and the premiums made collectable, by the re- 
 tention of a small percentage on wages, when 
 they are being paid. 
 
 It might also be made to serve, as security for 
 payments, on ^* Homestead '' or colonising pro- 
 jects. 
 
PROVISION FOR DECLINING YEARS 
 
 "N this country, each inmate of a Lunatic 
 Asylum, each inmate of a Penitentiary, 
 of a Reformatory, each immigrant 
 brought into the country, and each 
 Indian costs the Government a certain sum of 
 money per annum. 
 
 The honest workingman pays his pro- 
 portion to support the classes mentioned 
 above, and remains poor all his life. 
 
 The Homestead and Life Insurance 
 Plans will cost nothing to the Govern- 
 ment. But I think I hear the honest work- 
 ingman say : 
 
 ** It is all very well to own a house, 
 
 and to have one's life insured, but I would 
 
 like to have some reward for my thrift 
 
 before I die/' — I think so, too ! 
 
 In the different countries in Europe : 
 
42 "RERUM NOVARUM*' 
 
 England, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and 
 now in the United States of America, armies and 
 navies have to be kept up, at an enormous ex- 
 pense, and they drain those countries of the 
 value of the labour of a great many working- 
 men. 
 
 In the United States, the Pension List alone, 
 exclusive ^-x the last war, amounts to over $140,- 
 000.00 per annum. 
 
 In this country, thank God ! we require no 
 large army, — we have no Pension List — but 
 we want one I 
 
 Not for military veterans, — but for those 
 who have bravely encountered the trials of a 
 lifetime, — that their days may be lengthened 
 in comfort and peace. 
 
 It would be an excellent subject for the Minis- 
 ter of Labour and Industry to investigate, and 
 he could bring in a measure, which would be 
 an unspeakable boon to our brave workingmen. 
 
 Many means might be adopted to accompliiih 
 this. Amongs others the following might pro- 
 vide for a portion of the cost. Owning as we 
 do, an immense mineral territory, the alternate 
 
PROVISION FOR DECLINING YEARS 43 
 
 mining sections in the North- West might be 
 devoted to the purpose, in such manner, that the 
 agricultural, the working, and the commercial 
 classes might derive, in proportion to their num- 
 bers, the benefits to accrue from these valuable 
 
 concessions. 
 As stated in the preface. New - Zealand has 
 
 already adopted a law to provide pensions for 
 old age. — Germany adopted one in ISZ9, — 
 Austria and Sweden are preparing such laws ; 
 while England is actively engaged in finding 
 out the best means to follow for the introduc- 
 tion of Old Age Pensions. 
 
 Will Canada be the last to act ? 
 
 The principal objection to old age pensions is 
 the large cost they would entail on the Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 This is a secondary consideration. 
 
 The first question to determine is whether it 
 is just and desirable to provide these pensions. 
 
 The aged have to be provided for, in any 
 case, whether by their relatives or by the Chari- 
 table Institutions, so that there would be no eco- 
 nomic loss to the country at large, but only a 
 shifting of the responsibility. 
 
44 ** RERUM NOVARUM ** 
 
 After working all their lives^ have the aged a 
 proprietary interest in the undivided surplus be- 
 longing to the State ? In the lands, in the forests, 
 in the mines ? Are they entitled to receive their 
 proportion, in accordance with their numbers, o( 
 the revenue and profits derivable from the pubKc 
 domain ? Are they deserving of a retiring allow- 
 ance ? Should they be subjected to the humilia- 
 tion of depending upon others for their support? 
 Shall we be old ourselves before many years! 
 
 Opinions may differ as to be the amount oi 
 such pensions, as to the age at which they should 
 commence, as to whether it would be better to 
 pay them in money or in fuel, food and clothing, 
 and as to the means required to be adopted by 
 the Government in order to provide for their pay- 
 ment ; but I think Public Opinion will readily 
 acknowledge the justice of the claim, and the 
 expediency of putting it into execution with the 
 least possible delay* 
 
 ) 
 
HOW POVERTY WAS ABOLISHED 
 
 THE REDUCTIONS OF PARAGUAY 
 
 following pages arc an extract from 
 that fascinating work of ** Chateau- 
 briand'': ^*Le Genie da Christia- 
 nisme^' ki which he depicts the Para- 
 guayan Missions in South America. 
 
