Ludovico Ariosto - "Orlando Furioso"

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse - "Psmith, Journalist"

Mitzi Perdue - "The Perdue Chicken Cookbook"

William Gardner - "The Life of Stephen A. Douglas"

New Philadelphia Book Publisher Highlights Local Talent
Book and Publishing News from Publishers Newswire(tm)

Looking for Child to be on Cover of a New Book, 'The Model Child'
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Philadelphia literary world will celebrate the launch of two new players today, April 10th: Kay Square Press, a new publishing company focused on Philadelphia-area artists, their stories, and their art; and Kay Square's first release, 'With the Rich and Mighty: Emlen Etting of Philadelphia' (ISBN: 978-0-9815129-0-7), a critical biography by Kenneth C. Kaleta.

FlatSigned Press Alleges Don Imus Remarks Damage Legacy of President Gerald R. Ford
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Nathan Yungerberg, an accomplished model scout and professional child photographer is launching a nation-wide casting call to find the cover model for his highly anticipated book release, 'The Model Child: A Parents Guide to the Child Modeling Industry' (ISBN: 978-0-9817018-0-6).

Books: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists

R >> Robert Tressell >> The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists




`The next question is - Are we short of labour? Is there not a
sufficient number of people able and willing to work? Or is there not
enough machinery?

`The answers to these questions are - There are plenty of people able
and willing to work, and there is plenty of machinery!

`These things being so, how comes this extraordinary result? How is
it that the benefits of civilization are not produced in sufficient
quantity to satisfy the needs of all? How is it that the majority of
the people always have to go without most of the refinements,
comforts, and pleasures of life, and very often without even the bare
necessaries of existence?

`Plenty of materials - Plenty of Labour - Plenty of Machinery - and,
nearly everybody going short of nearly everything!

`The cause of this extraordinary state of affairs is that although we
possess the means of producing more than abundance for all, we also
have an imbecile system of managing our affairs.

`The present Money System prevents us from doing the necessary work,
and consequently causes the majority of the population to go short of
the things that can be made by work. They suffer want in the midst of
the means of producing abundance. They remain idle because they are
bound and fettered with a chain of gold.

`Let us examine the details of this insane, idiotic, imbecile system.'

Owen now asked Philpot to pass him a piece of charred wood from under
the grate, and having obtained what he wanted, he drew upon the wall a
quadrangular figure about four feet in length and one foot deep. The
walls of the kitchen had not yet been cleaned off, so it did not
matter about disfiguring them.

+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| This represents the whole of the adult population of the country |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+

`To find out the cause of the shortage in this country of the things
that can be made by work it is first of all necessary to find out how
people spend their time. Now this square represents the whole of the
adult population of this country. There are many different classes of
people, engaged in a great number of different occupations. Some of
them are helping to produce the benefits of civilization, and some are
not. All these people help to consume these things, but when we
inquire into their occupations we shall find that although the
majority are workers, only a comparatively small number are engaged in
actually producing either the benefits of civilization or the
necessaries of life.' ...

Order being once more restored, the lecturer turned again to the
drawing on the wall and stretched out his hand, evidently with the
intention of making some addition to it, but instead of doing so lie
paused irresolutely, and faltering, let his arm drop down again by his
side.

An absolute, disconcerting silence reigned. His embarrassment and
nervousness increased. He knew that they were unwilling to hear or
talk or think about such subjects as the cause of poverty at all.
They preferred to make fun of and ridicule them. He knew they would
refuse to try to see the meaning of what he wished to say if it were
at all difficult or obscure. How was he to put it to them so that
they would HAVE to understand it whether they wished to or not. It
was almost impossible.

It would be easy enough to convince them if they would only take a
LITTLE trouble and try to understand, but he knew that they certainly
would not `worry' themselves about such a subject as this; it was not
as if it were some really important matter, such as a smutty story, a
game of hooks and rings or shove-ha'penny, something concerning
football or cricket, horse-racing or the doings of some Royal
personage or aristocrat.

The problem of the cause of poverty was only something that concerned
their own and their children's future welfare. Such an unimportant
matter, being undeserving of any earnest attention, must be put before
them so clearly and plainly that they would be compelled to understand
it at a glance; and it was almost impossible to do it.

Observing his hesitation, some of the men began to snigger. `'E seems
to 'ave got 'isself into a bit of a fog,' remarked Crass in a loud
whisper to Slyme, who laughed.

The sound roused Owen, who resumed:

`All these people help to consume the things produced by labour. We
will now divide them into separate classes. Those who help to
produce; those who do nothing, those who do harm, and those who are
engaged in unnecessary work.'

