[英國]威廉·科貝特/William Cobbett
THE“EDUCATION”CANTERS
Burghclere,
Monday Morning,31 Oct.，1825
But, the“education”canters are the most curious fellows of all. They have seen“graduation”as they call it, and crimes, go on increasing together, till the goal, though of six times their former dimensions, will hardly suffice;and yet, the canting creatures still cry, that crimes arise from want of what they call“education!”they see the FELON better fed and better clad than the HONEST LABOURER.They see this;and yet they continually cry, that the crimes arise from a want of“education!”What can be the cause of this perverseness?It is not perverseness:it is roguery corruption, and tyranny. The tyrant, the unfeeling tyrant, squeezes the labourers for gain's sake;and the corrupt politician and literary or tub rogue, find an excuse for him by pretending, that it is not want of food and clothing, but want of education, that makes the poor, starving wretches thieves and robbers.
If the press, if only the press, were to do its duty, or but a tenth part of its duty, this hellish system could not go on. But, it favours the system by ascribing the misery to wrong causes. The causes are these:the tax gatherer presses the landlord;And the farmer the labourer. Here it falls at last;and this class is make so miserable, that a felon's life is better than that of a labourer. Does there want any other cause to produce crimes?But, on these causes, so clear to the eye of reason so plain from experience, the press scarcely ever says a single word;while it keeps bothering our brains about education and morality;and about ignorance and immorality leading to felonies. To be sure, immorality leads to felonies. Who does not know that?But, who is to expect morality in a half-starved man, who is whipped if he do not work, though he has not, for his whole day's food, so much as if and my little boy snapped up in six or seven minutes upon Stoke-Charity down?Aye!But, if the press were to ascribe the increase of crimes to the true causes, it must go further back. It must go to the cause of the taxes. It must go to the debt, the dead-weight, the thundering standing army, the enormous sinecures pensions, and grants;and this would suit but a very small part of a press, which lives and thrives principally by one or the other of these.