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102 PROBLEMS CONFRONTING RUSSIA
labour argues, not without reason, that brain-power cannot
do without it, just as the reverse order of things is claimed
to be equally true. In a social organism there are different
functions to be performed which require different expressions
of skill and power. The postulate in rewarding personal
merit in the production of wealth has, therefore, to be
qualified in so far as such merit is not confined to the one
primary mover and initiator, such as the capitalist or
inventor, but must be extended to the vast number of
workers who, in one way or another, are all engaged in the
process of production of wealth in all its forms.
But the more complex question arises : to what extent
should the people involved in the production of wealth
be rewarded ? It must be admitted that the
distribution of wealth as it exists at present is far from
satisfactory. There are classes of brain and manual workers
whose incomes barely cover the necessities of life, with no
prospect whatever of increasing their financial standing by
industry and thrift—a state of affairs which is unsound both
economically and morally, as not affording the right
incentive for work to those who should be encouraged. On the
other hand, there are many occupations, such as, for instance,
operations on the Stock Exchange and speculations of a
more or less doubtful character, which permit wealth to be
acquired without entailing a proportionate amount of exertion.
In either case a certain amount of adjustment is necessary.
This adjustment is one of the chief aims of modern
legislation, and probably will be so until the rich are taxed to
breaking point and conditions of life have been to a great
extent equalised. Revolution and violence will not be
necessary. Gradual and peaceful evolution will have a
pronounced and beneficial influence as the possibilities of
feeding, housing, clothing, and educating the population
increase. Millions of workers now spending their whole
existence in providing for the luxuries, caprices, and fanciful
requirements of the rich will turn their energy to the more
useful work of satisfying the natural needs of individuals
and the community as a whole.
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