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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

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