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market value of his labour; by requiring as much as he will give。
This is the politico…economical view of the case; according
to the doctors of that science; who assert that by this procedure
the greatest average of work will be obtained from the servant;
and therefore the greatest benefit to the community; and through
the community; by reversion; to the servant himself。
That; however; is not so。 It would be so if the servant were
an engine of which the motive power was steam; magnetism;
gravitation; or any other agent of calculable force。 But he
being; on the contrary; an engine whose motive power is a Soul;
the force of this very peculiar agent; as an unknown quantity;
enters into all the political economist's equations; without his
knowledge; and falsifies every one of their results。 The largest
quantity of work will not be done by this curious engine for pay;
or under pressure; or by help of any kind of fuel which may be
supplied by the caldron。 It will be done only when the motive
force; that is to say; the will or spirit of the creature; is
brought to its greatest strength by its own proper fuel: namely;
by the affections。
It may indeed happen; and does happen often; that if the
master is a man of sense ad energy; a large quantity of material
work may be done under mechanical pressure; enforced by strong
will and guided by wise method; also it may happen; and does
happen often; that if the master is indolent and weak (however
good…natured); a very small quantity of work; and that bad; may
be produced by the servant's undirected strength; and
contemptuous gratitude。 But the universal law of the matter is
that; assuming any given quantity of energy and sense in master
and servant; the greatest material result obtainable by them will
be; not through antagonism to each other; but through affection
for each other; and that if the master; instead of endeavouring
to get as much work as possible from the servant; seeks rather to
render his appointed and necessary work beneficial to him; and to
forward his interests in all just and wholesome ways; the real
amount of work ultimately done; or of good rendered; by the
person so cared for; will indeed be the greatest possible。
Observe; I say; 〃of good rendered;〃 for a servant's work is
not necessarily or always the best thing he can give his master。
But good of all kinds; whether in material service; in protective
watchfulness of his master's interest and credit; or in joyful
readiness to seize unexpected and irregular occasions of help。
Nor is this one whit less generally true because indulgence
will be frequently abused; and kindness met with ingratitude。 For
the servant who; gently treated; is ungrateful; treated ungently;
will be revengeful; and the man who is dishonest to a liberal
master will be injurious to an unjust one。
In any case; and with any person; this unselfish treatment
will produce the most effective return。 Observe; I am here
considering the affections wholly as a motive power; not at all
as things in themselves desirable or noble; or in any other way
abstractedly good。 I look at them simply as an anomalous force;
rendering every one of the ordinary political economist's
calculations nugatory; while; even if he desired to introduce
this new element into his estimates; he has no power of dealing
with it; for the affections only become a true motive power when
they ignore every other motive and condition of political
economy。 Treat the servant kindly; with the idea of turning his
gratitude to account; and you will get; as you deserve; no
gratitude; nor any value for your kindness; but treat him kindly
without any economical purpose; and all economical purposes will
be answered; in this; as in all other matters; whosoever will
save his life shall lose it; whoso loses it shall find it。(1*)
The next clearest and simplest example of relation between
master and operative is that which exists between the commander
of a regiment and his men。
Supposing the officer only desires to apply the rules of
discipline so as; with least trouble to himself; to make the
regiment most effective; he will not be able; by any rules or
administration of rules; on this selfish principle; to develop
the full strength of his subordinates。 If a man of sense and
firmness; he may; as in the former instance; produce a better
result than would be obtained by the irregular kindness of a weak
officer; but let the sense and firmness be the same in both
cases; and assuredly the officer who has the most direct personal
relations with his men; the most care for their interests; and
the most value for their lives; will develop their effective
strength; through their affection for his own person; and trust
in his character; to a degree wholly unattainable by other means。
This law applies still more stringently as the numbers concerned
are larger: a charge may often be successful; though the men
dislike their officers; a battle has rarely been won; unless they
loved their general。
Passing from these simple examples to the more complicated
relations existing between a manufacturer and his workmen; we are
met first by certain curious difficulties; resulting; apparently;
from a harder and colder state of moral elements。 It is easy to
imagine an enthusiastic affection existing among soldiers for the
colonel。 Not so easy to imagine an enthusiastic affection among
cotton…spinners for the proprietor of the mill。 A body of men
associated for purposes of robbery (as a Highland clan in ancient
times) shall be animated by perfect affection; and every member
of it be ready to lay down his life for the life of his chief。
But a band of men associated for purposes of legal production and
accumulation is usually animated; it appears; by no such
emotions; and none of them are in any wise willing to give his
life for the life of his chief。 Not only are we met by this
apparent anomaly; in moral matters; but by others connected with
it; in administration of system。 For a servant or a soldier is
engaged at a definite rate of wages; for a definite period; but a
workman at a rate of wages variable according to the demand for
labour; and with the risk of being at any time thrown out of his
situation by chances of trade。 Now; as; under these
contingencies; no action of the affections can take place; but
only an explosive action of disaffections; two points offer
themselves for consideration in the matter。
The first How far the rate of wages may be so regulated as
not to vary with the demand for labour。
The second How far it is possible that bodies of workmen
may be engaged and maintained at such fixed rate of wages
(whatever the state of trade may be); without enlarging or
diminishing their number; so as to give them permanent interest
in the establishment with which they are connected; like that of
the domestic servants in an old family; or an esprit de corps;
like that of the soldiers in a crack regiment。
The first question is; I say; how far it may be possible to
fix the rate of wages; irrespectively of the demand for labour。
Perhaps one of the most curious facts in the history of human
error is the denial by the common political economist of the
possibility of thus regulating wages; while; for all the
important; and much of the unimportant; labour; on the earth;
wages are already so regulated。
We do not sell our prime…ministership by Dutch auction; nor;
on the decease of a bishop; whatever may be the general
advantages of simony; do we (yet) offer his diocese to the
clergyman who will take the episcopacy at the lowest contract。 We
(with exquisite sagacity of political economy!) do indeed sell
commissions; but not openly; generalships: sick; we do not
inquire for a physician who takes less than a guinea; litigious;
we never think of reducing six…and…eight…pence to
four…and…sixpence; caught in a shower; we do not canvass the
cabmen; to find one who values his driving at less than sixpence
a mile。
It is true that in all these cases there is; and in every
conceivable case there must be; ultimate reference to the
presumed difficulty of the work; or number of candidates for the
office。 If it were thought that the labour necessary to make a
good physician would be gone through by a sufficient number of
students with the prospect of only hal