`And,' sneered Crass, `those who are engaged in unnecessary talk.'

`First we will separate those who not only do nothing, but do not even
pretend to be of any use; people who would consider themselves
disgraced if they by any chance did any useful work. This class
includes tramps, beggars, the "Aristocracy", "Society" people, great
landowners, and generally all those possessed of hereditary wealth.'

As he spoke he drew a vertical line across one end of the oblong.


+------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| Tramps | |
| Beggars | |
| Society | |
| People | |
| Aristoc- | |
| racy | |
| Great | |
| Landowners | |
| All those | |
| possessed | |
| of | |
| hereditary | |
| wealth | |
+------------+-----------------------------------------------------+

`These people do absolutely nothing except devour or enjoy the things
produced by the labours of others.

`Our next division represents those who do work of a kind - "mental"
work if you like to call it so - work that benefits themselves and
harms other people. Employers - or rather Exploiters of Labour;
Thieves, Swindlers, Pickpockets; profit seeking share-holders;
burglars; Bishops; Financiers; Capitalists, and those persons
humorously called "Ministers" of religion. If you remember that the
word "minister" means "servant" you will be able to see the joke.

1 2
+------------+-------------+---------------------------------------+
| Tramps | Exploiters | |
| Beggars | of Labour | |
| Society | Thieves | |
| People | Swindlers | |
| Aristoc- | Pickpockets | |
| racy | Burglars | |
| Great | Bishops | |
| Landowners | Financiers | |
| All those | Capitalists | |
| possessed | Share- | |
| of | holders | |
| hereditary | Ministers | |
| wealth | of religion | |
+------------+-------------+---------------------------------------+

`None of these people produce anything themselves, but by means of
cunning and scheming they contrive between them to obtain possession
of a very large portion of the things produced by the labour of others.

`Number three stands for those who work for wages or salaries, doing
unnecessary work. That is, producing things or doing things which -
though useful and necessary to the Imbecile System - cannot be
described as the necessaries of life or the benefits of civilization.
This is the largest section of all. It comprises Commercial
Travellers, Canvassers, Insurance agents, commission agents, the great
number of Shop Assistants, the majority of clerks, workmen employed in
the construction and adornment of business premises, people occupied
with what they call "Business", which means being very busy without
producing anything. Then there is a vast army of people engaged in
designing, composing, painting or printing advertisements, things
which are for the most part of no utility whatever, the object of most
advertisements is merely to persuade people to buy from one firm
rather than from another. If you want some butter it doesn't matter
whether you buy it from Brown or Jones or Robinson.'

1 2 3
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------------------+
| Tramps | Exploiters | All those | |
| Beggars | of Labour | engaged in | |
| Society | Thieves | unnecessary | |
| People | Swindlers | work | |
| Aristoc- | Pickpockets | | |
| racy | Burglars | | |
| Great | Bishops | | |
| Landowners | Financiers | | |
| All those | Capitalists | | |
| possessed | Share- | | |
| of | holders | | |
| hereditary | Ministers | | |
| wealth | of religion | | |
+------------+-------------+-------------+-------------------------+

During the delivery of this pert of the lecture, the audience began to
manifest symptoms of impatience and dissent. Perceiving this, Owen,
speaking very rapidly, continued:

`If you go down town, you will see half a dozen drapers' shops within
a stone's-throw of each other - often even next door to each other -
all selling the same things. You can't possibly think that all those
shops are really necessary? You know that one of them would serve the
purpose for which they are all intended - to store and serve as a
centre for the distribution of the things that are made by work. If
you will admit that five out of the six shops are not really
necessary, you must also admit that the men who built them, and the
salesmen and women or other assistants engaged in them, and the men
who design and write and print their advertisements are all doing
unnecessary work; all really wasting their time and labour, time and
labour that might be employed in helping to produce these things that
we are at present short of. You must admit that none of these people
are engaged in producing either the necessaries of life or the
benefits of civilization. They buy them, and sell them, and handle
them, and haggle over, them, and display them, in the plate glass
windows of "Stores" and "Emporiums" and make profit out of them, and
use them, but these people themselves produce nothing that is
necessary to life or happiness, and the things that some of them do
produce are only necessary to the present imbecile system.'

`What the 'ell sort of a bloody system do you think we ought to 'ave,
then?' interrupted the man on the pail.

`Yes: you're very good at finding fault,' sneered Slyme, `but why
don't you tell us 'ow it's all going to be put right?'

