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托马斯·马尔萨斯:人口论·摘录 48
托马斯·马尔萨斯《人口论》· An Essay on the Principle of Population · 投资
The servants who live in gentlemen's families have restraints that are yet stronger to break through in venturing upon marriage. They possess the necessaries, and even the comforts of life, almost in as great plenty as their masters. Their work is easy and their food luxurious compared with the class of labourers. And their sense of dependence is weakened by the conscious power of changing their masters, if they feel themselves offended. Thus comfortably situated at present, what are their prospects in marrying? Without knowledge or capital, either for business, or farming, and unused and therefore unable, to earn a subsistence by daily labour, their only refuge seems to be a miserable ale-house, which certainly offers no very enchanting prospect of a happy evening to their lives. By much the greater part, therefore, deterred by this uninviting view of their future situation, content themselves with remaining single where they are.
出处:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4239
定位:Excerpt 48 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录
白话
在绅士家庭里当仆人的,吃住几乎和主人一样好,活儿轻,伙食讲究,还觉得东家不好可以换,依赖感因此变弱。可他们一旦想结婚,前景就很尴尬:没知识、没本钱做生意或务农,又没干惯日工、挣不来糊口的钱,唯一去处似乎就是破酒馆,那显然不是过好日子的地方。所以大多数人被这种未来吓住,宁可单身留在原处。马尔萨斯想说的是:眼前舒服反而让人不敢迈出结婚这一步,这本身就是一种抑制人口增长的方式。
上下文
马尔萨斯《人口论》1798年初版,讨论英国仆人阶层为何晚婚或不婚。
今日一问
你身边有没有“日子还过得去,反而不敢改变”的情况?
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