Page:Barbour--Peggy in the rain.djvu/94

 believe that it must always be that some persons must have greater possessions than others. The hope for the future is that those whose wealth gives them power will learn to realize the obligations of wealth and so use that power wisely and mercifully; not only mercifully, my dear, but helpfully. When that time comes there should be no poverty as we know it to-day, no ignorance and filth, no hovels to breed disease. There will be poverty, but not want nor misery."

"And this is to be brought about by the continued centralization—is that the word? no,—the continued accumulation of wealth by the wealthy? My dear Mums, you have a wonderful faith in human nature!" "I have faith in civilization and education," she replied gravely. "Science is teaching us all the time. We are learning something new and wonderful every year. Just now we are learning that crime is a disease and that the disease may be stamped out in time by applying the principles of the 9cience they call eugenics. Disease and crime and poverty go hand in hand, and in time science will do away with them all."

"That's a bit of a load for science, isn't it?