 MISSIONS OF PARAGUAY — CONVERSION 
 OF THE SAVAGES 
 
 ** While Christianity flourished among 
 the worshippers of Fohi> and other mis- 
 sionnaries were announcing it to the noble 
 Japanese, or at the Courts of Sultans, it 
 was seen gliding, as it were, into the in- 
 most forests of Paraguay, to tame those 
 Indian Nations who lived like birds on 
 the branches of trees. What an extraor- 
 dinary Religion must be that which, at 
 its will, unites the political and moral for- 
 ces, and, from its superabundant resources. 
 
46 ** RERUM NOVARUM ** 
 
 produces Governments as excellent as those of 
 Minos and Lycurgus I While Europe had as 
 yet but barbarous constitutions, formed by time 
 and chance, the Christian Religion revived in 
 the New World all the wonders of the ancient 
 systems of legislation. 
 
 The wandering tribes of the savages of Para- 
 guay became fixed, and, at the Word of God, an 
 Evangelical Republic sprang up in the wildest 
 of deserts. 
 
 And who were the men of great genius that 
 performed these prodigies ? Simply Jesuits, who 
 were often thwarted in their designs by the ava- 
 rice of their countrymen. 
 
 It was a practice generally adopted in Spanish 
 America, to make slaves of the Indians, and to 
 sacrifice them to the labours of the mines. In vain 
 did the clergy, both secular and regular, a thou- 
 sand times, remonstrate against this practice, not 
 less impolitic than barbarous* The tribunals of 
 Mexico and Peru, and even the Court of Madrid 
 re-echoed with the continual complaints of the 
 missionnaries, 
 
 ** We pretend not," said they to the colonists, 
 
HOW POVERTY WAS ABOLISHED 47 
 
 "to prevent your making a profit of the Indians, 
 in legitimate ways ; but you know that it never 
 was the King's intention, that you should consi- 
 der them as slaves, and that the law of God ex- 
 pressly forbids this . . . We deem it wrong to de- 
 prive them of their liberty to which they have a 
 natural right ; and nothing can authorize us to 
 call that right in question/' 
 
 At the foot of the Cordilleras, on the side next 
 to the Atlantic, between the Oronoko and Rio 
 de la Plata, there was still an immense region, 
 peopled by savages, to which the Spaniards had 
 not extended their devastations. In the recesses 
 of its forests, the missionnaries undertook to found 
 a Christian Republic, and to confer, at least upon 
 a small number of Indians, those blessings which 
 they had not been able to procure for all. 
 
 The first step they took was to obtain, of the 
 Court of Spain, the liberty of all the savages 
 whom they might convert to the Faith. At this 
 intelligence the GDlonists took the alarm, and it 
 was only by the aid of wit and address, that the 
 Jesuits stole, in some measure, the permission to 
 shed their blood in the forests of the New World. 
 
48 *' RERUM NOVARUM " 
 
 At length, having triumphed over human rapaci- 
 ty and malice, and meditating one of the noblest 
 designs that ever entered into the heart of man, 
 they embarked for Rio de la Plata* 
 
 That great river has, for its tributary, the 
 stream which gave name to the country, and 
 the missions, whose history we are sketching. 
 Paraguay, in the language of the savages, signi- 
 fies the ** Crowned River,'' because it rises in the 
 lakeXarayes,by which it thus seems to be crown- 
 ed* Before it swells the Rio de la Plata, it recei- 
 ves the waters of the Parana and Uruguay. For- 
 ests in which are embosomed other forests, lev- 
 elled by the hand of time, — morasses and plains 
 completely inundated, in the rainy season,— 
 mountains which rear deserts over deserts,— 
 form part of the vast regions watered by the Para- 
 guay. All kinds of game abound in them, as well 
 as tigers and bears. The woods are full of bees, 
 which produce remarkably white wax, and hon- 
 ey of uncommon fragrance. Here are seen birds 
 with the most splendid plumage, resembling 
 large flowers of red and blue, among the ver- 
 dant foliage of the trees. A French missionary, 
 
HOW POVERTY WAS ABOLISHED 49 
 
 who lost himself in these wilds, gives the follow- 
 ing description of them : 
 
 ** I continued my route, not knowing whither 
 it would lead me, and without meeting any per- 
 son from whom I could obtain information. In 
 the midst of these woods, I sometimes met with 
 enchanting spots. — All that the study and inge- 
 nuity of man, could devise, to render a place 
 agreable, would fall short of the beauties which 
 simple nature has here collected. 
 
 These charming situations reminded me of 
 the ideas I had formerly conceived when reading 
 the lives of the ancient recluses of Thebais. I 
 formed a wish to pass the rest of my days in 
 these foreets, whither Providence had conducted 
 me, that I might devote all my attention to the 
 affair of my salvation, far from all intercourse 
 with men ; but as I was not the master of my 
 destiny, and the commands of the Lord were 
 expressly signified in those of my superiors, I 
 rejected this idea as an illusion." 
 
