unto this last-第19节

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！





manufactured　articles　as　anything　else；　and　it　is　just　because



our　present　system　of　political　economy　gives　so　large　a　stimulus



to　that　manufacture　that　you　may　know　it　to　be　a　false　one。　We



had　better　seek　for　a　system　which　will　develop　honest　men；　than



for　one　which　will　deal　cunningly　with　vagabonds。　Let　us　reform



our　schools；　and　we　shall　find　little　reform　needed　in　our



prisons。　







3。　The　disputes　which　exist　respecting　the　real　nature　of　money



arise　more　from　the　disputants　examining　its　functions　on



different　sides；　than　from　any　real　dissent　in　their　opinions。



All　money；　properly　so　called；　is　an　acknowledgment　of　debt；　but



as　such；　it　may　either　be　considered　to　represent　the　labour　and



property　of　the　creditor；　or　the　idleness　and　penury　of　the



debtor。　The　intricacy　of　the　question　has　been　much　increased　by



the　（hitherto　necessary）　use　of　marketable　commodities；　such　as



gold；　silver；　salt；　shells；　&c。；　to　give　intrinsic　value　or



security　to　currency；　but　the　final　and　best　definition　of　money



is　that　it　is　a　documentary　promise　ratified　and　guaranteed　by



the　nation　to　give　or　find　a　certain　quantity　of　labour　on



demand。　A　man's　labour　for　a　day　is　a　better　standard　of　value



than　a　measure　of　any　produce；　because　no　produce　ever　maintains



a　consistent　rate　of　productibility。　







4。　More　accurately；　Sun　of　Justness；　but；　instead　of　the　harsh



word　〃Justness；〃　the　old　English　〃Righteousness〃　being　commonly



employed；　has；　by　getting　confused　with　〃godliness；〃　or



attracting　about　it　various　vague　and　broken　meanings。　prevented



most　persons　from　receiving　the　force　of　the　passages　in　which　it



occurs。　The　word　〃righteousness〃　properly　refers　to　the　justice



of　rule；　or　right；　as　distinguished　from　〃equity；〃　which　refers



to　the　justice　of　balance。　More　broadly；　Righteousness　is　King's



justice；　and　Equity；　Judge's　justice；　the　King　guiding　or　ruling



all；　the　Judge　dividing　or　discerning　between　opposites



（therefore　the　double　question；　〃Man；　who　made　me　a　ruler　



dikastes　　or　a　dividermeristes　　over　you？〃）　Thus；　with



respect　to　the　Justice　of　Choice　（selection；　the　feebler　and



passive　justice）；　we　have　from　lego；　　lex；　legal；　loi；　and



loyal；　and　with　respect　to　the　Justice　of　Rule　（direction；　the



stronger　and　active　justice）；　we　have　from　rego；　　rex；　regal；



roi；　and　royal。







5。　In　another　place　written　with　the　same　meaning；　〃Just；　and



having　salvation。〃







6。　〃Length　of　days　in　her　right　hand；　in　her　left；　riches　and



honour。〃







7。　I　hear　that　several　of　our　lawyers　have　been　greatly　amused　by



the　statement　in　the　first　of　these　papers　that　a　lawyer's



function　was　to　do　justice。　I　did　not　intend　it　for　a　jest；



nevertheless　it　will　be　seen　that　in　the　above　passage　neither



the　determination　nor　doing　of　justice　are　contemplated　as



functions　wholly　peculiar　to　the　lawyer。　Possibly；　the　more　our



standing　armies；　whether　of　soldiers；　pastors；　or　legislators



（the　generic　term　〃pastor〃　including　all　teachers；　and　the



generic　term　〃lawyer〃　including　makers　as　well　as　interpreters　of



law）；　can　be　superseded　by　the　force　of　national　heroism；　wisdom；



and　honesty；　the　better　it　may　be　for　the　nation。　







8。　It　being　the　privilege　of　the　fishes；　as　it　is　of　rats　and



wolves；　to　live　by　the　laws　of　demand　and　supply；　but　the



distinction　of　humanity；　to　live　by　those　of　right。　







9。　It　might　appear　at　first　that　the　market　price　of　labour



expressed　such　an　exchange：　but　this　is　a　fallacy；　for　the　market



price　is　the　momentary　price　of　the　kind　of　labour　required；　but



the　just　price　is　its　equivalent　of　the　productive　labour　of



mankind。　This　difference　will　be　analyzed　in　its　place。　It　must



be　noted　also　that　I　speak　here　only　of　the　exchangeable　value　of



labour；　not　of　that　of　commodities。　The　exchangeable　value　of　a



commodity　is　that　of　the　labour　required　to　produce　it；



multiplied　into　the　force　of　the　demand　for　it。　If　the　value　of



the　labour　=　x　and　the　force　of　demand　=　y；　the　exchangeable



value　of　the　commodity　is　xy；　in　which　if　either　x　=　0；　or　y　=　0；



xy　=　0。







10。　Under　the　term　〃skill〃　I　mean　to　include　the　united　force　of



