This book proposes a more equitable distribution of wealth as the basis for a healthy society. At the time of original publication in 1907, Simon Nelson Patten (1852-1922) was Professor of Political Economy at the Wharton School of Finance and Economy at University of Pennsylvania. He also served as the President of the American Economics Association. He introduced the concept of the "consumer surplus" into modern economic theory. His other books include The Development of English Thought, The Social Basis of Religion, and Culture and War.