 The Indians who were found in these retreats 
 resembled their place of habitation only in its 
 worst points. This indolent, stupid and ferocious 
 
50 ** RERUM NOV ARUM ** 
 
 race exhibited, in all its difformity, the degrada- 
 tion of man after his falL Nothing affords a 
 stronger proof of the degeneracy of human na- 
 ture, than the littleness of the savage amid the 
 gfiindeur of the desert* 
 
 On their arrival at Buenos Ayres, the mis- 
 sionnaries sailed up the Rio de la Plata, entered 
 the waters of Paraguay, and dispersed over its 
 wilds. The ancient accounts portray them, with 
 a breviary under the left arm, a cross in the right 
 hand, and with no other provision than their 
 trust in the Almighty. They represent them, forc- 
 ing their way through forests, wading through 
 morasses, where they were up to the waist in 
 water, climbing rugged rocks, searching among 
 caverns and precipices, at the risk of meeting 
 with serpents and ferocious beats, instead of mcn^ 
 whom they were seeking. 
 
 Several perished with hunger, and from the 
 hardships they endured. Others were massacred 
 and devoured by the savages. 
 
 Father Li^ardi was found transfixed with ar- 
 rows, upon a rock ; half of his body was man- 
 gled by birds of prey, and his breviary lay open 
 beside him at the office of the dead. 
 
HOW POVERTY WAS ABOLISHED 5J 
 
 When a missionnary thus discovered the re- 
 mains of one of his companions, he hastened to 
 perform the funeral rites ; and filled with great 
 joy, he sang a solitary ** Te Deum '' over the 
 grave of the martyr. 
 
 Such scenes perpetually recurring, astonished 
 the barbarous hordes. Sometimes they gathered 
 round the unknown priest, who spoke to them 
 concerning God, and looked at the firmament to 
 which he pointed ; at others they ran from him 
 as a magician, and were overcome with unusual 
 terrors. The religious followed, stretching out 
 his hands to them in the name of Jesus-Christ. 
 If he could not prevail on them to stop, he planted 
 his cross in a conspicuous place, and concealed 
 himself in the woods. The savages by degrees 
 approached to examine the Standard of Peace, 
 erected in the wilderness ; some secret magnet 
 seemed to attract them to this emblem of their 
 salvation. The missionary then, sallying forth 
 all at once from his ambuscade, and taking ad- 
 vantage of the surprise of the barbarians, invited 
 them to relinquish their miserable way of life, 
 and to enjoy the comforts of society. 
 
52 **RERUM NOVARUM" 
 
 When the Jesuits had succeeded in their efforts 
 with a few Indians, they had recourse to an- 
 other method of winning souls^ 
 
 They had remarked that the savag:es of that 
 region were extremely sensible to the charms of 
 music : it is even asserted that the waters of the 
 Paraguay impart a finer tone to the voice. The 
 missionaries therefore, embarked in canoes with 
 the new converts, and sailed up the rivers sing- 
 ing religious hyms. The neophytes repeated the 
 tunes, as tame birds sing, to allure the wild ones 
 into the net of the fowler. The savages were 
 always taken by this pious snare. Descending 
 from their mountains, they hastened to the banks 
 of the rivers, to listen to the captivating sounds ; 
 and many, plunging into the water, swam after 
 the enchanted bark. The bow and arrow drop- 
 ped from the hand of the savage, and a foretaste 
 of the social virtues and of the first sweets of hu- 
 manity seemed to take possession of his wonder- 
 ing and confused soul. 
 
 He beheld his wife and his infant weep for 
 unknown joy ; soon, yielding to an irresistible 
 impulse, he fell at the foot of the cross, and 
 
HOW POVERTY WAS ABOLISHED 53 
 
 mingled torrents of tears with the regenerating 
 waters that were poured upon his head. 
 
 Thus the Christian Religion realized in the 
 forests of America, what fabulous history relates 
 of an Orpheus and an Amphion, — a reflection 
 so natural that it occurred to the missionaries 
 themselves. Certain it is that their relation, 
 though strictly true, wore all the semblance of a 
 fiction. 
 
CHRISTIAN REPUBLIC 
 
 HAPPINESS OF THE INDIANS 
 
 |HE first savages who complied with 
 the exhortations of the Jesuits were 
 the Guaranis, — a tribe scattered along 
 the rivers Paranapane, Pirape and 
 Uruguay. The formed a large village under the di- 
 rection of Fathers Maceta and Cataldino, 
 whose names it is but just to preserve 
 among those of the benefactors of man- 
 kind. 
 