experience；　intellect；　and　passion　in　their　operation　on　manual



labour：　and　under　the　term　〃passion；〃　to　include　the　entire　range



and　agency　of　the　moral　feelings；　from　the　simple　patience　and



gentleness　of　mind　which　will　give　continuity　and　fineness　to　the



touch；　or　enable　one　person　to　work　without　fatigue；　and　with



good　effect；　twice　as　long　as　another；　up　to　the　qualities　of



character　which　renders　science　possible　　（the　retardation　of



science　by　envy　is　one　of　the　most　tremendous　losses　in　the



economy　of　the　present　century）　　and　to　the　incommunicable



emotion　and　imagination　which　are　the　first　and　mightiest　sources



of　all　value　in　art。



　　　　It　is　highly　singular　that　political　economists　should　not



yet　have　perceived；　if　not　the　moral；　at　least　the　passionate



element；　to　be　an　inextricable　quantity　in　every　calculation。　I



cannot　conceive；　for　instance；　how　it　was　possible　that　Mr　Mill



should　have　followed　the　true　clue　so　far　as　to　write；　　〃No



limit　can　be　set　to　the　importance　　even　in　a　purely　productive



and　material　point　of　view　　of　mere　thought；〃　without　seeing



that　it　was　logically　necessary　to　add　also；　〃and　of　mere



feeling。〃　And　this　the　more；　because　in　his　first　definition　of



labour　he　includes　in　the　idea　of　it　〃all　feelings　of　a



disagreeable　kind　connected　with　the　employment　of　one's　thoughts



in　a　particular　occupation。〃　True；　but　why　not　also；　〃feelings　of



an　agreeable　kind？〃　It　can　hardly　be　supposed　that　the　feelings



which　retard　labour　are　more　essentially　a　part　of　the　labour



than　those　which　accelerate　it。　The　first　are　paid　for　as　pain；



the　second　as　power。　The　workman　is　merely　indemified　for　the



first；　but　the　second　both　produce　a　part　of　the　exchangeable



value　of　the　work；　and　materially　increase　its　actual　quantity。



　　　　〃Fritz　is　with　us。　He　is　worth　fifty　thousand　men。〃　Truly；　a



large　addition　to　the　material　force；　　consisting；　however；　be



it　observed；　not　more　in　operations　carried　on　in　Fritz's　head；



than　in　operations　carried　on　in　his　armies'　heart。　〃No　limit　can



be　set　to　the　importance　of　mere　thought。〃　Perhaps　not！　Nay；



suppose　some　day　it　should　turn　out　that　〃mere〃　thought　was　in



itself　a　recommendable　object　of　production；　and　that　all



Material　production　was　only　a　step　towards　this　more　precious



Immaterial　one？







11。　I　am　sorry　to　lose　time　by　answering；　however　curtly；　the



equivocations　of　the　writers　who　sought　to　obscure　the　instances



given　of　regulated　labour　in　the　first　of　these　papers；　by



confusing　kinds；　ranks；　and　quantities　of　labour　with　its



qualities。　I　never　said　that　a　colonel　should　have　the　same　pay



as　a　private；　nor　a　bishop　the　same　pay　as　a　curate。　Neither　did



I　say　that　more　work　ought　to　be　paid　as　less　work　（so　that　the



curate　of　a　parish　of　two　thousand　souls　should　have　no　more　than



the　curate　of　a　parish　of　five　hundred）。　But　I　said　that；　so　far



as　you　employ　it　at　all；　bad　work　should　be　paid　no　less　than



good　work；　as　a　bad　clergyman　yet　takes　his　tithes；　a　bad



physician　takes　bis　fee；　and　a　bad　lawyer　his　costs。　And　this；　as



will　be　farther　shown　in　the　conclusion；　I　said；　and　say；　partly



because　the　best　work　never　was；　nor　ever　will　be；　done　for　money



at　all；　but　chiefly　because；　the　moment　people　know　they　have　to



pay　the　bad　and　good　alike；　they　will　try　to　discern　the　one　from



the　other；　and　not　use　the　bad。　A　sagacious　writer　in　the



Scotsman　asks　me　if　I　should　like　any　common　scribbler　to　be　paid



by　Messrs　Smith；　Elder　and　Co。　as　their　good　authors　are。　I



should；　if　they　employed　him…but　would　seriously　recommend　them；



for　the　scribbler's　sake；　as　well　as　their　own；　not　to　employ



him。　The　quantity　of　its　money　which　the　country　at　present



invests　in　scribbling　is　not；　in　the　outcome　of　it；　economically



spent；　and　even　the　highly　ingenious　person　to　whom　this　question



occurred；　might　perhaps　have　been　more　beneficially　employed　than



in　printing　it。　







12。　I　have　to　acknowledge　an　interesting　communication　on　the



subject　of　free　trade　from　Paisley　（for　a　short　letter　from　〃A



Well…wisher〃　at　my　thanks　are　yet　more　due）。　But　the　Scottish



writer　will；　I　fear；　be　disagreeably　surprised　to　hear；　that　I



am；　and　always　have　been；　an　utterly　fear