第86章

It seemed as if they regarded their own children with a kind of contempt, as being only fit to grow up to be the servants of the children of such people as Rushton and Sweater.But it must be remembered that they had been taught self-contempt when they were children.In the so-called `Christian' schools.they attended then they were taught to `order themselves lowly and reverently towards their betters', and they were now actually sending their own children to learn the same degrading lessons in their turn! They had a vast amount of consideration for their betters, and for the children of their betters, but very little for their own children, for each other, or for themselves.

That was why they sat there in their rags and ate their coarse food, and cracked their coarser jokes, and drank the dreadful tea, and were content! So long as they had Plenty of Work and plenty of - Something -to eat, and somebody else's cast-off clothes to wear, they were content! And they were proud of it.They gloried in it.They agreed and assured each other that the good things of life were not intended for the `Likes of them', or their children.

`Wot's become of the Professor?' asked the gentleman who sat on the upturned pail in the corner, referring to Owen, who had not yet come down from his work.

`P'raps 'e's preparing 'is sermon,' remarked Harlow with a laugh.

`We ain't 'ad no lectures from 'im lately, since 'e's been on that room,' observed Easton.`'Ave we?'

`Dam good job too!' exclaimed Sawkins.`It gives me the pip to 'ear 'im, the same old thing over and over again.'

`Poor ole Frank,' remarked Harlow.`'E does upset 'isself about things, don't 'e?'

`More fool 'im!' said Bundy.`I'll take bloody good care I don't go worryin' myself to death like 'e's doin', about such dam rot as that.'

`I do believe that's wot makes 'im look so bad as 'e does,' observed Harlow.`Several times this morning I couldn't help noticing the way 'e kept on coughing.'

`I thought 'e seemed to be a bit better lately,' Philpot observed;`more cheerful and happier like, and more inclined for a bit of fun.'

`He's a funny sort of chap, ain't he?' said Bundy.`One day quite jolly, singing and cracking jokes and tellin' yarns, and the next you can't hardly get a word out of 'im.'

`Bloody rot, I call it,' chimed in the man on the pail.`Wot the 'ell's the use of the likes of us troublin' our 'eads about politics?'

`Oh, I don't see that.' replied Harlow.`We've got votes and we're really the people what control the affairs of the country, so I reckon we ought to take SOME interest in it, but at the same time I can't see no sense in this 'ere Socialist wangle that Owen's always talkin' about.'

`Nor nobody else neither,' said Crass with a jeering laugh.

`Even if all the bloody money in the world WAS divided out equal,'

said the man on the pail, profoundly, `it wouldn't do no good! In six months' time it would be all back in the same 'ands again.'

`Of course,' said everybody.

`But 'e 'ad a cuff the other day about money bein' no good at all!'

observed Easton.`Don't you remember 'e said as money was the principal cause of poverty?'

`So it is the principal cause of poverty,' said Owen, who entered at that moment.

`Hooray!' shouted Philpot, leading off a cheer which the others took up.`The Professor 'as arrived and will now proceed to say a few remarks.'

A roar of merriment greeted this sally.

`Let's 'ave our bloody dinner first, for Christ's sake,' appealed Harlow, with mock despair.

As Owen, having filled his cup with tea, sat down in his usual place, Philpot rose solemnly to his feet, and, looking round the company, said:

`Genelmen, with your kind permission, as soon as the Professor 'as finished 'is dinner 'e will deliver 'is well-known lecture, entitled, "Money the Principal Cause of being 'ard up", proving as money ain't no good to nobody.At the hend of the lecture a collection will be took up to provide the lecturer with a little encouragement.' Philpot resumed his seat amid cheers.

As soon as they had finished eating, some of the men began to make remarks about the lecture, but Owen only laughed and went on reading the piece of newspaper that his dinner had been wrapped in.Usually most of the men went out for a walk after dinner, but as it happened to be raining that day they were determined, if possible, to make Owen fulfill the engagement made in his name by Philpot.

`Let's 'oot 'im,' said Harlow, and the suggestion was at once acted upon; howls, groans and catcalls filled the air, mingled with cries of `Fraud!' `Imposter!' `Give us our money back!' `Let's wreck the 'all!'

and so on.

`Come on 'ere,' cried Philpot, putting his hand on Owen's shoulder.

`Prove that money is the cause of poverty.'

`It's one thing to say it and another to prove it,' sneered Crass, who was anxious for an opportunity to produce the long-deferred Obscurer cutting.

`Money IS the real cause of poverty,' said Owen.

`Prove it,' repeated Crass.

`Money is the cause of poverty because it is the device by which those who are too lazy to work are enabled to rob the workers of the fruits of their labours.'

`Prove it,' said Crass.

Owen slowly folded up the piece of newspaper he had been reading and put it into his pocket.

`All right,' he replied.`I'll show you how the Great Money Trick is worked.'

Owen opened his dinner basket and took from it two slices of bread but as these were not sufficient, he requested that anyone who had some bread left would give it to him.They gave him several pieces, which he placed in a heap on a clean piece of paper, and, having borrowed the pocket knives they used to cut and eat their dinners with from Easton, Harlow and Philpot, he addressed them as follows:

`These pieces of bread represent the raw materials which exist naturally in and on the earth for the use of mankind; they were not made by any human being, but were created by the Great Spirit for the benefit and sustenance of all, the same as were the air and the light of the sun.'