 This village was called Loretto ; and 
 in the sequel, as other Indian Churches 
 were successively established, they were 
 all comprehended under the name of ** Re- 
 ductions/' In a few years their number 
 amounted to thirty, and they collectively 
 composed that celebrated ''Christian Com- 
 monwealth ^' which seemed to be a relic 
 of antiquity, discovered in the New World. 
 
56 " RERUM NOVARUM ** 
 
 They confirmed under own eyes, the great truth 
 known to Greece and Rome, — that men are to 
 be civilised and Empires founded, not by the ab- 
 stract principles of philosophy, but by the aid of 
 Religion. 
 
 Each village was governed by two mission- 
 aries who superintended the affairs both spiritual 
 and temporal, of thz little republics. No stranger 
 was permitted to reside there longer than three 
 days ; and to prevent all such intercourse as was 
 liable to corrupt the manners of the new Chris- 
 tians, they were not permitted to learn the Span- 
 ish language, so as to speak it, though all the 
 converts could read and write it correctly. 
 
 In each ** Reduction ** there were two schools, 
 the one for the first rudiments of learning, the 
 other for dancing and music. The latter, which 
 likewise served as a foundation for the laws of 
 the ancient republics, was particularly cultivated 
 by the Guaranis, who could themselves build 
 organs, and make harps, flutes, guitars and our 
 martial instruments. 
 
 As soon as a boy had attained the age of seven 
 years, the two superiors began to study his char- 
 
CHRISTIAN REPUBLIC 57 
 
 actcr. If he appeared adapted for mechanical 
 occupations, he was placed in one of the work- 
 shops of the Reduction, the choice of which was 
 left to himself. Here he became a goldsmith, 
 gilder, watch maker, locksmith, carpenter, ca- 
 binet maker, weaver or founder. All these trades 
 were originally established by the Jesuits them- 
 selves, who had learned all the useful arts for 
 the express purpose of instructing the Indians in 
 them, without being obliged to have recourse to 
 strangers. 
 
 Such of the young people as preferred agri- 
 cultural pursuits were enrolled in the class of 
 husbandmen ; and those who still retained any 
 strolling propensity, from their former way of 
 life, wandered about with the flocks. 
 
 The women worked, apart from the men, at 
 their own homes. At the beginning of every 
 week a certain quantity of wool and cotton was 
 distributed among them. This they were to 
 return on the Saturday evening following, ready 
 for further operations. They were likewise en- 
 gaged in rural employments, which occupied 
 their leisure without exceeding their strength. 
 
58 "RERUM NOVARUM'' 
 
 There were no public markets in the villages; 
 but on stated days, each family was supplied 
 with the necessaries of life. One of the mission- 
 aries superintended the distribution, and took 
 care that the shares should be proportionate to 
 the number of persons belonging to each cottage. 
 
 The zinging of a bell was the signal for be- 
 ginning and leaving off work, ll was heard at 
 the first dawn of day, when the children imme- 
 diately assembled in the church, and their matin 
 concert like that of the birds, lasted till sunrise. 
 The men and women afterwards attended mass, 
 and then repaired to their respective labours. At 
 the decline of day the bell again summoned the 
 new citizens to the altar, and evening prayers 
 were chanted in two parts, accompanied by a 
 full band. 
 
 The ground was divided into lots, and each 
 family cultivated one of them, for the supply of 
 its wants. There was besides a public estate 
 calted the ** Possession of God." The produce of 
 the common field was destined to make up for 
 the deficiency of bad crops, and to support the 
 widows, orphans and infirm. It likewise served 
 
CHRISTIAN REPUBLIC 59 
 
 as a fund for war. If, at the end of the year, any 
 surplus remained in the public exchequer, it went 
 to defray the expenses of the Church, and to 
 discharge the tribute of a gold crown paid by 
 every family to the King of Spain. 
 
 A ** cacique " or war chief, a '* corregidor ** 
 for the administration of justice, '^regidors^' 
 and ** alcades '' for the superintendence of the 
 Public Works, composed the civil, military and 
 political establishment of the Reductions. These 
 magistrates were elected by the general assem- 
 bly of the citizens ; but it appears that they were 
 only permitted to choose out of a certain num- 
 ber of persons proposed by the missionaries. 
 This was a law borrowed from the Senate and 
 People of Rome. There was moreover an officer 
 called ** fiscal *' a kind of public controller, elected 
 by the elders. He kept a register of all the males 
 capable of bearing arms. 
 
