unto this last-第8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！





happy…hearted　human　creatures。　Our　modern　wealth；　I　think；　has



rather　a　tendency　the　other　way；　　most　political　economists



appearing　to　consider　multitudes　of　human　creatures　not　conducive



to　wealth；　or　at　best　conducive　to　it　only　by　remaining　in　a



dim…eyed　and　narrow…chested　state　of　being。



　　　　Nevertheless；　it　is　open；　I　repeat；　to　serious　question；



which　I　leave　to　the　reader's　pondering；　whether；　among　national



manufactures；　that　of　Souls　of　a　good　quality　may　not　at　last



turn　out　a　quite　leadingly　lucrative　one？　Nay；　in　some　far…away



and　yet　undreamt…of　hour；　I　can　even　imagine　that　England　may



cast　all　thoughts　of　possessive　wealth　back　to　the　barbaric



nations　among　whom　they　first　arose；　and　that；　while　the　sands　of



the　Indus　and　adamant　of　Golconda　may　yet　stiffen　the　housings　of



the　charger；　and　flash　from　the　turban　of　the　slave；　she；　as　a



Christian　mother；　may　at　last　attain　to　the　virtues　and　the



treasures　of　a　Heathen　one；　and　be　able　to　lead　forth　her　Sons；



saying；　



　　　　　　　　　〃These　are　My　Jewels。〃







Qui　Judicatis　Terram







　　　　Some　centuries　before　the　Christian　era；　a　Jew　merchant



largely　engaged　in　business　on　the　Gold　Coast；　and　reported　to



have　made　one　of　the　largest　fortunes　of　his　time；　（held　also　in



repute　for　much　practical　sagacity；）　left　among　his　ledgers　some



general　maxims　concerning　wealth；　which　have　been　preserved；



strangely　enough；　even　to　our　own　days。　They　were　held　in



considerable　respect　by　the　most　active　traders　of　the　middle



ages；　especially　by　the　Venetians；　who　even　went　so　far　in　their



admiration　as　to　place　a　statue　of　the　old　Jew　on　the　angle　of



one　of　their　principal　public　buildings。　Of　late　years　these



writings　have　fallen　into　disrepute；　being　opposed　in　every



particular　to　the　spirit　of　modern　commerce。　Nevertheless　I　shall



reproduce　a　passage　or　two　from　them　here；　partly　because　they



may　interest　the　reader　by　their　novelty；　and　chiefly　because



they　will　show　him　that　it　is　possible　for　a　very　practical　and



acquisitive　tradesman　to　hold；　through　a　not　unsuccessful　career；



that　principle　of　distinction　between　well…gotten　and　ill…gotten



wealth；　which；　partially　insisted　on　in　my　last　paper；　it　must　be



our　work　more　completely　to　examine　in　this。



　　　　He　says；　for　instance；　in　one　place：　〃The　getting　of



treasures　by　a　lying　tongue　is　a　vanity　tossed　to　and　fro　of　them



that　see　death：　〃adding　in　another；　with　the　same　meaning　（he　has



a　curious　way　of　doubling　his　sayings）：　〃Treasures　of　wickedness



profit　nothing：　but　justice　delivers　from　death。〃　Both　these



passages　are　notable　for　their　assertion　of　death　as　the　only



real　issue　and　sum　of　attainment　by　any　unjust　scheme　of　wealth。



If　we　read；　instead　of　〃lying　tongue；〃　〃lying　label；　title；



pretence；　or　advertisement；〃　we　shall　more　clearly　perceive　the



bearing　of　the　words　on　modern　business。　The　seeking　of　death　is



a　grand　expression　of　the　true　course　of　men's　toil　in　such



business。　We　usually　speak　as　if　death　pursued　us；　and　we　fled



from　him；　but　that　is　only　so　in　rare　instances。　Ordinarily　he



masks　himself　　makes　himself　beautiful　　all…glorious；　not



like　the　King's　daughter；　all…glorious　within；　but　outwardly：　his



clothing　of　wrought　gold。　We　pursue　him　frantically　all　our　days；



he　flying　or　hiding　from　us。　Our　crowning　success　at　three…score



and　ten　is　utterly　and　perfectly　to　seize；　and　hold　him　in　his



eternal　integrity　　robes；　ashes；　and　sting。



　　　　Again：　the　merchant　says；　〃He　that　oppresseth　the　poor　to



increase　his　riches；　shall　surely　come　to　want。〃　And　again；　more



strongly：　〃Rob　not　the　poor　because　he　is　poor；　neither　oppress



the　afflicted　in　the　place　of　business。　For　God　shall　spoil　the



soul　of　those　that　spoiled　them。〃



　　　　This　〃robbing　the　poor　because　he　is　poor；〃　is　especially　the



mercantile　form　of　theft；　consisting　in　talking　advantage　of　a



man's　necessities　in　order　to　obtain　his　labour　or　property　at　a



reduced　price。　The　ordinary　highwayman's　opposite　form　of　robbery



　of　the　rich；　because　he　is　rich　　does　not　appear　to　occur　so



often　to　the　old　merchant's　mind；　probably　because；　being　less



profitable　and　more　dangerous　than　the　robbery　of　the　poor；　it　is



