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10 MORTALITY OF THE CITY OF LONDON.
and ten" of human life, are allotted only to rustic existence—that
the right of participating in the higher
civilization of the metropolis, or of trading in its
larger market, is not too dearly purchased by the tax
of half or one third of one's fair expectation of life.
On general grounds, I should not hesitate to
combat this objection, and should feel sure of convincing
you of its invalidity. I should argue (as
indeed I have already argued here) that the main
conditions which constitute the unhealthiness of
towns are definite, palpable, removable evils; that
dense over-crowding of a population—that intricate
ramification of courts and alleys, excluding light
and air—that defective drainage—that the products
of organic decomposition—that contaminated water
and a stinking atmosphere, are distinct causes of
disease and death; that each admits of being definitely
estimated in its numerical proportion to the
total mortality which it contributes to cause; that
each is susceptible of abatement or removal, which
will at once be followed by diminution of its alleged
effects on the health of the population. Likewise, I
should argue, that if there indeed exist, attached to
a metropolitan residence, some really unavoidable
and necessary disadvantages to life (a point which
however I am not prepared to concede) there are
likewise, as respects the poor, some peculiar advantages
to counterbalance those evils; that in urban
communities the operations of charitable relief are
largest and least remitting; that the resources of