In an economic organization, allowing mankind to benefit by the productivity of machines should lead to a very good life of leisure, and much leisure is apt to be tedious except to those who have intelligent activities and interests. If a leisured population is to be happy, it must be an educated population, and must be educated with a view to enjoyment as well as to the direct usefulness of technical knowledge. Which of the following statements best reflects the underlying tone of the passage?

The passage argues that while machines can create leisure, this leisure will only lead to a good and happy life if the population is educated. Without education, leisure is apt to be tedious. Therefore, education is presented as essential for people to truly benefit from the economic progress that brings about leisure.

Analyzing the options:

A) Only an educated population can best make use of the benefits of economic progress. This statement directly reflects the passage's core argument. The "benefits of economic progress" are the leisure created by machines, and the passage explicitly states that a leisured population must be educated to be happy and avoid tedium, implying that education is necessary to "best make use" of this benefit.

B) All economic development should be aimed at the creation of leisure. The passage mentions leisure as a desirable outcome of machine productivity but doesn't state that all economic development should be aimed solely at leisure. Its primary focus is on what to do with leisure once it's created.

C) An increase in the educated population of a country leads to an increase in the happiness of its people. While the passage links education to happiness, it does so specifically in the context of enjoying leisure derived from economic progress. It's not making a general, unqualified statement about education and happiness in all circumstances.

D) Use of machines should be encouraged in order to create a large leisured population. The passage acknowledges that machines lead to leisure, but its main point is not to encourage machine use per se, but rather to highlight the necessity of education for enjoying that leisure. The emphasis quickly shifts from creating leisure to making it beneficial.

Therefore, option A best captures the underlying tone by emphasizing that education is crucial for truly benefiting from the outcomes of economic progress.