unto this last-第23章

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



under　examination；　I　cannot　determine　whether　it　is　a　fallacy



pure　and　simple；　or　the　half　of　one　fallacy　supported　by　the



whole　of　a　greater　one；　so　that　I　treat　it　here　on　the　kinder



assumption　that　it　is　one　fallacy　only。　







16。　I　take　Mr　Helps'　estimate　in　his　essay　on　War。







17。　Also　when　the　wrought　silver　vases　of　Spain　were　dashed　to



fragments　by　our　custom…house　officers；　because　bullion　might　be



imported　free　of　duty；　but　not　brains；　was　the　axe　that　broke



them　productive？　　the　artist　who　wrought　them　unproductive？　Or



again。　If　the　woodman's　axe　is　productive；　is　the　executioner's？



as　also；　if　the　hemp　of　a　cable　be　productive；　does　not　the



productiveness　of　hemp　in　a　halter　depend　on　its　moral　more　than



on　its　material　application？　







18。　Filigree：　that　is　to　say；　generally；　ornament　dependent　on



complexity；　not　on　art。　







19。　These　statements　sound　crude　in　their　brevity；　but　will　be



found　of　the　utmost　importance　when　they　are　developed。　Thus；　in



the　above　instance；　economists　have　never　perceived　that



disposition　to　buy　is　a　wholly　moral　element　in　demand：　that　is



to　say；　when　you　give　a　man　half…a…crown；　it　depends　on　his



disposition　whether　he　is　rich　or　poor　with　it　　whether　he　will



buy　disease；　ruin；　and　hatred；　or　buy　health；　advancement；　and



domestic　love。　And　thus　the　agreeableness　or　exchange　value　of



every　offered　commodity　depends　on　production；　not　merely　of　the



commodity；　but　of　buyers　of　it；　therefore　on　the　education　of



buyers；　and　on　all　the　moral　elements　by　which　their　disposition



to　buy　this；　or　that；　is　formed。　I　will　illustrate　and　expand



into　final　consequences　every　one　of　these　definitions　in　its



place：　at　present　they　can　only　be　given　with　extremest　brevity；



for　in　order　to　put　the　subject　at　once　in　a　connected　form



before　the　reader；　I　have　thrown　into　one；　the　opening



definitions　of　four　chapters；　namely；　of　that　on　Value　（〃Ad



Valorem〃）；　on　Price　（〃Thirty　Pieces〃）；　on　Production　（〃Demeter〃）；



and　on　Economy　（〃The　Law　of　the　House〃）。　







20。　Perhaps　it　may　be　said；　in　farther　support　of　Mr　Ricardo；



that　he　meant；　〃when　the　utility　is　constant　or　given；　the　price



varies　as　the　quantity　of　labour。〃　If　he　meant　this；　he　should



have　said　it；　but；　had　he　meant　it；　he　could　have　hardly　missed



the　necessary　result；　that　utility　would　be　one　measure　of　price



（which　he　expressly　denies　it　to　be）；　and　that；　to　prove



saleableness；　he　had　to　prove　a　given　quantity　of　utility；　as



well　as　a　given　quantity　of　labour：　to　wit；　in　his　own　instance；



that　the　deer　and　fish　would　each　feed　the　same　number　of　men；



for　the　same　number　of　days；　with　equal　pleasure　to　their



palates。　The　fact　is；　he　did　not　know　what　he　meant　himself。　The



general　idea　which　he　had　derived　from　commercial　experience；



without　being　able　to　analyze　it；　was；　that　when　the　demand　is



constant；　the　price　varies　as　the　quantity　of　labour　required　for



production；　or；　　using　the　formula　I　gave　in　last　paper　　when



y　is　constant；　x　y　varies　as　x。　But　demand　never　is；　nor　can　be；



ultimately　constant；　if　x　varies　distinctly；　for；　as　price　rises；



consumers　fall　away；　and　as　soon　as　there　is　a　monopoly　（and　all



scarcity　is　a　form　of　monopoly；　so　that　every　commodity　is



affected　occasionally　by　some　colour　of　monopoly）；　y　becomes　the



most　influential　condition　of　the　price。　Thus　the　price　of　a



painting　depends　less　on　its　merits　than　on　the　interest　taken　in



it　by　the　public；　the　price　of　singing　less　on　the　labour　of　the



singer　than　the　number　of　persons　who　desire　to　hear　him；　and　the



