Lectures on the Labour Question. By Thomas Brassey, M.P. (Long-
mans.)—These lectures, which the author has collected and published in this volume, touch on almost every phase of the great labour question, and contain a quantity of facts and statistics which ought to be widely known. Mr. Brassey rather leans, on the whole, to the capitali4 view, but he evidently takes pains to do justice to the other side, with which, as is well known, be has warm and hearty sympathies. He discusses very fully the subject of co-operative production, and comes to the con- clusion that for complicated undertakings it will seldom prove success- ful, on the principle that a council of war never fights. He is able to
give good reasons for his opinion, and no doubt the immense advantage of securing the personal supervision of an experienced "chief of industry" can hardly be exaggerated. But the system, if extensively developed, ought, he thinks, to save many disputes concerning the rates of wages, by enlightening the working-class as to a number of facts which have hitherto not been adequately understood and appreciated by them. It may give us some day a gauge or measure of the workman's rightful claims, and thus mach sore feeling would be removed. The clergy, especially the rural clergy, may, in Mr. Brassey's opinion, be useful advisers on this matter to their poor parishioners, and while they preach, as they ought to do, contentment with their lot, they may often suggest to them proper and hopeful methods of improving it. This they have done to a con- siderable extent with fair success, and they would be able to do it more effectually, had they more knowledge of the questions involved in any demand for increased wages. By merely supporting or opposing such demands, they may seriously weaken the influence of the Church. Mr. Brassey would like to see the rate of interest allowed in our savings-banks somewhat raised, and this, he thinks, might be safely done. The fact is, that at present the working-man has not a suffi- ciently strong motive to invest in them, although, as things are, the deposits reach a very respectable figure. The idea prevalent abroad that there is little or no sympathy between rich and poor in England is, as the author notes, refuted by the existence of innumerable bene- volent associations for assisting all who are in need and distress.
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