‘God Never Sends Mouths Without Sending Meat’, by William Cobbett

‘God Never Sends Mouths Without Sending Meat’

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‘Why,’ said I, ‘how many children do you reckon to have at last?’

‘I do not care how many,’ said the man: ‘God never sends mouths without sending meat.’

‘Did you ever hear,’ said I, ‘of one Parson Malthus?’*

‘No, sir.’

‘Why, if he were to hear of your works, he would be outrageous;* for he wants an act of parliament to prevent poor people from marrying young, and from having such lots of children.’

‘Oh! the brute!’ exclaimed the wife; while the husband laughed, thinking that I was joking.

I asked the man whether he had ever had relief from the parish; and upon his answering in the negative, I took out my purse, took from it enough to bait* my horse at Horsham, and to clear my turnpikes* to Worth, whither I was going in order to stay awhile, and gave him all the rest.*

by William Cobbett 1762-1835

From ‘Advice to Young Men: And (Incidentally) to Young Women in the Middle and Higher Ranks of Life. In a Series of Letters, Addressed to a Youth, a Bachelor, a Lover, a Husband, a Father, a Citizen, or a Subject’ (1829, 1906) by William Cobbett (1763-1835).

* The Revd Thomas Malthus (1766-1834) published an Essay on the Principle of Population in 1798, warning of global catastrophes such as famines and pandemics if economic restraints on the birth-rate and the consumption of natural resources were not immediately imposed by Government. Malthus did however expressly reject population control by contraception or abortion.

* Today, ‘outrageous’ means causing outrage; for feeling outrage we now prefer ‘outraged’.

* That is, feed.

* Cobbett was travelling on toll roads, and needed enough money for the fare. It was not the first time he had all but cleaned out his purse: see A Tale Worth All His Fortune.

* The young man was ‘doing pretty well’ but perhaps Cobbett was relieving his feelings by defying one of Malthus’s key demands, that Government drop income support for large families.

Précis

When Cobbett asked how many children the couple planned to have, the husband shrugged, and declared that God would provide. Roguishly, Cobbett warned that Thomas Malthus, the population expert, would be appalled by such disregard for Earth’s scarce resources; but neither husband nor wife had heard of him. Much pleased, Cobbett gave them some money for the children, and left.

Questions for Critics

1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?

2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?

3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?

Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.

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