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me to inherit SUBSTANCE; and I will FILL their treasures。〃



    The 〃Lady of Saving;〃 in a profounder sense than that of the



savings bank; though that is a good one: Madonna della Salute; 



Lady of Health;  which; though commonly spoken of as if



separate from wealth; is indeed a part of wealth。 This word;



〃wealth;〃 it will be remembered; is the next we have to define。



    〃To be wealthy〃 says Mr Mill; 〃is to have a large stock of



useful articles。〃 I accept this definition。 Only let us perfectly



understand it。 My opponents often lament my not giving them



enough logic: I fear I must at present use a little more than



they will like: but this business of Political Economy is no



light one; and we must allow no loose terms in it。



    We have; therefore; to ascertain in the above definition;



first; what is the meaning of 〃having;〃 or the nature of



Possession。 Then what is the meaning of 〃useful;〃 or the nature



of Utility。



    And first of possession。 At the crossing of the transepts of



Milan Cathedral has lain; for three hundred years; the embalmed



body of St。 Carlo Borromeo。 It holds a golden crosier; and has a



cross of emeralds on its breast。 Admitting the crosier and



emeralds to be useful articles; is the body to be considered as



〃having〃 them? Do they; in the politico…economical sense of



property; belong to it? If not; and if we may; therefore;



conclude generally that a dead body cannot possess property; what



degree and period of animation in the body will render possession



possible?



    As thus: lately in a wreck of a Californian ship; one of the



passengers fastened a belt about him with two hundred pounds of



gold in it; with which he was found afterwards at the bottom。



Now; as he was sinking  had he the gold? or had the gold



him?(21*)



    And if; instead of sinking him in the sea by its weight; the



gold had struck him on the forehead; and thereby caused incurable



disease  suppose palsy or insanity;  would the gold in that



case have been more a 〃possession〃 than in the first? Without



pressing the inquiry up through instances of gradually increasing



vital power over the gold (which I will; however; give; if they



are asked for); I presume the reader will see that possession; or



〃having;〃 is not an absolute; but a gradated; power; and consists



not only in the quantity or nature of the thing possessed; but



also (and in a greater degree) in its suitableness to the person



possessing it and in his vital power to use it。



    And our definition of Wealth; expanded; becomes: 〃The



possession of useful articles; which we can use。〃 This is a very



serious change。 For wealth; instead of depending merely on a



〃have;〃 is thus seen to depend on a 〃can。〃 Gladiator's death; on



a 〃habet〃; but soldier's victory; and State's salvation; on a



〃quo plurimum posset。〃 (liv。 VII。 6。) And what we reasoned of



only as accumulation of material; is seen to demand also



accumulation of capacity。



    So much for our verb。 Next for our adjective。 What is the



meaning of 〃useful〃?



    The inquiry is closely connected with the last。 For what is



capable of use in the hands of some persons; is capable; in the



hands of others; of the opposite of use; called commonly



〃from…use;〃 or 〃ab…use。〃 And it depends on the person; much more



than on the article; whether its usefulness or ab…usefulness will



be the quality developed in it。 Thus; wine; which the Greeks; in



their Bacchus; made rightly the type of all passion; and which;



when used; 〃cheereth god and man〃 (that is to say; strengthens



both the divine life; or reasoning power; and the earthy; or



carnal power; of man); yet; when abused; becomes 〃Dionysos;〃



hurtful especially to the divine part of man; or reason。 And



again; the body itself; being equally liable to use and to abuse;



and; when rightly disciplined; serviceable to the State; both for



war and labour;  but when not disciplined; or abused; valueless



to the State; and capable only of continuing the private or



single existence of the individual (and that but feebly)  the



Greeks called such a body an 〃idiotic〃 or 〃private〃 body; from



their word signifying a person employed in no way directly useful



to the State; whence finally; our 〃idiot;〃 meaning a person



entirely occupied with his own concerns。



    Hence; it follows that if a thing is to be useful; it must be



not only of an availing nature; but in availing hands。 Or; in



accurate terms; usefulness is value in the hands of the valiant;



so that this science of wealth being; as we have just seen; when



regarded as the science of Accumulation; accumulative of capacity



as well as of material;  when regarded as the Science of



Distribution; is distribution not absolute; but discriminate; not



of every thing to every man; but of the right thing to the right



man。 A difficult science; dependent on more than arithmetic。



    Wealth; therefore; is 〃THE POSSESSION OF THE VALUABLE BY THE



VALIANT〃; and in considering it as a power existing in a nation;



the two elements; the value of the thing; and the valour of its



possessor; must be estimated together。 Whence it appears that



many of the persons commonly considered wealthy; are in reality



no more wealthy than the locks of their own strong boxes are;



they being inherently and eternally incapable of wealth; and



operating for the nation; in an economical point of view; either



as pools of dead water; and eddies in a stream (which; so long as



the stream flows; are useless; or serve only to drown people; but



may become of importance in a state of stagnation should the



stream dry); or else; as dams in a river; of which the ultimate



service depends not on the dam; but the miller; or else; as mere



accidental stays and impediments; acting not as wealth; but (for



we ought to have a correspondent term) as 〃illth;〃 causing



various devastation and trouble around them in all directions; or



lastly; act not at all; but are merely animated conditions of



delay; (no use being possible of anything they have until they



are dead;) in which last condition they are nevertheless often



useful as delays; and 〃impedimenta;〃 if a nation is apt to move



too fast。



    This being so; the difficulty of the true science of



Political Economy lies not merely in the need of developing manly



character to deal with material value; but in the fact; that



while the manly character and material value only form wealth by



their conjunction; they have nevertheless a mutually destructive



operation on each other。 For the manly character is apt to



ignore; or even cast away; the material value:  whence that of



Pope: 



    〃Sure; of qualities demanding praise;



    More go to ruin fortunes; than to raise。〃







And on the other hand; the material value is apt to undermine the



manly character; so that it must be our work; in the issue; to



examine what evidence there is of the effect of wealth on the



minds of its possessors; also; what kind of person it is who



usually sets himself to obtain wealth; and succeeds in doing so;



and whether the world owes more gratitude to rich or to poor men;



either for their moral influence upon it; or for chief goods;



discoveries; and practical advancements。 I may; however;



anticipate future conclusions; so far as to state that in a



community regulated only by laws of demand and supply; but



protected from open violence; the persons who become rich are;



generally speaking; industrious; resolute; proud; covetous;



prompt; methodical; sensible; unimaginative; insensitive; and



ignorant。 The persons who remain poor are the entirely foolish;



the entirely wise;(22*) the idle; the reckless; the humble; the



thoughtful; the dull; the imaginative; the sensitive; the



well…informed; the improvident; the irregularly and impulsively



wicked; the clumsy knave; the open thief; and the entirely



merciful; just; and godly person。



    Thus far; then; of wealth。 Next; we have to ascertain the





nature of PRICE; that is to say; of exchange value; and its



expression by currencies。



    Note first; of exchange; there can be no profit in it。 It is



only in labour there can be profit  that is to say; a 〃making



in advance;〃 or 〃making in favour of〃 (from proficio)。 In



exchange; there is only advantage; i。e。; a bringing of vantage or



power to the exchanging persons。 Thus; one man; by sowing and



reaping; turns one measure of corn into two measures。 That is



Profit。 Another; by digging a

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