e　legislator　sees　only　the　rarity　of　the　function。　　Now；　rarity　of　function　bestows　no　privilege　upon　the　functionary；　and　that　for　several　reasons；　all　equally　forcible。
  1。　Rarity　of　genius　was　not；　in　the　Creator's　design；　a　motive　to　compel　society　to　go　down　on　its　knees　before　the　man　of　superior　talents；　but　a　providential　means　for　the　performance　of　all　functions　to　the　greatest　advantage　of　all。
  2。　Talent　is　a　creation　of　society　rather　than　a　gift　of　Nature；　it　is　an　accumulated　capital；　of　which　the　receiver　is　only　the　guardian。　　Without　society；without　the　education　and　powerful　assistance　which　it　furnishes；the　finest　nature　would　be　inferior　to　the　most　ordinary　capacities　in　the　very　respect　in　which　it　ought　to　shine。　　The　more　extensive　a　man's　knowledge；　the　more　luxuriant　his　imagination；　the　more　versatile　his　talent；the　more　costly　has　his　education　been；　the　more　remarkable　and　numerous　were　his　teachers　and　his　models；　and　the　greater　is　his　debt。　　The　farmer　produces　from　the　time　that　he　leaves　his　cradle　until　he　enters　his　grave：　the　fruits　of　art　and　science　are　late　and　scarce；　frequently　the　tree　dies　before　the　fruit　ripens。　　Society；　in　cultivating　talent；　makes　a　sacrifice　to　hope。
  3。　Capacities　have　no　common　standard　of　comparison：　the　conditions　of　development　being　equal；　inequality　of　talent　is　simply　speciality　of　talent。
  4。　Inequality　of　wages；　like　the　right　of　increase；　is　economically　impossible。　　Take　the　most　favorable　case；that　where　each　laborer　has　furnished　his　maximum　production；　that　there　may　be　an　equitable　distribution　of　products；　the　share　of　each　must　be　equal　to　the　quotient　of　the　total　production　divided　by　the　number　of　laborers。　　This　done；　what　remains　wherewith　to　pay　the　higher　wages？　　Nothing　whatever。
  Will　it　be　said　that　all　laborers　should　be　taxed？　　But；　then；　their　consumption　will　not　be　equal　to　their　production；　their　wages　will　not　pay　for　their　productive　service；　they　will　not　be　able　to　repurchase　their　product；　and　we　shall　once　more　be　afflicted　with　all　the　calamities　of　property。　　I　do　not　speak　of　the　injustice　done　to　the　defrauded　laborer；　of　rivalry；　of　excited　ambition；　and　burning　hatred；these　may　all　be　important　considerations；　but　they　do　not　hit　the　point。
  On　the　one　hand；　each　laborer's　task　being　short　and　easy；　and　the　means　for　its　successful　accomplishment　being　equal　in　all　cases；　how　could　there　be　large　and　small　producers？　　On　the　other　hand；　all　functions　being　equal；　either　on　account　of　the　actual　equivalence　of　talents　and　capacities；　or　on　account　of　social　co…operation；　how　could　a　functionary　claim　a　salary　proportional　to　the　worth　of　his　genius？
  But；　what　do　I　say？　　In　equality　wages　are　always　proportional　to　talents。　　What　is　the　economical　meaning　of　wages？　　The　reproductive　consumption　of　the　laborer。　　The　very　act　by　which　the　laborer　produces　constitutes；　then；　this　consumption；　exactly　equal　to　his　production；　of　which　we　are　speaking。　　When　the　astronomer　produces　observations；　the　poet　verses；　or　the　savant　experiments；　they　consume　instruments；　books；　travels；　&c。；　&c。；　now；　if　society　supplies　this　consumption；　what　more　can　the　astronomer；　the　savant；　or　the　poet　demand？　　We　must　conclude；　then；　that　in　equality；　and　only　in　equality；　St。　Simon's　adageTO　EACH　ACCORDING　TO　HIS　CAPACITY　TO　EACH　CAPACITY　ACCORDING　TO　ITS　RESULTSfinds　its　full　and　complete　application。
  III。　The　great　evilthe　horrible　and　ever…present　evilarising　from　property；　is　that；　while　property　exists；　population；　however　reduced；　is；　and　always　must　be；　over…abundant。　　Complaints　have　been　made　in　all　ages　of　the　excess　of　population；　in　all　ages　property　has　been　embarrassed　by　the　presence　of　pauperism；　not　perceiving　that　it　caused　it。　　Further；nothing　is　more　curious　than　the　diversity　of　the　plans　proposed　for　its　extermination。　　Their　atrocity　is　equalled　only　by　their　absurdity。
  The　ancients　made　a　practice　of　abandoning　their　children。　　The　wholesale　and　retail　slaughter　of　slaves；　civil　and　foreign　wars；　also　lent　their　aid。　　In　Rome　（where　property　held　full　sway）；　these　three　means　were　employed　so　effectively；　and　for　so　long　a　time；　that　finally　the　empire　found　itself　without　inhabitants。　　When　the　barbarians　arrived；　nobody　was　to　be　found；　the　fields　were　no　longer　cultivated；　grass　grew　in　the　streets　of　the　Italian　cities。
