unto this last-第22章

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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　fearless　and　unscrupulous



free…trader。　Seven　years　ago；　speaking　of　the　various　signs　of



infancy　in　the　European　mind　（Stones　of　Venice；　vol。　iii。　p。



168）；　I　wrote：　〃The　first　principles　of　commerce　were



acknowledged　by　the　English　parliament　only　a　few　months　ago；　in



its　free…trade　measures；　and　are　still　so　little　understood　by



the　million；　that　no　nation　dares　to　abolish　its　custom…houses。〃



　　　　It　will　be　observed　that　I　do　not　admit　even　the　idea　of



reciprocity。　Let　other　nations；　if　they　like；　keep　their　ports



shut；　every　wise　nation　will　throw　its　own　open。　It　is　not　the



opening　them；　but　a　sudden；　inconsiderate；　and　blunderingly



experimental　manner　of　opening　them；　which　does　the　harm。　If　you



have　been　protecting　a　manufacture　for　a　long　series　of　years；



you　must　not　take　the　protection　off　in　a　moment；　so　as　to　throw



every　one　of　its　operatives　at　once　out　of　employ；　any　more　than



you　must　take　all　its　wrappings　off　a　feeble　child　at　once　in



cold　weather；　though　the　cumber　of　them　may　have　been　radically



injuring　its　health。　Little　by　little；　you　must　restore　it　to



freedom　and　to　air。



　　　　Most　people's　minds　are　in　curious　confusion　on　the　subject



of　free　trade；　because　they　suppose　it　to　imply　enlarged



competition。　On　the　contrary；　free　trade　puts　an　end　to　all



competition。　〃Protection〃　（among　various　other　mischievous



functions；）　endeavours　to　enable　one　country　to　compete　with



another　in　the　production　of　an　article　at　a　disadvantage。　When



trade　is　entirely　free；　no　country　can　be　competed　with　in　the



articles　for　the　production　of　which　it　is　naturally　calculated；



nor　can　it　compete　with　any　other；　in　the　production　of　articles



for　which　it　is　not　naturally　calculated。　Tuscany；　for　instance；



cannot　compete　with　England　in　steel；　nor　England　with　Tuscany　in



oil。　They　must　exchange　their　steel　and　oil。　Which　exchange



should　be　as　frank　and　free　as　honesty　and　the　sea…winds　can　make



it。　Competition；　indeed；　arises　at　first；　and　sharply；　in　order



to　prove　which　is　strongest　in　any　given　manufacture　possible　to



both；　this　point　once　ascertained；　competition　is　at　an　end。　







13。　I　should　be　glad　if　the　reader　would　first　clear　the　ground



for　himself　so　far　as　to　determine　whether　the　difficulty　lies　in



getting　the　work　or　getting　the　pay　for　it。　Does　he　consider



occupation　itself　to　be　an　expensive　luxury；　difficult　of



attainment；　of　which　too　little　is　to　be　found　in　the　world？　or



is　it　rather　that；　while　in　the　enjoyment　even　of　the　most



athletic　delight；　men　must　nevertheless　be　maintained；　and　this



maintenance　is　not　always　forthcoming？　We　must　be　clear　on　this



head　before　going　farther；　as　most　people　are　loosely　in　the



habit　of　talking　of　the　difficulty　of　〃finding　employment。〃　Is　it



employment　that　we　want　to　find；　or　support　during　employment？　Is



it　idleness　we　wish　to　put　an　end　to；　or　hunger？　We　have　to　take



up　both　questions　in　succession；　only　not　both　at　the　same　time。



No　doubt　that　work　is　a　luxury；　and　a　very　great　one。　It　is；



indeed；　at　once　a　luxury　and　a　necessity；　no　man　can　retain



either　health　of　mind　or　body　without　it。　So　profoundly　do　I　feel



this；　that；　as　will　be　seen　in　the　sequel；　one　of　the　principal



objects　I　would　recommend　to　benevolent　and　practical　persons；　is



to　induce　rich　people　to　seek　for　a　larger　quantity　of　this



luxury　than　they　at　present　possess。　Nevertheless；　it　appears　by



experience　that　even　this　healthiest　of　pleasures　may　be　indulged



in　to　excess；　and　that　human　beings　are　just　as　liable　to　surfeit



of　labour　as　to　surfeit　of　meat；　so　that；　as　on　the　one　hand；　it



may　be　charitable　to　provide；　for　some　people；　lighter　dinner；



and　more　work；　for　others；　it　may　be　equally　expedient　to　provide



lighter　work；　and　more　dinner。　







14。　Book　I。　chap。　iv。　s。　1。　To　save　space；　my　future　references



to　Mr　Mill's　work　will　be　by　numerals　only；　as　in　this　instance；



I。　iv。　I。　Ed。　in　2　vols。　8vo。　Parker；　1848。







15。　If　Mr　Mill　had　wished　to　show　the　difference　in　result



between　consumption　and　sale；　he　should　have　represented　the



hardware　merchant　as　consuming　his　own　goods　instead　of　selling



them；　similarly；　the　silver　merchant　as　consuming　his　own　goods



instead　of　welling　them。　Had　he　done　this；　he　would　have　made　his



position　clearer；　though　less　tenable；　and　perhaps　this　was　the



position　he　really　intended　to　take；　tacitly　involving　his



theory；　elsewhere　stated；　and　shown　in　the　sequel　of　this　paper



to　be　false；　that　demand　for　commodities　is　not　demand　for



labour。　But　by　the　most　diligent　scrutiny　of　the　paragraph　now



under　examination；　I　c