Samuel Smiles：Thrift, Excerpt 404

Where would England have been now, but for the energy, enterprise, and public spirit of our manufacturers? Could agriculture have supported the continuous increase of population? Is it not more probable that this country would have become overrun by beggars,--or that property would have been assailed and the constitution upset, as was the case in France,--but for the extensive and remunerative employment afforded to the labouring classes in the manufacturing districts? The steam engine has indeed proved the safety-valve of England. It enabled the kingdom to hold its ground firmly during the continental wars; and but for it, and the industries which it has established, England would probably by this time have sunk to the condition of a third or fourth-rate power.

Source： https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14418
Locator：Excerpt 404 · Verified：2026-10-19 · Verification：Short excerpt

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