The Principles of Population and Production as They are Affected by the Progress of Society

Recapitulation of the last five chapters, and the conclusion

deducible therefrom....

Question of encouragement to agriculture, one of degree..

How much is absolutely necessary in highly advanced

countries

Reasons for thinking that it may be afforded, not only with-
out injury, but with permanent benefit to the state

General conclusion from this argument...

812

....

316

......

Recapitulation and conclusion of the second book

Lord Bacon's opinion concerning the power of states

Comfort and happiness of the people are its foundation

This book shews the specific means of securing these

Summary of Chapter I.

of the remaining Chapters

No physical impossibility of maintaining the people in com-

fort

Moral knowledge and integrity are, however, necessary to

ensure public happiness according to the principles of

this treatise

323

BOOK III.

MORAL CONSEQUENCES DEDUCIBLE FROM THE PRINCIPLES

OF THIS TREATISE.

CHAPTER I.

Application of the third principle:-"that the tendency of

population will neither be materially altered nor diverted

from its natural course (as exhibited in the foregoing

chapters), in a country whose government, laws, and

customs, are founded in the main upon principles of

religion, morality, rational liberty, and security of person

and property; although these principles may obtain only

an imperfect influence

page 324

Progress of society depends upon men's spontaneous ope-

rations

Which must be regulated more by moral than political ex-

Degree of morality necessary to ensure the healthy pro-

gress of society

330

Doubtful nature of what is called political expediency....

Natural selfishness of mankind........

Any principle of conduct allowable on religious and moral

grounds must be politically expedient, and vice versa.. 331

Best mode of answering arguments in which this truth is

overlooked

332

CHAPTER II.

Of the nature and extent of the duty of charity...

Superfluous in this age and country to enlarge upon the na-
ture of charity...

...

Our ideas, however, as well as the commands of Scripture,

appear inconsistent with the conclusions of the author of

the Essay on Population.....

Also the goodness and justice of Divine Providence......

Impression which these conclusions ought to make upon us

even could we not prove them politically inadmissible..

Gratifying, however, to be able to prove them so...

Proofs to this effect drawn from the principles of this
treatise..

.....

Especially with respect to the support of children, the aged,

and the diseased

...

340

To the mitigation or extirpation of mortal diseases...

Enlarged exercise of charity not only free from evil conse-

quences arising out of the principle of population.... 341

But calculated to give force to its beneficial tendency by

the impulse given to industry, and to the moral sensibility

and mutual intercourse of the different ranks of the

people

Illustrated by a fact.

And a serious reflection....

Illustrated by a reference to Ireland...

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING THE EDUCATION OF THE POOR

IN IRELAND, established in DUBLIN ...

Edinburgh Society for educating IRISH Poor

Irish absentees, and other benevolent persons, exhorted to

The communication of religious and moral knowledge;

charity in individuals; but positive political duty on the

part of governments....

Especially a legislative provision for the increase of church

establishments in proportion to the increase of population 353

Unhappy consequences of neglecting this duty......

Exposes a church to great and severe trials

Which are only to be overcome by its purity and spirituality ib.

The general increase of public schools in proportion to that

of population, also a duty of government

Objections which have impeded their establishment ex-

amined and explained .....

Real effects arising from the general spread of moral and re-

ligious instruction, and of imparting a degree of general

information to the lower orders......

.....

By no means favourable to despotic and immoral govern-

ments

....

Highly so to free and rational governments, and therefore
to the United British Kingdom

....

CHAPTER III.

....

On economical systems of charity, by which the poor

assist in providing for themselves

Preceding arguments on charity by no means exclude the

propriety of these systems

Various plans suggested for enabling the poor to assist in

providing for themselves.

ib.

They have been principally confined to Great Britain

And are of two descriptions; viz. Friendly Societies and

Saving Banks

ib.

365

Investigation of the prineiples upon which the rules of

friendly societies are usually founded, and of the degree

in which they have attained their professed objects ›...

Extraordinary conclusion of Sir Frederick Eden respecting

Friendly Societies

Reference to the work of Mr. Duncan, of Ruthwell, on

Of the Right Honourable George Rose...

ib.

Of Barber Beaumont, Esq.

376

Reference to a work entitled "A short Account of the

Edinburgh Savings' Bank "...

Comparative merits, in a political point of view, of Friendly

Societies and Savings' Banks...

In a moral point of view...

Objection to Savings' Banks answered

CHAPTER IV.

page 376

379

380

$81

General conclusions with respect to the exercise of charity 383

Unfair to compare the sums spent in charity in different
countries, without also comparing their respective condi-
tions of society....

Progress of the demands for charity, and of the means for
meeting them as society advances

Demands of the agricultural state

Of the mixed agricultural and commercial state

Of the highly civilized and manufacturing state

Progressive state of the means for meeting these demands

Whether upon a contemplation of these demands, and the

means of meeting them, it appears that the condition of

the people is upon the whole deteriorated....

Comparative expense in the support of objects of charity in

England and other countries....

In Naples, Milan, Edinburgh, Liverpool, and London....

In England, Scotland, Holland, and Ireland, &c... . . .

Conclusions upon this subject.

ib.

Brief recapitulation of the preceding Chapters on charity 396

No political mischiefs can arise from the liberal and en-

lightened exercise of this virtue....

Wherever it is most widely diffused, there the people are

found to be in the most enviable state in consequence of

its exercise

All apprehensions may be discarded of any general excess
in the practice of charity...

CHAPTER VI.

On the propriety of affording a free and equal option of

marriage to all classes of the community

The option of marriage may be afforded to the lower orders
upon moral considerations only, without direct reference
to political expediency...

Difficulties attending the opposite opinion

ib.

ib.

Effects of the progress of society on the marriages of the

higher orders

Afford a free option of marriage to the lower

....

Without creating a redundancy of people..

Commands and permissions of Scripture on this subject..

With observations

Conclusions to be drawn from this review with respect to

the arguments of my opponents..

And to those advanced in this treatise

Beautiful system of compensation afforded by Providence

to the different ranks of society by their spontaneous ar-

rangements on the subject of marriage..

Qualifications of the preceding doctrine

Object of the argument in this chapter..

Apparent impossibility of realizing Mr. Malthus' hypothesis
on this subject..

CHAPTER VII.

On the influence of the principle of population, and of the

progress of society upon the individual virtue and happi-

ness of the people

Object of this chapter to ascertain how far the principle of

compensation alluded to in the chapters upon charity,

and the marriage of the lower orders, generally applies

to all cases involving individual virtue and happiness as

society advances..

Higher ranks fully compensated for the alterations in their

condition, introduced by the changes in society...

Question as to the middle and lower ranks resident in towns.

Their comparative happiness to be determined by the ex-
cess of premature deaths in towns above what take
place in the country...

.....

Quantity and proportions of that excess.

Whether an increase of vice be necessary to produce that

414

415

ib.

Determined by a reference to the births, deaths, and

numbers of the Quakers resident in towns.

And to the proportion of deaths respectively taking place

in the suburbs and the interior of great cities. . . . . . . . . 422

Question respecting the degree of moral degradation said

to be essentially inherent in the society of great towns

They have not hitherto had fair play in a moral point of view

424

425

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