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compared　with　those　of　a　great　lawyer；　general；　or　divine；　would



at　least　match　the　general　conditions　of　mind　required　in　the



subordinate　officers　of　a　ship；　or　of　a　regiment；　or　in　the



curate　of　a　country　parish。　If；　therefore；　all　the　efficient



members　of　the　so…called　liberal　professions　are　still；　somehow；



in　public　estimate　of　honour；　preferred　before　the　head　of　a



commercial　firm；　the　reason　must　lie　deeper　than　in　the



measurement　of　their　several　powers　of　mind。



　　　　And　the　essential　reason　for　such　preference　will　he　found　to



lie　in　the　fact　that　the　merchant　is　presumed　to　act　always



selfishly。　His　work　may　be　very　necessary　to　the　community。　but



the　motive　of　it　is　understood　to　be　wholly　personal。　The



merchant's　first　object　in　all　his　dealings　must　be　（the　public



believe）　to　get　as　much　for　himself；　and　leave　as　little　to　his



neighbour　（or　customer）　as　possible。　Enforcing　this　upon　him；　by



political　statute；　as　the　necessary　principle　of　his　action；



recommending　it　to　him　on　all　occasions；　and　themselves



reciprocally　adopting　it；　proclaiming　vociferously；　for　law　of



the　universe；　that　a　buyer's　function　is　to　cheapen；　and　a



seller's　to　cheat；　　the　public；　nevertheless；　involuntarily



condemn　the　man　of　commerce　for　his　compliance　with　their　own



statement；　and　stamp　him　for　ever　as　belonging　to　an　inferior



grade　of　human　personality。



　　　　This　they　will　find；　eventually；　they　must　give　up　doing。



They　must　not　cease　to　condemn　selfishness；　but　they　will　have　to



discover　a　kind　of　commerce　which　is　not　exclusively　selfish。　Or；



rather；　they　will　have　to　discover　that　there　never　was；　or　can



be；　any　other　kind　of　commerce；　that　this　which　they　have　called



commerce　was　not　commerce　at　all；　but　cozening；　and　that　a　true



merchant　differs　as　much　from　a　merchant　according　to　laws　of



modern　political　economy；　as　the　hero　of　the　Excursion　from



Autolycus。　They　will　find　that　commerce　is　an　occupation　which



gentlemen　will　every　day　see　more　need　to　engage　in；　rather　than



in　the　businesses　of　talking　to　men；　or　slaying　them；　that；　in



true　commerce；　as　in　true　preaching；　or　true　fighting；　it　is



necessary　to　admit　the　idea　of　occasional　voluntary　loss；　　that



sixpences　have　to　be　lost；　as　well　as　lives；　under　a　sense　of



duty。　that　the　market　may　have　its　martyrdoms　as　well　as　the



pulpit；　and　trade　its　heroisms　as　well　as　war。



　　　　May　have　　in　the　final　issue；　must　have…and　only　has　not



had　yet；　because　men　of　heroic　temper　have　always　been　misguided



in　their　youth　into　other　fields；　not　recognising　what　is　in　our



days；　perhaps；　the　most　important　of　all　fields；　so　that；　while



many　a　jealous　person　loses　his　life　in　trying　to　teach　the　form



of　a　gospel；　very　few　will　lose　a　hundred　pounds　in　showing　the



practice　of　one。



　　　　The　fact　is；　that　people　never　have　had　clearly　explained　to



them　the　true　functions　of　a　merchant　with　respect　to　other



people。　I　should　like　the　reader　to　be　very　clear　about　this。



　　　　Five　great　intellectual　professions；　relating　to　daily



necessities　of　life；　have　hitherto　existed　　three　exist



necessarily；　in　every　civilised　nation：



　　　　The　Soldier's　profession　is　to　defend　it。



　　　　The　Pastor's　to　teach　it。



　　　　The　Physician's　to　keep　it　in　health。



　　　　The　lawyer's　to　enforce　justice　in　it。



　　　　The　Merchant's　to　provide　for　it。



And　the　duty　of　all　these　men　is；　on　due　occasion；　to　die　for　it。



　　　　〃On　due　occasion；〃　namely：　…



　　　　The　Soldier；　rather　than　leave　his　post　in　battle。



　　　　The　Physician；　rather　than　leave　his　post　in　plague。



　　　　The　Pastor；　rather　than　teach　Falsehood。



　　　　The　lawyer；　rather　than　countenance　Injustice。



　　　　The　Merchant…what　is　his　〃due　occasion〃　of　death？



　　　　It　is　the　main　question　for　the　merchant；　as　for　all　of　us。



For；　truly；　the　man　who　does　not　know　when　to　die；　does　not　know



how　to　live。



　　　　Observe；　the　merchant's　function　（or　manufacturer's；　for　in



the　broad　sense　in　which　it　is　here　used　the　word　must　be



understood　to　include　both）　is　to　provide　for　the　nation。　It　is



no　more　his　function　to　get　profit　for　himself　out　of　that



provision　than　it　is　a　clergyman's　function　to　get　his　stipend。



