Instead of Famine; H. Hazlitt

So the colonists, he continues, "begane to thinke how they might raise as much corne as they could, and obtaine a beter crope than they had done, that they might not still thus languish in miserie.At length [in 1623J after much de bate of things, the Gov. (with the advise of the cheefest amongest them) gave way that they should set corne every man for his owne perticuler, and in that regard trust to them selves ... And so assigned to every family a parcell of land ...

"This had very good success; for it made all hands very indus trious, so as much more corne was planted than other waise would have bene by any means the Gov. or any other could use, and saved him a great deall of trouble, and gave farr better contente. "The women now wente will ingly into the feild, and tooke their litle-ons with them to set corne, which before would aledg weakness, and inabilitie; whom to have compelled would have bene thought great tiranie and oppres sion. "The experience that was had in this commone course and con dition, tried sundrie years, and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanitie of that conceite of Platos and other ancients, applauded by some of later times; -that the taking away of propertie, and bringing in com munitie into a comone wealth, would make them happy and flor ishing; as if they were wiser than God. For this comunitie (so farr as it was) was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much imployment that would have been to their benefite and comforte.

"For the yong-men that were most able and fitte for labour and service did repine that they should spend their time and streingth to worke for other mens wives and children, with out any recompense. The strong, or man of parts, had no more in devission of victails and cloaths, than he that was weake and not able to doe a quar ter the other could; this was thought injuestice ... "And for men's wives to be commanded to doe servise for other men, as dressing their meate, washing their cloaths, etc., they deemed it a kind of slaverie, neither could many husbands well brooke it ... "By this time harvest was come, and instead of famine, now God gave them' plentie, and the face of things was changed, to the re joysing of the harts of many, for which they blessed God. And the effect of th'eir particuler [private] planting was well seene, for all had, one way and other, pretty well to bring the year aboute, and some of the abler sorte and more industrious had to spare, and sell to others, so as any generall wante or famine hath not been among:est them since to this day."

Let us be thankful for this valued lesson from our Fathers and yield not to the temptations of socialism. ~ 652 I BEGIN with a few expressions of opinion I have recently come across. By Dr. Rohert E. Fitch: "It is certainly true that moral confusion is growing"; and, speak ing of what is needed to restore health to a prevailingly sick na tion: "Then there must be change in the American home to end this long, Spockian period of ultraper missiveness. We must bring up our offspring with some sense of the moral imperatives that they will confront in life, and with the sense that a real authority does exist in the world."1 By Mr. George F. Kennan: "To correct these conditions [conditions caus ing "some deep emotional discom fort, approaching at times a mass hysteria" in the "radical stu dents"] will indeed require a rev olution - a revolution in the social and intellectual and spiritual en vironment of American childhood and early youth . . ."2 By Gov ernor Nelson Rockefeller: "So I believe very strongly in getting these young people [the "prede linquents"] - in the kindergarten, in the prekindergarten, even - and then intensive help in the first three grades. Maybe we could cut our classes to 12 children - no more than 12 - where they can really get the help they need to 1 u. S. News & World Report, June 10, 1968, p. 49.