Carlyle: Hero to the Working Class!

Thomas Carlyle is worthy of admiration. He was an advocate for the improvement of the conditions of the working class. The way that England distributed its' resources so poorly broke the heart of Carlyle. He was unafraid of peoples' reactions to the vital radical changes that he proposed. The intro sums up his reputation perfectly: "Carlyle's reputation rests on his vigorous denunciation of a materialist society and his rousing calls for social reform." (477) Carlyle used his pamphlets to incite changes. He spoke honestly about the horrific nature of the conditions. The pamphlet that stood out to me the most was Midas. He wrote it during the 40's, the people were having problems with class and poverty. His target audience were the "higher class" members that were blind to the suffering of the poor. The "rich" will be burdened when informed of the truth and many wanted to live on ignorantly blissful.
The most gruesome and sad situation that Carlyle calls to attention is the parents' acts of mercy to their children. Immigrant parents were being tried for the murders of their children and brutally harassed for the actions. To the average person, parents murdering their children is grotesque and I believe their actions should be punished; however, Carlyle brings him the motives of the parents. These parents saw themselves as being merciful and protective of their children. The children were ill-cared for and cried for food all day long without relief. The parents did not want their kids to suffer and they did not see circumstances improving. I do not believe that this would give me the ability to kill my children, but people are often victims of their circumstances, both the children and their parents.
Carlyle was attempting to shake up a materialistic world. Are there any Carlyles of the present time? We may be in desperate need of one.