`Well, that's not what we're talking about now, is it?' replied Owen.
`At present we're only trying to find out how it is that there is not
sufficient produced for everyone to have enough of the things that are
made by work. Although most of the people in number three work very
hard, they produce Nothing.'

`This is a lot of bloody rot!' exclaimed Crass, impatiently.

`Even if there is more shops than what's actually necessary,' cried
Harlow, `it all helps people to get a livin'! If half of 'em was shut
up, it would just mean that all them what works there would be out of
a job. Live and let live, I say: all these things makes work.'

`'Ear, 'ear,' shouted the man behind the moat.

`Yes, I know it makes "work",' replied Owen, `but we can't live on
mere "work", you know. To live in comfort we need a sufficiency of
the things that can be made by work. A man might work very hard and
yet be wasting his time if he were not producing something necessary
or useful.

`Why are there so many shops and stores and emporiums? Do you imagine
they exist for the purpose of giving those who build them, or work in
them, a chance to earn a living? Nothing of the sort. They are
carried on, and exorbitant prices are charged for the articles they
sell, to enable the proprietors to amass fortunes, and to pay
extortionate rents to the landlords. That is why the wages and
salaries of nearly all those who do the work created by these
businesses are cut down to the lowest possible point.'

`We knows all about that,' said Crass, `but you can't get away from it
that all these things makes Work; and that's what we wants - Plenty of
Work.'

Cries of `'Ear, 'ear,' and expressions of dissent from the views
expressed by the lecturer resounded through the room, nearly everyone
speaking at the same time. After a while, when the row had in some
measure subsided, Owen resumed:

`Nature has not provided ready-made all the things necessary for the
life and happiness of mankind. In order to obtain these things we
have to Work. The only rational labour is that which is directed to
the creation of those things. Any kind of work which does not help us
to attain this object is a ridiculous, idiotic, criminal, imbecile,
waste of time.

`That is what the great army of people represented by division number
three are doing at present: they are all very busy - working very
hard - but to all useful intents and purposes they are doing Nothing.'

`Well, all right,' said Harlow. `'Ave it yer own way, but there's no
need to keep on repeating the same thing over an' over again.'

`The next division,' resumed Owen, `stands for those who are engaged
in really useful work - the production of the benefits of
civilization - the necessaries, refinements and comforts of life.'

1 2 3 4
+------------+-------------+-------------+------------+------------+
| Tramps | Exploiters | All those | All those | |
| Beggars | of Labour | engaged in | engaged in | |
| Society | Thieves | unnecessary | necessary | U |
| People | Swindlers | work | work - the | N |
| Aristoc- | Pickpockets | | production | E |
| racy | Burglars | | of the | M |
| Great | Bishops | | benefits | P |
| Landowners | Financiers | | of | L |
| All those | Capitalists | | civiliz- | O |
| possessed | Share- | | ation | Y |
| of | holders | | | E |
| hereditary | Ministers | | | D |
| wealth | of religion | | | |
+------------+-------------+-------------+------------+------------+

`Hooray!' shouted Philpot, leading off a cheer which was taken up
enthusiastically by the crowd, `Hooray! This is where WE comes in,'
he added, nodding his head and winking his goggle eyes at the meeting.

`I wish to call the chairman to horder,' said the man on the pail.

When Owen had finished writing in the list of occupations several
members of the audience rose to point out that those engaged in the
production of beer had been omitted. Owen rectified this serious
oversight and proceeded:

`As most of the people in number four are out of work at least one
quarter of their time, we must reduce the size of this division by one
fourth - so. The grey part represents the unemployed.'

`But some of those in number three are often unemployed as well,' said
Harlow.

Yes: but as THEY produce nothing even when they are at work we need
not trouble to classify them unemployed, because our present purpose
is only to discover the reason why there is not enough produced for
everyone to enjoy abundance; and this - the Present System of
conducting our affairs - is the reason of the shortage - the cause of
poverty. When you reflect that all the other people are devouring the
things produced by those in number four - can you wonder that there is
not plenty for all?'

`"Devouring" is a good word,' said Philpot, and the others laughed.

The lecturer now drew a small square upon the wall below the other
drawing. This square he filled in solid black.

