太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > unto this last >

第15节

unto this last-第15节

小说: unto this last 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!






fewer of the elements of life: and labour of good quality; in any



kind; includes always as much intellect and feeling as will fully



and harmoniously regulate the physical force。



    In speaking of the value and price of labour; it is necessary



always to understand labour of a given rank and quality; as we



should speak of gold or silver of a given standard。 Bad (that is;



heartless; inexperienced; or senseless) labour cannot be valued;



it is like gold of uncertain alloy; or flawed iron。(24*)



    The quality and kind of labour being given; its value; like



that of all other valuable things; is invariable。 But the



quantity of it which must be given for other things is variable:



and in estimating this variation; the price of other things must



always be counted by the quantity of labour; not the price of



labour by the quantity of other things。



    Thus; if we want to plant an apple sapling in rocky ground;



it may take two hours' work; in soft ground; perhaps only half an



hour。 Grant the soil equally good for the tree in each case。 Then



the value of the sapling planted by two hours' work is nowise



greater than that of the sapling planted in half an hour。 One



will bear no more fruit than the other。 Also; one half…hour of



work is as valuable as another half…hour; nevertheless the one



sapling has cost four such pieces of work; the other only one。



Now the proper statement of this fact is; not that the labour on



the hard ground is cheaper than on the soft; but that the tree is



dearer。 The exchange value may; or may not; afterwards depend on



this fact。 If other people have plenty of soft ground to plant



in; they will take no cognizance of our two hours' labour; in the



price they will offer for the plant on the rock。 And if; through



want of sufficient botanical science; we have planted an upas



tree instead of an apple; the exchange…value will be a negative



quantity; still less proportionate to the labour expended。



    What is commonly called cheapness of labour; signifies;



therefore; in reality; that many obstacles have to be overcome by



it; so that much labour is required to produce a small result。



But this should never be spoken of as cheapness of labour; but as



dearness of the object wrought for。 It would be just as rational



to say that walking was cheap; because we had ten miles to walk



home to our dinner; as that labour was cheap; because we had to



work ten hours to earn it。



    The last word which we have to define is 〃Production。〃



    I have hitherto spoken of all labour as profitable; because



it is impossible to consider under one head the quality or value



of labour; and its aim。 But labour of the best quality may be



various in aim。 It may be either constructive (〃gathering〃 from



con and struo); as agriculture; nugatory; as jewel…cutting; or



destructive (〃scattering;〃 from de and struo); as war。 It is not;



however; always easy to prove labour; apparently nugatory; to be



actually so;(25*) generally; the formula holds good: 〃he that



gathereth not; scattereth〃; thus; the jeweller's art is probably



very harmful in its ministering to a clumsy and inelegant pride。



So that; finally; I believe nearly all labour may be shortly



divided into positive and negative labour: positive; that which



produces life; negative; that which produces death; the most



directly negative labour being murder; and the most directly



positive; the bearing and rearing of children; so that in the



precise degree in which murder is hateful; on the negative side



of idleness; in the exact degree child…rearing is admirable; on



the positive side of idleness。 For which reason; and because of



the honour that there is in rearing children;(26*) while the wife



is said to be as the vine (for cheering); the children are as the



olive branch; for praise: nor for praise only; but for peace



(because large families can only be reared in times of peace):



though since; in their spreading and voyaging in various



directions; they distribute strength; they are; to the home



strength; as arrives in the hand of the giant  striking here;



and there far away。



    Labour being thus various in its result; the prosperity of



any nation is in exact proportion to the quantity of labour which



it spends in obtaining and employing means of life。 Observe;  I



say; obtaining and employing; that is to say; not merely wisely



producing; but wisely distributing and consuming。 Economists



usually speak as if there were no good in consumption



absolute。(27*) So far from this being so; consumption absolute is



the end; crown; and perfection of production; and wise



consumption is a far more difficult art than wise production。



Twenty people can gain money for one who can use it; and the



vital question; for individual and for nation; is; never 〃how



much do they make?〃 but 〃to what purpose do they spend?〃



    The reader may; perhaps; have been surprised at the slight



reference I have hitherto made to 〃capital;〃 and its functions。



It is here the place to define them。



    Capital signifies 〃head; or source; or root material〃  it



is material by which some derivative or secondary good is



produced。 It is only capital proper (caput vivum; not caput



mortuum) when it is thus producing something different from



itself。 It is a root; which does not enter into vital function



till it produces something else than a root: namely; fruit。 That



fruit will in time again produce roots; and so all living capital



issues in reproduction of capital; but capital which produces



nothing but capital is only root producing root; bulb issuing in



bulb; never in tulip; seed issuing in seed; never in bread。 The



Political Economy of Europe has hitherto devoted itself wholly to



the multiplication; or (less even) the aggregation; of bulbs。 It



never saw; nor conceived; such a thing as a tulip。 Nay; boiled



bulbs they might have been  glass bulbs  Prince Rupert's



drops; consummated in powder (well; if it were glass…powder and



not gunpowder); for any end or meaning the economists had in



defining the laws of aggregation。 We will try and get a clearer



notion of them。



    The best and simplest general type of capital is a well…made



ploughshare。 Now; if that ploughshare did nothing but beget other



ploughshares; in a polypous manner;  however the great cluster



of polypous plough might glitter in the sun; it would have lost



its function of capital。 It becomes true capital only by another



kind of splendour;  when it is seen 〃splendescere sulco;〃 to



grow bright in the furrow; rather with diminution of its



substance; than addition; by the noble friction。 And the true



home question; to every capitalist and to every nation; is not;



〃how many ploughs have you?〃 but; 〃where are your furrows?〃 not



 〃how quickly will this capital reproduce itself?〃  but;



〃what will it do during reproduction?〃 What substance will it



furnish; good for life? what work construct; protective of life?



if none; its own reproduction is useless  if worse than none;



(for capital may destroy life as well as support it); its own



reproduction is worse than useless; it is merely an advance from



Tisiphone; on mortgage  not a profit by any means。



    Not a profit; as the ancients truly saw; and showed in the



type of Ixion;  for capital is the head; or fountain head of



wealth  the 〃well…head〃 of wealth; as the clouds are the



well…heads of rain; but when clouds are without water; and only



beget clouds; they issue in wrath at last; instead of rain; and



in lightning instead of harvest; whence Ixion is said first to



have invited his guests to a banquet; and then made them fall



into a pit; (as also Demas' silver mine;) after which; to show



the rage of riches passing from lust of pleasure to lust of



power; yet power not truly understood; Ixion is said to have



desired Juno; and instead; embracing a cloud (or phantasm); to



have begotten the Centaurs; the power of mere wealth being; in



itself; as the embrace of a shadow;  comfortless; (so also



〃Ephraim feedeth on wind and followth after the east wind;〃 or



〃that which is not〃  Prov。 xxiii。 5; and again Dante's Geryon;



the type of avaricious fraud; as he flies; gathers the air up



with retractile claws;  〃l'aer a se raccolse〃(28*)) but in its



offspring; a mingling of the brutal with the human nature; human



in sagacity  using both intellect and arrow; but brutal in its



body and hoof; for consuming; and trampling down。 For which sin



Ixion is at l

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的