 A ** teniente ^* was the prefect of the children. 
 He conducted them to the church and attended 
 them to the schools, carrying a long stick in his 
 hand. He reported to the missionaries such ob- 
 servations as he had made on the manners, dis- 
 
60 "RERUM NOV ARUM *^ 
 
 positions and good or bad qualities of his pupils. 
 
 Finally, the village was divided into several 
 quarters, each of which had a superintendent. 
 As the Indians are naturally sluggish and im- 
 provident, a person was appointed to compel the 
 heads of families to cultivate their lands. 
 
 In case of any infringement of the laws, the 
 first fault was punished by a secret reprimand 
 from the missionaries ; the second by a public 
 penance at the door of the church, as among 
 the early Christians ; the third by the discipline 
 of the whip. But, during the century and a half 
 that this republic subsisted, we scarcely find a 
 single instance of an Indian who incurred the 
 last mentioned chastisement. ** All their faults,^^ 
 says Charlevoix, ** are the faults of children. 
 They continue such all their lives in many 
 things, and have likewise all the goods qualities 
 of childhood.'' 
 
 The indolent were sentenced to cultivate a 
 larger portion of the common field, so that a 
 judicious economy had made the very defects of 
 these innocent creatures subservient to the gen- 
 eral prosperity* 
 
CHRISTIAN REPUBLIC 61 
 
 In order to prevent licentiousness, care was 
 taken to nriarry the young people at an early 
 age. Women that had no children retired during 
 the absence of their husbands to a particular 
 building called the ** House of Refuge/' The 
 sexes were kept separate very much as in the 
 Grecian Republics. They had distinct benches 
 at church, and different doors, at which they 
 went in and out, without intermingling. 
 
 There were fixed regulations for everything, 
 not excepting dress, which was decent and be- 
 coming, yet not ungraceful. The women wore 
 a plain white tunic fastened round the waist. 
 Their arms and legs were uncovered and their 
 loosely-flowing hair served them instead of a 
 veil. 
 
 The men were habited like the ancient Cas- 
 tillians» When they went to their work, they 
 put a white frock over this dignified dress. 
 Those who had signalized themselves, by acts 
 of courage or virtue, were distinguished by frocks 
 of a purple color. 
 
 The Spaniards, and the Portuguese of Brazil 
 in particular, made incursions into the territory 
 
62 " RERUM NOVARUM '* 
 
 of the ** Christian Republic *^ and often carried 
 off its citizens into slavery. Determined to put 
 an end to these depredations, the Jesuits, by 
 delicate management, contrived to obtain per- 
 mission from the Court of Madrid to arm their 
 converts. They procured the raw materials, 
 established foundries for cannon, and manufac- 
 tories of gun-powder, and trained to war those 
 who were not suffered to live in peace. A regu- 
 lar military force assembled, every monday, to 
 performs evolutions and to be reviewed by the 
 cacique. There were prizes for the archers, the 
 pikemen, the slingers, the artillerymen, and the 
 musketeers. The Portuguese, when they return- 
 ed, instead of finding a few straggling and panic- 
 struck husbandmen, were met by battalions, 
 which defeated and pursued them, to their 
 very forts. It was remarked that these new 
 troops never receded, and that they rallied, with- 
 out confusion, amid the fire of the enemy. Such 
 was their ardor, that they were often carried 
 away by it, in their military exercises, and it was 
 found necessary to interrupt them, for fear of 
 accidents. 
 
CHRISTIAN REPUBLIC 63 
 
 Paraguay then afforded an example of a State, 
 exempt both from the dangers of a wholly mili- 
 tary constitution, like that of Lacedaemon, and 
 the inconveniences of a wholly pacific commu- 
 nity such as that of the quakers. The great poli- 
 tical problem was solved. 
 
 Agricuhure, which sustains, and an armed 
 force, which preserves, were here united. The 
 Guaranis were planters though they had no 
 slaves, and soldiers, without being aggressive ; — 
 immense and sublime advantages, which they 
 owed to the Christian Religion, and which nei- 
 ther the Greeks nor the Romans had ever en- 
 joyed under their system of polytheism* 
 
 In everything, a wise medium was observed. 
 The Christian Republic was neither absolutely 
 agricultural, nor exclusively addicted to war, nor 
 entirely cut off from letters and commerce. It 
 had a little of all, and a great number of festi- 
 vals. It was neither morose, like Sparta, nor friv- 
 olous, like Athens. The citizen was neither op- 
 pressed with toil, nor intoxicated with pleasure. 
 Finally, the missionaries, while they confined the 
 multitude to the necessaries of life, were capable 
 
64 ''RERUM NOVARUM" 
 
 of distinguishing, among the flock, those children 
 whom nature had marked for higher destinies. 
 