This　stipend　is　a　due　and　necessary　adjunct；　but　not　the　object



of　his　life；　if　he　be　a　true　clergyman；　any　more　than　his　fee　（or



honorarium）　is　the　object　of　life　to　a　true　physician。　Neither　is



his　fee　the　object　of　life　to　a　true　merchant。　All　three；　if　true



men；　have　a　work　to　be　done　irrespective　of　fee　　to　be　done



even　at　any　cost；　or　for　quite　the　contrary　of　fee；　the　pastor's



function　being　to　teach；　the　physician's　to　heal；　and　the



merchant's；　as　I　have　said；　to　provide。　That　is　to　say；　he　has　to



understand　to　their　very　root　the　qualities　of　the　thing　he　deals



in；　and　the　means　of　obtaining　or　producing　it；　and　he　has　to



apply　all　his　sagacity　and　energy　to　the　producing　or　obtaining



it　in　perfect　state；　and　distributing　it　at　the　cheapest　possible



price　where　it　is　most　needed。



　　　　And　because　the　production　or　obtaining　of　any　commodity



involves　necessarily　the　agency　of　many　lives　and　hands；　the



merchant　becomes　in　the　course　of　his　business　the　master　and



governor　of　large　masses　of　men　in　a　more　direct；　though　less



confessed　way；　than　a　military　officer　or　pastor；　so　that　on　him



falls；　in　great　part；　the　responsibility　for　the　kind　of　life



they　lead：　and　it　becomes　his　duty；　not　only　to　be　always



considering　how　to　produce　what　he　sells；　in　the　purest　and



cheapest　forms；　but　how　to　make　the　various　employments　involved



in　the　production；　or　transference　of　it；　most　beneficial　to　the



men　employed。



　　　　And　as　into　these　two　functions；　requiring　for　their　right



exercise　the　highest　intelligence；　as　well　as　patience；　kindness；



and　tact；　the　merchant　is　bound　to　put　all　his　energy；　so　for



their　just　discharge　he　is　bound；　as　soldier　or　physician　is



bound；　to　give　up；　if　need　be；　his　life；　in　such　way　as　it　may　be



demanded　of　him。　Two　main　points　he　has　in　his　providing　function



to　maintain：　first；　his　engagements　（faithfulness　to　engagements



being　the　real　root　of　all　possibilities；　in　commerce）；　and；



secondly；　the　perfectness　and　purity　of　the　thing　provided；　so



that；　rather　than　fail　in　any　engagement；　or　consent　to　any



deterioration；　adulteration；　or　unjust　and　exorbitant　price　of



that　which　he　provides；　he　is　bound　to　meet　fearlessly　any　form



of　distress；　poverty；　or　labour；　which　may；　through　maintenance



of　these　points；　come　upon　him。



　　　　Again：　in　his　office　as　governor　of　the　men　employed　by　him；



the　merchant　or　manufacturer　is　invested　with　a　distinctly



paternal　authority　and　responsibility。　In　most　cases；　a　youth



entering　a　commercial　establishment　is　withdrawn　altogether　from



home　influence；　his　master　must　become　his　father；　else　he　has；



for　practical　and　constant　help；　no　father　at　hand：　in　all　cases



the　master's　authority；　together　with　the　general　tone　and



atmosphere　of　his　business；　and　the　character　of　the　men　with



whom　the　youth　is　compelled　in　the　course　of　it　to　associate；



have　more　immediate　and　pressing　weight　than　the　home　influence；



and　will　usually　neutralize　it　either　for　good　or　evil；　so　that



the　only　means　which　the　master　has　of　doing　justice　to　the　men



employed　by　him　is　to　ask　himself　sternly　whether　he　is　dealing



with　such　subordinate　as　he　would　with　his　own　son；　if　compelled



by　circumstances　to　take　such　a　position。



　　　　Supposing　the　captain　of　a　frigate　saw　it　right；　or　were　by



any　chance　obliged；　to　place　his　own　son　in　the　position　of　a



common　sailor：　as　he　would　then　treat　his　son；　he　is　bound　always



to　treat　every　one　of　the　men　under　him。　So；　also；　supposing　the



master　of　a　manufactory　saw　it　right；　or　were　by　any　chance



obliged；　to　place　his　own　son　in　the　position　of　an　ordinary



workman；　as　he　would　then　treat　his　son；　he　is　bound　always　to



treat　every　one　of　his　men。　This　is　the　only　effective；　true；　or



practical　Rule　which　can　be　given　on　this　point　of　political



economy。



　　　　And　as　the　captain　of　a　ship　is　bound　to　be　the　last　man　to



leave　his　ship　in　case　of　wreck；　and　to　share　his　last　crust　with



the　sailors　in　case　of　famine；　so　the　manufacturer；　in　any



commercial　crisis　or　distress；　is　bound　to　take　the　suffering　of



it　with　his　men；　and　even　to　take　more　of　it　for　himself　than　he



allows　his　men　to　feel；　as　a　father　would　in　a　famine；　shipwreck；



or　battle；　sacrifice　himself