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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