 According to Plato's plan, they separated such 
 as gave indications of genius, in order to initiate 
 them in the sciences and letters. This select 
 number was called the ''Congregation/' The 
 children belonging to it, were educated, in a kind 
 of Seminary, and subjected to the same rigid 
 silence, seclusion and study, as the disciples of 
 Pythagoras. 
 
 Such was the emulation which prevailed 
 among them, that the mere threat of being sent 
 back to the inferior school, plunged a pupil into 
 the deepest distress. It was this excellent insti- 
 tution that was destined one day to furnish the 
 institution with priests, magistrates, and heroes. 
 
 The villages of the ** Reductions '' occupied 
 a considerable space, generally on the bank of a 
 river and in an agreable situation. 
 
 AH the houses were uniform, built of stone, 
 and of a single story ; the streets were spacious 
 and straight. In the centre of the village was 
 the public square, formed by the church, the 
 habitation of the missionnaries, the arsenal, 
 
CHRISTIAN REPUBLIC 65 
 
 the granary^ the House of Refuge, and the inn 
 for strangers. The churches were handsome, and 
 highly ornamented ; the walls were covered 
 with pictures, separated by festoons of natural 
 foliage* On festivals, perfumed waters were 
 sprinkled in the nave, and the sanctuary was 
 strewed with the flowers of lianas. 
 
 The cemetery, situated behind the church, 
 formed an oblong square, enclosed with walls 
 about breast high. It was bordered all round, by 
 an alley of palm-trees and cypresses, and inter- 
 sected longitudinally, by other alleys of lemon 
 and orange trees. That in the middle led to a 
 chapel, where there was celebrated, every mon- 
 day, a mass for the dead. 
 
 From the end of the streets of the village, 
 avenues of the finest and largest trees led to 
 other chapels, in the country, and which could 
 be seen in the distance. These religious monu- 
 ments served as boundaries to the processions, 
 on occasions of extraordinary solemnity. 
 
 On Sunday, after the mass, the ceremonies of 
 betrothing and marriage were performed ; and 
 in the evening the catechumens and infants were 
 
66 **RERUM NOVARUM" 
 
 baptized in the same manner as in the primitive 
 church, with three immersions, with singing 
 and the use of the white costume. 
 
 The principal festivals were announced by 
 extraordinary parades. On the preceding even- 
 ing, bonfires were kindled, the streets were illu- 
 minated, and the children danced on the public 
 square. Next morning, at day-break, the soldiers 
 appeared under arms. The war<acique, who 
 headed them was mounted on a stately charger^ 
 and proceeded under a canopy borne by two 
 horsemen at his side. At noon, after divine serv- 
 ice, an entertainment was given to such strangers 
 as happened to be present, and a small quantity of 
 wine was allowed to be used. In the evening there 
 was the race of the ring, at which the two fathers 
 were present to deliver t*.e prizes to the victors; 
 and as soon as it was dark, they gave the signal 
 for retiring, at which all these happy and peace- 
 ful families repaired to their homes to enjoy the 
 sweets of repose 
 
 Under a Government so paternal and so anal- 
 ogous to the simple and pompous nature of the 
 savage, it is not surprising that the new Qiris- 
 
CHRISTIAN REPUBLIC 67 
 
 tians were the purest and the happiest of men. The 
 change which tcx)k place in their habits and mor- 
 als was a miracle in the eyes of the New World. 
 That spirit of cruelty and vengeance, that sub- 
 jection to the grossest vices, which characterize 
 the Indian tribes, were transformed into a spirit 
 of meekness, patience and chastity. We may 
 form some idea of their virtues from an expres- 
 sion of the Bishop of Buenos- Ayres in a letter 
 to the King of Spain : — ''Sire, ** said he, ''among 
 those numerous tribes of Indians, who are na- 
 turally prone to all sorts of vice, there prevails 
 so much innocence, that I do not think they ever 
 commit a mortal sin.'' 
 
