And yet notwithstanding all this wealth, there is an enormous mass of poverty.

Close alongside the Wealth of Nations, there gloomily stalks the Misery of Nations,--luxurious ease resting upon a dark background of wretchedness.
Parliamentary reports have again and again revealed to us the miseries endured by certain portions of our working population.

They have described the people employed in factories, workshops, mines, and brickfields, as well as in the pursuits of country life.

We have tried to grapple with the evils of their condition by legislation, but it seems to mock us.

Those who sink into poverty are fed, but they remain paupers.