CHAPTER XII.
_Civilization Degrades the Masses_ There are men in all parts of the world, whose names have become synonyms of learning and genius, who proclaim it from the housetops that civilization is in a constant state of evolution to a higher, purer, nobler, happier condition of the people, the great mass of mankind, who properly make up society, and who have been styled, in derision, the "_mudsills_ of society." So they are, society rests upon them; society must build upon them; without them society cannot be, because they are, in the broadest sense, society itself,--not only the "mudsills" but the _superstructure_ as well.

They not only constitute the great producing class but the great consuming class as well.

They are the bone and sinew of society.
It is therefore of the utmost importance to know the condition of the people; it is not only important to know exactly what that condition is, but it is of the very first importance to the well-being of society that there should be absolutely nothing in that condition to arouse the apprehension of the sharks who live upon the carcass of the people, or of the people who permit the sharks to so live.

There is nothing more absolutely certain than that the people--who submit to be robbed through the intricate and multifarious processes devised by the cupidity of individuals and of governments--when aroused to a full sense of the wrongs inflicted upon them, will strike down their oppressors in a rage of desperation born of despair.
Modern tyrannies are far more insidious than the military despotisms of the past.

These modern engines which crush society destroy the energy and vitality of the people by the slow process of starvation, sanctioned by the law, and in a majority of instances, are patiently borne by the victims.