 In these communities of Christian Indians, 
 there were neither law-suits nor quarrels. Even 
 the distinctions of " mine " and " thine " were 
 unknown ; for, as Charlevoix observes, he pos- 
 sesses nothing of his own, who is always ready 
 to share the little he has, with those who are in 
 want^ Abundantly supplied with all the necessa- 
 ries of life, governed by the same persons who had 
 rescued them from barbarism, and whom they 
 justly regarded as a kind of divinities, indulging 
 
68 **RERUM NO VARUM" 
 
 the best feelings, of nature in the bosom of their 
 families, and among their countrymen at large, 
 enjoying the advantage of civilized life, without 
 having ever quitted the deserts, and the pleasures 
 of society without having lost those of solitude, 
 these Indians might boast of a happiness un- 
 precedented in the world. Hospitality, friendship, 
 justice and the tender virtues, flowed naturally 
 from their hearts under the influence of Religion, 
 as the ripe fruit of the olive falls by the action of 
 the winds* Muratori has in one single word 
 portrayed this Christian commonwealth by en- 
 titling the description he has, given of it : '* II 
 Christianesimo Felice/' 
 
 In perusing this history, we seem to have but 
 one desire — namely, to cross the ocean, and, far 
 distant from troubles and revolutions, to seek an 
 obscure life in the huts of these savages, and a 
 peaceful grave under the palm-trees of the ceme- 
 teries. 
 
 But no deserts are so solitary, nor seas so vast 
 as to secure man from the afflictions that pursue 
 him. Whenever we describe the happiness of a 
 nation, we must at last come to the catastrophe ; 
 
CHRISTIAN REPUBLIC 69 
 
 amid the most pleasing pictures, the heart of the 
 writer is harrowed by this melancholy reflection 
 which is incessantly recurring : ** AH this is no 
 more/' 
 
 The missions of Paraguay are destroyed, the 
 savages, assembled together with so much trou- 
 ble are again wandering in the woods, or buried 
 alive in the bowels of the earth; and this de- 
 struction of one of the fairest works, ever pro- 
 duced by the hand of man, has been applauded. 
 
 It was a creation of Christianity, a field fertil- 
 ized by the blood of Apostles ; this was enough to 
 make it an object of hatred and contempt. Nev- 
 ertheless at the very moment when infidelity tri- 
 umphed at the sight of Indians, consigned, in the 
 New World, to an execrable servitude, all Eu- 
 rope re-echoed its pretended philanthropy and 
 love of liberty I These disgraceful variations of 
 human nature, according as it is actuated by con- 
 trary passions, stupify the soul, and would be suf- 
 cientto excite a hatred of our species, were we to 
 keep our eyes too long fixed upon them. Let us then 
 rather say that we are weak creatures, that the 
 ways of the Almighty are inscrutable, and that 
 
70 "RERUM NOVARUM'' 
 
 He is pleased to try his servants. While we here 
 indulge «Dur grief, the simple Christians of Para- 
 guay, now buried in the mines of Potosi, arc 
 doubtless adoring the hand that has smitten them, 
 and, by their patient endurance of affliction, are 
 acquiring a place in that Republic of the Saints, 
 which is beyond the reach of the persecutions 
 of men/' 
 
 CHATEAUBRIAND. 
 
WE WANT I 
 
 HE Jesuit Fathers solved many problems 
 
 MM^^A ^^ these missions. 
 SO^R! Wc see the forethought of Joseph 
 ^^ ^ ^ ' in Egypt^ exemplified by their provid- 
 ing for future contingencies^ by means of the Pub- 
 lic Estate called the ** Possession of God/' 
 
 We see t^em owning their homes, as 
 suggested in this paper. 
 
 We see the agricultural schools, the 
 trade schools ; the arts of music and dan- 
 cing taught to these rude Indians. 
 
 We see them brought back to the condi- 
 tions of the early Christians as regard mo- 
 ralty and virtue, — while cultivating the 
 art of war, or rather of defence ; — and 
 all the while, amusements, recreation, 
 feasts and rejoicings form a good portion 
 of the lives of this happy people. 
 
72 *-RERUM NOVARUM^' 
 
 While, of course, such a state of things could 
 not exist in our country to-day, many features 
 might serve as models, such as the musical and 
 the artistic culture of the children, and the amuse- 
 ments and recreation provided for all, but beyond 
 all others the Public Estate or ** Possession of 
 God/' 
 
 Why could not our Federal Government set 
 aside, and cultivate a million of acres of wheat 
 lands in the North West, on joint shares say, 
 with natives of Canada and apply the profits to 
 the old age pensions ? 
 
 Why could not our Governments set aside 
 and exploit some of our timber lands on joint 
 account with the workingmen ? 
 
 And the same with our mines ? 
 
 This would provide work for some of the 
 unemployed and give a start in life to many a 
 young beginner. 
 
 And Poverty would soon cease to exist. Our 
 people are industrious and only require to be 
 helped a little, and, in comparison with the peo- 
 ple of other countries, it is easy to help them. 
 
 But I hear at once a storm of objections raised 
 
WE WANT 73 
 
 concerning the evils of Paternal Government, 
 and how detrimental it would be to individual 
 effort, causing people to rely on the Government, 
 instead of themselves. 
 
