But the said deficiency, which would be painfully illustrated by a serious crisis, is there equally in ordinary humdrum times of peace.  The crippled and idiotic life which would bring disaster then is undermining our very existence now.  Is it not time that a sensible nation should look to it that every one of its members, when adult, should at least be healthy, well-fed, and well-grown, and that each should not only be decently developed in himself or herself, but should be capable of bearing a useful part of some kind in the life of the nation?  Is it not time that the nation should place first of all on its programme the creation of capable and healthy citizens?  Can a nation be really effective, really strong, really secure, without this?  I do not seem to doubt a large willingness among our people to-day for mutual service and helpfulness—­I believe a vast number of our young women of the well-to-do type are at this moment deeply regretting their inability to do anything except knit superfluous mufflers—­but was there ever in the history of the world such huge, such wide-flooding incompetence?  The willingness of the well-to-do classes may be judged from their readiness to come forward with subscriptions, their incompetence from the fact that they have nothing else to offer:  that is, that all they can offer is to set some one else (by means of their money) to do useful work in their place.  They cannot themselves nurse wounded soldiers, or make boots for them, or build huts or weave blankets; they cannot help in housing or building schemes, or in schemes for the reclaiming and cultivation of waste lands; they cannot grow corn or bake bread or cook simple meals for the assistance of the indigent or the aged or the feeble, because they understand none of these things; but they can pay some one else to do them—­that is, they can divert some of the money, which they have already taken from the workers, to setting the latter toiling again!  But what use would that be on the day when our monetary system broke down—­as it nearly did at the commencement of this war?  What use would it be on some critical day when a hostile invasion called every competent man and woman to do the work of defence absolutely necessary at the moment?  What use would it be in the hour when complete commercial dislocation caused downright famine?  Who would look at offers of money then?  Could the nation Carry this vast mass of incompetents and idlers on its back then; and can it reasonably be expected to do so now?

A terrible and serious crisis, as I have already said, awaits us—­even when the War is over—­a crisis probably worse than that which we are passing through now.  We have to remember the debts that are being piled up.  If the nations are staggering along now under the enormous load of idlers and parasites living on interest, how will it be then?  Unless we can reorganize our Western societies on a real