第209章

`How long shall they reproach us, where crowd on crowd they dwell Poor ghosts of the wicked city, gold crushed, hungry hell?

`Through squalid life they laboured in sordid grief they died Those sons of a mighty mother, those props of England's pride.

They are gone, there is none can undo it, nor save our souls from the curse, But many a million cometh, and shall they be better or worse?

`It is We must answer and hasten and open wide the door, For the rich man's hurrying terror, and the slow foot hope of the poor, Yea, the voiceless wrath of the wretched and their unlearned discontent, We must give it voice and wisdom, till the waiting tide be spent Come then since all things call us, the living and the dead, And o'er the weltering tangle a glimmering light is shed.'

As Barrington descended from the Pulpit and walked back to his accustomed seat, a loud shout of applause burst from a few men in the crowd, who stood up and waved their caps and cheered again and again.

When order was restored, Philpot rose and addressed the meeting:

`Is there any gentleman wot would like to ask the Speaker a question?'

No one spoke and the Chairman again put the question without obtaining any response, but at length one of the new hands who had been `taken on' about a week previously to replace another painter who had been sacked for being too slow - stood up and said there was one point that he would like a little more information about.This man had two patches on the seat of his trousers, which were also very much frayed and ragged at the bottoms of the legs: the lining of his coat was all in rags, as were also the bottoms of the sleeves; his boots were old and had been many times mended and patched; the sole of one of them had begun to separate from the upper and he had sewn these parts together with a few stitches of copper wire.He had been out of employment for several weeks and it was evident from the pinched expression of his still haggard face that during that time he had not had sufficient to eat.This man was not a drunkard, neither was he one of those semi-mythical persons who are too lazy to work.He was married and had several children.One of them, a boy of fourteen years old, earned five shillings a week as a light porter at a Grocer's.

Being a householder the man had a vote, but he had never hitherto taken much interest in what he called `politics'.In his opinion, those matters were not for the likes of him.He believed in leaving such difficult subjects to be dealt with by his betters.In his present unhappy condition he was a walking testimonial to the wisdom and virtue and benevolence of those same `betters' who have hitherto managed the affairs of the world with results so very satisfactory for themselves.

`I should like to ask the speaker,' he said, `supposin' all this that 'e talks about is done - what's to become of the King, and the Royal Family, and all the Big Pots?'

`'Ear, 'ear,' cried Crass, eagerly - and Ned Dawson and the man behind the moat both said that that was what they would like to know, too.

`I am much more concerned about what is to become of ourselves if these things are not done,' replied Barrington.`I think we should try to cultivate a little more respect of our own families and to concern ourselves a little less about "Royal" Families.I fail to see any reason why we should worry ourselves about those people; they're all right - they have all they need, and as far as I am aware, nobody wishes to harm them and they are well able to look after themselves.

They will fare the same as the other rich people.'

`I should like to ask,' said Harlow, `wot's to become of all the gold and silver and copper money? Wouldn't it be of no use at all?'

`It would be of far more use under Socialism than it is at present.

The State would of course become possessed of a large quantity of it in the early stages of the development of the Socialist system, because - at first - while the State would be paying all its officers and productive workers in paper, the rest of the community - those not in State employ - would be paying their taxes in gold as at present.

All travellers on the State railways - other than State employees -would pay their fares in metal money, and gold and silver would pour into the State Treasury from many other sources.The State would receive gold and silver and - for the most part - pay out paper.By the time the system of State employment was fully established, gold and silver would only be of value as metal and the State would purchase it from whoever possessed and wished to sell it - at so much per pound as raw material: instead of hiding it away in the vaults of banks, or locking it up in iron safes, we shall make use of it.Some of the gold will be manufactured into articles of jewellery, to be sold for paper money and worn by the sweethearts and wives and daughters of the workers; some of it will be beaten out into gold leaf to be used in the decoration of the houses of the citizens and of public buildings.As for the silver, it will be made into various articles of utility for domestic use.The workers will not then, as now, have to eat their food with poisonous lead or brass spoons and forks, we shall have these things of silver and if there is not enough silver we shall probably have a non-poisonous alloy of that metal.'

`As far as I can make out,' said Harlow, `the paper money will be just as valuable as gold and silver is now.Well, wot's to prevent artful dodgers like old Misery and Rushton saving it up and buying and selling things with it, and so livin' without work?'

`Of course,' said Crass, scornfully.`It would never do!'