rarely　practised　by　persons　of　discretion。　



　　　　But　the　two　most　remarkable　passages　in　their　deep　general



significance　are　the　following：　



　　　　〃The　rich　and　the　poor　have　met。　God　is　their　maker。〃



　　　　〃The　rich　and　the　poor　have　met。　God　is　their　light。〃



　　　　They　〃have　met：〃　more　literally；　have　stood　in　each　other's



way　（obviaverunt）。　That　is　to　say；　as　long　as　the　world　lasts；



the　action　and　counteraction　of　wealth　and　poverty；　the　meeting；



face　to　face；　of　rich　and　poor；　is　just　as　appointed　and



necessary　a　law　of　that　world　as　the　flow　of　stream　to　sea；　or



the　interchange　of　power　among　the　electric　clouds：　　〃God　is



their　maker。〃　But；　also；　this　action　may　be　either　gentle　and



just；　or　convulsive　and　destructive：　it　may　be　by　rage　of



devouring　flood；　or　by　lapse　of　serviceable　wave；　　in　blackness



of　thunderstroke；　or　continual　force　of　vital　fire；　soft；　and



shapeable　into　love…syllables　from　far　away。　And　which　of　these



it　shall　be　depends　on　both　rich　and　poor　knowing　that　God　is



their　light；　that　in　the　mystery　of　human　life；　there　is　no　other



light　than　this　by　which　they　can　see　each　other's　faces；　and



live；　　light；　which　is　called　in　another　of　the　books　among



which　the　merchant's　maxims　have　been　preserved；　the　〃sun　of



justice；〃（4*）　of　which　it　is　promised　that　it　shall　rise　at　last



with　〃healing〃　（health…giving　or　helping；　making　whole　or　setting



at　one）　in　its　wings。　For　truly　this　healing　is　only　possible　by



means　of　justice；　no　love；　no　faith；　no　hope　will　do　it；　men　will



be　unwisely　fond…vainly　faithful；　unless　primarily　they　are　just；



and　the　mistake　of　the　best　men　through　generation　after



generation；　has　been　that　great　one　of　thinking　to　help　the　poor



by　almsgiving；　and　by　preaching　of　patience　or　of　hope；　and　by



every　other　means；　emollient　or　consolatory；　except　the　one　thing



which　God　orders　for　them；　justice。　But　this　justice；　with　its



accompanying　holiness　or　helpfulness；　being　even　by　the　best　men



denied　in　its　trial　time；　is　by　the　mass　of　men　hated　wherever　it



appears：　so　that；　when　the　choice　was　one　day　fairly　put　to　them；



they　denied　the　Helpful　One　and　the　Just；（5*）　and　desired　a



murderer；　sedition…raiser；　and　robber；　to　be　gran　ted　to　them；　



the　murderer　instead　of　the　Lord　of　Life；　the　sedition…raiser



instead　of　the　Prince　of　Peace；　and　the　robber　instead　of　the



Just　Judge　of　all　the　world。



　　　　I　have　just　spoken　of　the　flowing　of　streams　to　the　sea　as　a



partial　image　of　the　action　of　wealth。　In　one　respect　it　is　not　a



partial；　but　a　perfect　image。　The　popular　economist　thinks



himself　wise　in　having　discovered　that　wealth；　or　the　forms　of



property　in　general；　must　go　where　they　are　required；　that　where



demand　is；　supply　must　follow。　He　farther　declares　that　this



course　of　demand　and　supply　cannot　be　forbidden　by　human　laws。



Precisely　in　the　same　sense；　and　with　the　same　certainty；　the



waters　of　the　world　go　where　they　are　required。　Where　the　land



falls；　the　water　flows。　The　course　neither　of　clouds　nor　rivers



can　be　forbidden　by　human　will。　But　the　disposition　and



administration　of　them　can　be　altered　by　human　forethought。



Whether　the　stream　shall　be　a　curse　or　a　blessing；　depends　upon



man's　labour；　and　administrating　intelligence。　For　centuries



after　centuries；　great　districts　of　the　world；　rich　in　soil；　and



favoured　in　climate；　have　lain　desert　under　the　rage　of　their　own



rivers；　nor　only　desert；　but　plague…struck。　The　stream　which；



rightly　directed；　would　have　flowed　in　soft　irrigation　from　field



to　field　　would　have　purified　the　air；　given　food　to　man　and



beast；　and　carried　their　burdens　for　them　on　its　bosom　　now



overwhelms　the　plain；　and　poisons　the　wind；　its　breath



pestilence；　and　its　work　famine。　In　like　manner　this　wealth　〃goes



where　it　is　required。〃　No　human　laws　can　withstand　its　flow。　They



can　only　guide　it：　but　this；　the　lending　trench　and　limiting



mound　can　do　so　thoroughly；　that　it　shall　become　water　of　life　



the　riches　of　the　hand　of　wisdom；（6*）　or；　on　the　contrary；　by



leaving　it　to　its　own　lawless　flow；　they　may　make　it；　what　it　has



been　too　often；　the　last　and　deadliest　of　national　plagues：　water



of　Marah　　the　water　which　feeds　the　roots　of　all　evil。



　　　　The