1 2 3 4
+------------+-------------+-------------+------------+------------+
| Tramps | Exploiters | All those | All those | |
| Beggars | of Labour | engaged in | engaged in | |
| Society | Thieves | unnecessary | necessary | U |
| People | Swindlers | work | work - the | N |
| Aristoc- | Pickpockets | | production | E |
| racy | Burglars | | of the | M |
| Great | Bishops | | benefits | P |
| Landowners | Financiers | | of | L |
| All those | Capitalists | | civiliz- | O |
| possessed | Share- | | ation | Y |
| of | holders | | | E |
| hereditary | Ministers | | | D |
| wealth | of religion | | | |
+------------+-------------+-------------+------------+------------+

##############
##############
##############
This represents the total ##############
of the things produced by ##############
the people in division 4. ##############

`This represents the total amount of the benefits of civilization and
necessaries of life produced by the people in number four. We now
proceed to "Share Out" the things in the same way as they are actually
divided amongst the different classes of the population under the
present imbecile system.

`As the people in divisions one and two are universally considered to
be the most worthy and deserving we give them - two-thirds of the
whole.

`The remainder we give to be "Shared Out" amongst the people
represented by divisions three and four.

1 2 3 4
+------------+-------------+-------------+------------+------------+
| Tramps | Exploiters | All those | All those | |
| Beggars | of Labour | engaged in | engaged in | |
| Society | Thieves | unnecessary | necessary | U |
| People | Swindlers | work | work - the | N |
| Aristoc- | Pickpockets | | production | E |
| racy | Burglars | | of the | M |
| Great | Bishops | | benefits | P |
| Landowners | Financiers | | of | L |
| All those | Capitalists | | civiliz- | O |
| possessed | Share- | | ation | Y |
| of | holders | | | E |
| hereditary | Ministers | | | D |
| wealth | of religion | | | |
+------------+-------------+-------------+------------+------------+
\___________ ____________/ \___________ ___________/
\/ \/
######### #####
######### #####
######### #####
######### #####
######### #####
######### #####
How the things produced by the people in division 4 are `shared
out' amongst the different classes of the population.

`Now you mustn't run away with the idea that the people in three and
four take their share quietly and divide the things equally between
them. Not at all. Some get very little, some none, some more than a
fair share. It is in these two divisions that the ferocious "Battle
of Life" ranges most fiercely; and of course in this battle the weak
and the virtuous fare the worst. Even those whose exceptional
abilities or opportunities enable them to succeed, are compelled to
practise selfishness, because a man of exceptional ability who was not
selfish would devote his abilities to relieving the manifest
sufferings of others, and not to his own profit, and if he did the
former he would not be successful in the sense that the world
understands the word. All those who really seek to "Love their
neighbour as themselves", or to return good for evil, the gentle, the
kind, and all those who refrain from doing to others the things they
would not like to suffer themselves; all these are of necessity found
amongst the vanquished; because only the worst - only those who are
aggressive, cunning, selfish and mean are fitted to survive. And all
these people in numbers three and four are so fully occupied in this
dreadful struggle to secure a little, that but few of them pause to
inquire why there are not more of the things they are fighting for, or
why it is necessary to fight like this at all!'

For a few minutes silence prevailed, each man's mind being busy trying
to think of some objection to the lecturer's arguments.

`How could the small number of people in number one and two consume as
much as you've given 'em in your drorin'?' demanded Crass.

`They don't actually consume all of it,' replied Owen. `Much of it is
wantonly wasted. They also make fortunes by selling some of it in
foreign countries; but they consume a great part of it themselves,
because the amount of labour expended on the things enjoyed by these
people is greater than that expended in the production of the things
used by the workers. Most of the people who do nothing get the best
of everything. More than three-quarters of the time of the working
classes is spent in producing the things used by the wealthy. Compare
the quality and quantity of the clothing possessed by the wife or
daughter of a rich man with that of the wife or daughter of a worker.
The time and labour spent on producing the one is twenty times greater
in one case than in the other; and it's the same with everything else.
Their homes, their clothing, boots, hats, jewellery, and their food.
Everything must be of the very best that art or long and painful
labour can produce. But for most of those whose labour produces all
these good things - anything is considered good enough. For
themselves, the philanthropic workers manufacture shoddy cloth - that
is, cheap cloth made of old rags and dirt; and shoddy, uncomfortable
ironclad boots. If you see a workman wearing a really good suit of
clothes you may safely conclude that he is either leading an unnatural
life - that is, he is not married - or that he has obtained it from a
tallyman on the hire system and has not yet paid for it - or that it
is someone else's cast-off suit that he has bought second-hand or had
given to him by some charitable person. It's the same with the food.
All the ducks and geese, pheasants, partridges, and all the very best
parts of the very best meat - all the soles and the finest plaice and
salmon and trout -'

`'Ere chuck it,' cried Harlow, fiercely. `We don't want to 'ear no
more of it,' and several others protested against the lecturer wasting
time on such mere details.