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



Ixion　is　at　last　bound　upon　a　wheel　　fiery　and　toothed；　and



rolling　perpetually　in　the　air：　　the　type　of　human　labour　when



selfish　and　fruitless　（kept　far　into　the　Middle　Ages　in　their



wheels　of　fortune）；　the　wheel　which　has　in　it　no　breath　or



spirit；　but　is　whirled　by　chance　only；　whereas　of　all　true　work



the　Ezekiel　vision　is　true；　that　the　Spirit　of　the　living



creature　is　in　the　wheels；　and　where　the　angels　go；　the　wheels　go



by　them；　but　move　no　otherwise。



　　　　This　being　the　real　nature　of　capital；　it　follows　that　there



are　two　kinds　of　true　production；　always　going　on　in　an　active



State：　one　of　seed；　and　one　of　food；　or　production　for　the



Ground；　and　for　the　Mouth；　both　of　which　are　by　covetous　persons



thought　to　be　production　only　for　the　granary；　whereas　the



function　of　the　granary　is　but　intermediate　and　conservative；



fulfilled　in　distribution；　else　it　ends　in　nothing　but　mildew；



and　nourishment　of　rats　and　worms。　And　since　production　for　the



Ground　is　only　useful　with　future　hope　of　harvest；　all　essential



production　is　for　the　Mouth；　and　is　finally　measured　by　the



mouth；　hence；　as　I　said　above；　consumption　is　the　crown　of



production；　and　the　wealth　of　a　nation　is　only　to　be　estimated　by



what　it　consumes。



　　　　The　want　of　any　clear　sight　of　this　fact　is　the　capital



error；　issuing　in　rich　interest　and　revenue　of　error　among　the



political　economists。　Their　minds　are　continually　set　on



money…gain；　not　on　mouth…gain；　and　they　fall　into　every　sort　of



net　and　snare；　dazzled　by　the　coin…glitter　as　birds　by　the



fowler's　glass；　or　rather　（for　there　is　not　much　else　like　birds



in　them）　they　are　like　children　trying　to　jump　on　the　heads　of



their　own　shadows；　the　money…gain　being　only　the　shadow　of　the



true　gain；　which　is　humanity。



　　　　The　final　object　of　political　economy；　therefore；　is　to　get



good　method　of　consumption；　and　great　quantity　of　consumption：　in



other　words；　to　use　everything；　and　to　use　it　nobly。　whether　it



be　substance；　service；　or　service　perfecting　substance。　The　most



curious　error　in　Mr　Mill's　entire　work；　（provided　for　him



originally　by　Ricardo；）　is　his　endeavour　to　distinguish　between



direct　and　indirect　service；　and　consequent　assertion　that　a



demand　for　commodities　is　not　demand　for　labour　（I。　v。　9；　et



seq。）。　He　distinguishes　between　labourers　employed　to　lay　out



pleasure　grounds；　and　to　manufacture　velvet；　declaring　that　it



makes　material　difference　to　the　labouring　classes　in　which　of



these　two　ways　a　capitalist　spends　his　money；　because　the



employment　of　the　gardeners　is　a　demand　for　labour；　but　the



purchase　of　velvet　is　not。（29*）　Error　colossal；　as　well　as



strange。　It　will；　indeed；　make　a　difference　to　the　labourer



whether　we　bid　him　swing　his　scythe　in　the　spring　winds；　or　drive



the　loom　in　pestilential　air。　but；　so　far　as　his　pocket　is



concerned；　it　makes；　to　him　absolutely　no　difference　whether　we



order　him　to　make　green　velvet；　with　seed　and　a　scythe；　or　red



velvet；　with　silk　and　scissors。　Neither　does　it　anywise　concern



him　whether；　when　the　velvet　is　made；　we　consume　it　by　walking　on



it；　or　wearing　it；　so　long　as　our　consumption　of　it　is　wholly



selfish。　But　if　our　consumption　is　to　be　in　anywise　unselfish；



not　only　our　mode　of　consuming　the　articles　we　require　interests



him；　but　also　the　kind　of　article　we　require　with　a　view　to



consumption。　As　thus　（returning　for　a　moment　to　Mr　Mill's　great



hardware　theory（30*））：　it　matters；　so　far　as　the　labourer's



immediate　profit　is　concerned；　not　an　iron　filing　whether　I



employ　him　in　growing　a　peach；　or　forging　a　bombshell；　but　my



probable　mode　of　consumption　of　those　articles　matters　seriously。



Admit　that　it　is　to　be　in　both　cases　〃unselfish；〃　and　the



difference；　to　him；　is　final；　whether　when　his　child　is　ill；　I



walk　into　his　cottage　and　give　it　the　peach；　or　drop　the　shell



down　his　chimney；　and　blow　his　roof　off。



　　　　The　worst　of　it；　for　the　peasant；　is；　that　the　capitalist's



consumption　of　the　peach　is　apt　to　be　selfish；　and　of　the　shell；



distributive；（31*）　but；　in　all　cases；　this　is　the　broad　and



general　fact；　that　on　due　catallactic　commercial　principles；