 How shallow is this pretext ! as if every In- 
 dustry in the country did not cry for protection, 
 — and get it, too ! 
 
 A manufactory is to be started. It immediately 
 seeks for a municipal bonus and exemption of 
 taxes. The Railways are built almost entirely of 
 subsidies, voted by Parliament and the Legisla- 
 tures, out of the money of the people, and arc 
 then owned by private corporations ; steamship 
 lines are subsidized with it; the Government 
 is willing to make sacrifices of revenue to obtain 
 a lower rate of postage on letters, chiefly in the 
 interest of commerce, and even the banks are 
 calling for a reduction of the rate of interest on 
 the people^s deposits in the P. O. Savings De- 
 partment. 
 
 Now the fulness of the time has come to take 
 up the labour question, and, by applying the 
 principles of justice, give hope and courage and 
 ambition, and comfort to the large numbers as 
 well as to the favoured few. 
 
74 "RERUM NOVARUM" 
 
 The working people of this New World arc 
 not of the kind, that can be held in subjection, by 
 a large supply of opium, of cheap beer, or of 
 whisky ; and what a tremendous power would 
 be generated if they once realized their strength, 
 and undertook to become organized. 
 
 The CREATOR has bestowed on us an 
 abundant heritage ; there is ample room for every 
 one, and there is enough wealth to go around. 
 
 WE WANT our administrators to work 
 towards obtaining for all classes and each class, 
 both old and young, a fair and proportionate 
 share of this heritage ; 
 
 WE WANT every head of a family to be 
 able to procure a homestead with some vacant 
 land attached ; 
 
 WE WANT a rate of penny tram fares to 
 get there, whether inside or outside of the city ; 
 
 WE WANT every head of a family whose 
 life is insurable, to be able to get Insurance at 
 cost price ; 
 
WE WANT 75 
 
 WE WANT to be able to procure a pension 
 for every man and woman in their old age ; 
 
 WE WANT everybody to have it their pow- 
 er to become independent ; 
 
 WE WANT to retain every Canadian in 
 this country^ by making it more advantageous 
 to remain here than to emigrate, and then immi- 
 gration will flow in. 
 
 We have been working together as confed- 
 erated Provinces since J 867. 
 
 In another year, our form of Government will 
 have attained the full maturity of 33 years. 
 
 A retrospective glance will show that the 
 wealth of the country has been increased rap- 
 idly, and largely, and will continue to do so in 
 the future. 
 
 The curse of the present decade the world 
 over, is the centralization of wealth in the hands 
 of a few, making the rich man richer, and the 
 poor man poorer. 
 
 However in Canada, we have not yet become 
 callous and blinded by self interest. 
 
76 " i^ERUM NOVARUM ** 
 
 Morover, we cannot afford to hang back, when 
 the Government of the United Kingdom, gener- 
 ally so slow to move, has already taken up a 
 Homestead plan, and is considering the subject 
 of old age pensions, while little New-21caland 
 has already put a law on this last subject on 
 its Statute Books. 
 
 Onward ! then, and our force is irresistible ! 
 
 Difficulties shall disappear ; obstacles shall be 
 swept away. 
 
 The rising flood of justice to all men will set 
 limits to the greed of the individual, and fill up 
 the yawning gaps and voids in the lives and 
 conditions of the humble and of the weak. 
 
 Let us begin by the Beginning ! 
 
 Let us strike one mighty blow at the root of 
 the eUt ! 
 
 Let us present our united demand that our Fed- 
 eral Government establish a Department in the 
 public service, under the contiol of a Minister of 
 Labour and Industry* 
 
WE WANT 
 
 77 
 
 This department will be the foundation of a 
 vast edifice consecrated to the solution and 
 working out of the greatest question of the cen- 
 tt4ry : — the relation of Labour to Capital, — the 
 up-lifting of the workingman ! 
 
 
» ■> 
 
 < • * • 
 
 i 
 : ' > ' '■ : 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PREFACE V 
 
 '^RERUM NOVARUM'^ J 
 
 OUR COUNTRY . ♦ . U 
 
 INDEPENDENCE J7 
 
 THE DUTY OF GOVERNMENTS 23 
 
 A HOMESTEAD FOR ALL 27 
 
 A NEW SYSTEM OF LIFE INSURANCE . . , ♦ 33 
 
 PROVISION FOR DECLINING YEARS 4J 
 
 THE REDUCTIONS OF PARAGUAY 45 
 
 CHRISTIAN REPUBLIC 55 
 
 WE WANT I 7J