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GROSS AND NET GAIN OF RISING WAGES 85
the larger gross income on the average earned by the
masses of professional men in cities, as compared with
the professional incomes earned in the country for-
merly, might show little net improvement; but aIlow-
ance has to be made for the fact that the number of
such incomes has enormously increased, and that the
earners largely compare with the earners of whoIly in-
ferior incomes in former times, whether in town or
coun1ry. As the increase of these classes could not
have taken place without the growth of cities, there
must be a large net as well as gross gain to be reckoned
when the comparison is properly made.
To bring the matter to'a point, what I have to urge
is, that the very growth of cities implies the existence
of conditions under which workmen of higher grades
take the place of workmen of lower grades, so that, al-
though class for class a workman passing from country
to town does not seem to gain so very much, on account
of the difference between gross and net, yet, man for
man, 011 the average there is an enormous gain. Illusion
is produced because the proper terms of the comparison
are lost sight of. The point is especially important, as
regards what is known as the residuum. Nothing can
appear so deplorable or so hopeless as the conditions
of the floating mass of rude labour in large cities.
Monopoly rents in this case appear to sweep away all
possible advantage which may result from higher money
wage. comparing the labourer of the town with the la-
bourer of the country. In many cases, even, it must
be admitted, the .. residuary" of the city is on a lower
level than the" residuary" of the country. His" net"
earnings are less. But the question, after all, is one of
proportion. The absolute magnitude of the city re-
siduum must not blind us to the fact that it may be,
not an increasing, but a diminishing, element with re-
ference to the population generally. I believe it is a
diminishing element, but this would hardly be the place
to discuss the point, and I am content for the present
to call attention to its importance in the discussion.