somebody's　roof　must　go　off　in　fulfilment　of　the　bomb's　destiny。



You　may　grow　for　your　neighbour；　at　your　liking；　grapes　or



grape…shot；　he　will　also；　catallactically；　grow　grapes　or



grape…shot　for　you；　and　you　will　each　reap　what　you　have　sown。



　　　　It　is；　therefore；　the　manner　and　issue　of　consumption　which



are　the　real　tests　of　production。　Production　does　not　consist　in



things　laboriously　made；　but　in　things　serviceably　consumable；



and　the　question　for　the　nation　is　not　how　much　labour　it



employs；　but　how　much　life　it　produces。　For　as　consumption　is　the



end　and　aim　of　production；　so　life　is　the　end　and　aim　of



consumption。



　　　　I　left　this　question　to　the　reader's　thought　two　months　ago；



choosing　rather　that　he　should　work　it　out　for　himself　than　have



it　sharply　stated　to　him。　But　now；　the　ground　being　sufficiently



broken　（and　the　details　into　which　the　several　questions；　here



opened；　must　lead　us；　being　too　complex　for　discussion　in　the



pages　of　a　periodical；　so　that　I　must　pursue　them　elsewhere）；　I



desire；　in　closing　the　series　of　introductory　papers；　to　leave



this　one　great　fact　clearly　stated。　THERE　IS　NO　WEALTH　BUT　LIFE。



Life；　including　all　its　powers　of　love；　of　joy；　and　of



admiration。　That　country　is　the　richest　which　nourishes　the



greatest　number　of　noble　and　happy　human　beings；　that　man　is



richest　who；　having　perfected　the　functions　of　his　own　life　to



the　utmost；　has　also　the　widest　helpful　influence；　both　personal；



and　by　means　of　his　possessions；　over　the　lives　of　others。



　　　　A　strange　political　economy；　the　only　one；　nevertheless；　that



ever　was　or　can　be：　all　political　economy　founded　on



self…interest（32*）　being　but　the　fulfilment　of　that　which　once



brought　schism　into　the　Policy　of　angels；　and　ruin　into　the



Economy　of　Heaven。



　　　　〃The　greatest　number　of　human　beings　noble　and　happy。〃　But　is



the　nobleness　consistent　with　the　number？　Yes；　not　only



consistent　with　it；　but　essential　to　it。　The　maximum　of　life　can



only　be　reached　by　the　maximum　of　virtue。　In　this　respect　the　law



of　human　population　differs　wholly　from　that　of　animal　life。　The



multiplication　of　animals　is　checked　only　by　want　of　food；　and　by



the　hostility　of　races；　the　population　of　the　gnat　is　restrained



by　the　hunger　of　the　swallow；　and　that　of　the　swallow　by　the



scarcity　of　gnats。　Man；　considered　as　an　animal；　is　indeed



limited　by　the　same　laws：　hunger；　or　plague；　or　war；　are　the



necessary　and　only　restraints　upon　his　increase；　　effectual



restraints　hitherto；　　his　principal　study　having　been　how　most



swiftly　to　destroy　himself；　or　ravage　his　dwelling…places；　and



his　highest　skill　directed　to　give　range　to　the　famine；　seed　to



the　plague；　and　sway　to　the　sword。　But；　considered　as　other　than



an　animal；　his　increase　is　not　limited　by　these　laws。　It　is



limited　only　by　the　limits　of　his　courage　and　his　love。　Both　of



these　have　their　bounds；　and　ought　to　have；　his　race　has　its



bounds　also；　but　these　have　not　yet　been　reached；　nor　will　be



reached　for　ages。



　　　　In　all　the　ranges　of　human　thought　I　know　none　so　melancholy



as　the　speculations　of　political　economists　on　the　population



question。　It　is　proposed　to　better　the　condition　of　the　labourer



by　giving　him　higher　wages。　〃Nay；〃　says　the　economist；　　〃if　you



raise　his　wages；　he　will　either　people　down　to　the　same　point　of



misery　at　which　you　found　him；　or　drink　your　wages　away。〃　He



will。　I　know　it。　Who　gave　him　this　will？　Suppose　it　were　your　own



son　of　whom　you　spoke；　declaring　to　me　that　you　dared　not　take



him　into　your　firm；　nor　even　give　him　his　just　labourer's　wages；



because　if　you　did　he　would　die　of　drunkenness；　and　leave　half　a



score　of　children　to　the　parish。　〃Who　gave　your　son　these



dispositions？〃　　I　should　enquire。　Has　he　them　by　inheritance　or



by　education？　By　one　or　other　they　must　come；　and　as　in　him；　so



also　in　the　poor。　Either　these　poor　are　of　a　race　essentially



different　from　ours；　and　unredeemable　（which；　however；　often



implied；　I　have　heard　none　yet　openly　say）；　or　else　by　such　care



as　we　have　ourselves　received；　we　may　make　them　continent　and



sober　as　ourselves…wise　and　dispassionate　as　we　are　models



arduous　of　imitation。　〃But；〃　it　is　answered；　〃they　cannot　receive