  In　China；　from　time　immemorial；　upon　famine　alone　has　devolved　the　task　of　sweeping　away　the　poor。　　The　people　living　almost　exclusively　upon　rice；　if　an　accident　causes　the　crop　to　fail；　in　a　few　days　hunger　kills　the　inhabitants　by　myriads；　and　the　Chinese　historian　records　in　the　annals　of　the　empire；　that　in　such　a　year　of　such　an　emperor　twenty；　thirty；　fifty；　one　hundred　thousand　inhabitants　died　of　starvation。　　Then　they　bury　the　dead；　and　recommence　the　production　of　children　until　another　famine　leads　to　the　same　result。　　Such　appears　to　have　been；　in　all　ages；　the　Confucian　economy。
  I　borrow　the　following　facts　from　a　modern　economist：
  〃Since　the　fourteenth　and　fifteenth　centuries；　England　has　been　preyed　upon　by　pauperism。　　At　that　time　beggars　were　punished　by　law。〃　　Nevertheless；　she　had　not　one…fourth　as　large　a　population　as　she　has　to…day。
  〃Edward　prohibits　alms…giving；　on　pain　of　imprisonment。　。　。　。　　The　laws　of　1547　and　1656　prescribe　a　like　punishment；　in　case　of　a　second　offence。　　Elizabeth　orders　that　each　parish　shall　support　its　own　paupers。　　But　what　is　a　pauper？　　Charles　II。　decides　that　an　UNDISPUTED　residence　of　forty　days　constitutes　a　settlement　in　a　parish；　but；　if　disputed；　the　new…comer　is　forced　to　pack　off。　　James　II。　modifies　this　decision；　which　is　again　modified　by　William。　　In　the　midst　of　trials；　reports；　and　modifications；　pauperism　increases；　and　the　workingman　languishes　and　dies。
  〃The　poor…tax　in　1774　exceeded　forty　millions　of　francs；　in　1783…　4…5；　it　averaged　fifty…three　millions；　1813；　more　than　a　hundred　and　eighty…seven　millions　five　hundred　thousand　francs；　1816；　two　hundred　and　fifty　millions；　in　1817；　it　is　estimated　at　three　hundred　and　seventeen　millions。
  〃In　1821；　the　number　of　paupers　enrolled　upon　the　parish　lists　was　estimated　at　four　millions；　nearly　one…third　of　the　population。
  〃FRANCE。　　In　1544；　Francis　I。　establishes　a　compulsory　tax　in　behalf　of　the　poor。　　In　1566　and　1586；　the　same　principle　is　applied　to　the　whole　kingdom。
  〃Under　Louis　XIV。；　forty　thousand　paupers　infested　the　capital　＇as　many　in　proportion　as　to…day＇。　　Mendicity　was　punished　severely。　　In　1740；　the　Parliament　of　Paris　re…establishes　within　its　own　jurisdiction　the　compulsory　assessment。
  〃The　Constituent　Assembly；　frightened　at　the　extent　of　the　evil　and　the　difficulty　of　curing　it；　ordains　the　_statu　quo_。
  〃The　Convention　proclaims　assistance　of　the　poor　to　be　a　NATIONAL　DEBT。　　Its　law　remains　unexecuted。
  〃Napoleon　also　wishes　to　remedy　the　evil：　his　idea　is　imprisonment。　　‘In　that　way；'　said　he；　‘I　shall　protect　the　rich　from　the　importunity　of　beggars；　and　shall　relieve　them　of　the　disgusting　sight　of　abject　poverty。'〃　　O　wonderful　man！
  From　these　facts；　which　I　might　multiply　still　farther；　two　things　are　to　be　inferred；the　one；　that　pauperism　is　independent　of　population；　the　other；　that　all　attempts　hitherto　made　at　its　extermination　have　proved　abortive。
  Catholicism　founds　hospitals　and　convents；　and　commands　charity；　that　is；　she　encourages　mendicity。　　That　is　the　extent　of　her　insight　as　voiced　by　her　priests。
  The　secular　power　of　Christian　nations　now　orders　taxes　on　the　rich；　now　banishment　and　imprisonment　for　the　poor；　that　is；　on　the　one　hand；　violation　of　the　right　of　property；　and；　on　the　other；　civil　death　and　murder。
  The　modern　economiststhinking　that　pauperism　is　caused　by　the　excess　of　population；　exclusivelyhave　devoted　themselves　to　devising　checks。　　Some　wish　to　prohibit　the　poor　from　marrying；　thus；having　denounced　religious　celibacy；they　propose　compulsory　celibacy；　which　will　inevitably　become　licentious　celibacy。
  Others　do　not　approve　this　method；　which　they　deem　too　violent；　and　which；　they　say；　deprives　the　poor　man　of　THE　ONLY　PLEASURE　WHICH　HE　KNOWS　IN　THIS　WORLD。　　They　would　simply　recommend　him　to　be　PRUDENT。　　This　opinion　is　held　by　Malthus；　Sismondi；　Say；　Droz；　Duchatel；　&c。　　But　if　the　poor　are　to　be　PRUDENT；　the　rich　must　set　the　example。　　Why　should　the　marriageable　age　of　the　latter　be　fixed　at　eighteen　years；　while　that　of　the　former　is　postponed　until　thirty？
  Again；　they　would　do　well　to　explain　clearly　what　they　mean　by　this　matrimonial　prudence　which　they　so　urgently　recommend　to　the　laborer；　for　here　equivocation　is　especially　dangerous；　and　I　suspect　that　the　economists　are　not　thoroughly　understood。　　〃Some　half…enlightened　ecclesiastics　are　alarmed　when　they　hear　prudence　in　marriage　advised；　they　fear　that　the　divine　injunctionINCREASE　AND　MULTIPLYis　to　be　set　aside。　　To　be　logical；　they　must　anathematize　bachelors。〃　　（J。　Droz：　Political　Economy。）
  M。　Droz　is　too　honest　a　man；　and　too　little　of　a　theologian；　to　see　why　these　casuists　are　so　alarmed；　and　this　chaste　ignorance　is　the　very　best　evidence　of　the　purity　of　his　heart。　　Religion　never　has　enco