price　of　gold　less　on　the　scarcity　which　affects　it　in　common



with　cerium　or　iridium；　than　on　the　sunlight　colour　and



unalterable　purity　by　which　it　attracts　the　admiration　and



answers　the　trust　of　mankind。　



　　　　It　must　be　kept　in　mind；　however；　that　I　use　the　word



〃demand〃　in　a　somewhat　different　sense　from　economists　usually。



They　mean　by　it　〃the　quantity　of　a　thing　sold。〃　I　mean　by　it　〃the



force　of　the　buyer's　capable　intention　to　buy。〃　In　good　English；



a　person's　〃demand〃　signifies；　not　what　he　gets；　but　what　he　asks



for。



　　　　Economists　also　do　not　notice　that　objects　are　not　valued　by



absolute　bulk　or　weight；　but　by　such　bulk　and　weight　as　is



necessary　to　bring　them　into　use。　They　say；　for　instance；　that



water　bears　no　price　in　the　market。　It　is　true　that　a　cupful　does



not；　but　a　lake　does；　just　as　a　handful　of　dust　does　not；　but　an



acre　does。　And　were　it　possible　to　make　even　the　possession　of



the　cupful　or　handful　permanent；　（i。e。　to　find　a　place　for　them；）



the　earth　and　sea　would　be　bought　up　for　handfuls　and　cupfuls。







21。　Compare　George　Herbert；　The　Church　Porch；　Staza　28。







22。　〃O　Zeus　dipou　penetai〃　　Arist。　Plut。　582。　It　would　but



weaken　the　grad　words　to　lean　on　the　preceding　ones：　　〃Oti　tou



Platon　parecho　Beltionas；　andpas；　kai　tin　gnomen；　kai　ten　idean。〃







23。　Zech。　v。　ii。







24。　Labour　which　is　entirely　good　of　its　kind；　that　is　to　say；



effective；　or　efficient；　the　Greeks　called　〃weighable；〃　or　axios；



translated　usually　〃worthy；〃　and　because　thus　substantial　and



true；　they　called　its　price　time；　the　〃honourable　estimate〃　of　it



（honorarium）：　this　word　being　founded　on　their　conception　of　true



labour　as　a　divine　thing；　to　be　honoured　with　the　kind　of　honour



given　to　the　gods；　whereas　the　price　of　false　labour；　or　of　that



which　led　away　from　life；　was　to　be；　not　honour；　but　vengeance；



for　which　they　reserved　another　word；　attributing　the　exaction　of



such　price　to　a　peculiar　goddess；　called　Tisiphone；　the　〃requiter



（or　quittance…taker）　of　death〃；　a　person　versed　in　the　highest



branches　of　arithmetic；　and　punctual　in　her　habits；　with　whom



accounts　current　have　been　opened　also　in　modern　days。　







25。　The　most　accurately　nugatory　labour　is；　perhaps；　that　of



which　not　enough　is　given　to　answer　a　purpose　effectually；　and



which；　therefore；　has　all　to　be　done　over　again。　Also；　labour



which　fails　of　effect　through　non…co…operation。　The　cure　of　a



little　village　near　Bellinzona；　to　whom　I　had　expressed　wonder



that　the　peasants　allowed　the　Ticino　to　flood　their　fields；　told



me　that　they　would　not　join　to　build　an　effectual　embankment　high



up　the　valley；　because　everybody　said　〃that　would　help　his



neighbours　as　much　as　himself。〃　So　every　proprietor　built　a　bit



of　low　embankment　about　his　own　field；　and　the　Ticino；　as　soon　as



it　had　a　mind；　swept　away　and　swallowed　all　up　together。　







26。　Observe；　I　say；　　rearing；〃　not　〃begetting。〃　The　praise　is　in



the　seventh　season；　not　in　sporitos；　nor　in　phutalia；　but　in



opora。　It　is　strange　that　men　always　praise　enthusiastically　any



person　who；　by　a　momentary　exertion；　saves　a　life；　but　praise



very　hesitatingly　a　person　who；　by　exertion　and　self…denial



prolonged　through　years；　creates　one。　We　give　the　crown　〃ob　civem



servatum〃；　　why　not　〃ob　civem　natum？〃　Born；　I　mean；　to　the



full；　in　soul　as　well　as　body。　England　has　oak　enough；　I　think；



for　both　chaplets。　







27。　When　Mr　Mill　speaks　of　productive　consumption；　he　only　means



consumption　which　results　in　increase　of　capital；　or　material



wealth。　See　I。　iii。　4；　and　I。　iii。　5。　







28。　So　also　in　the　vision　of　the　women　bearing　the　ephah；　before



quoted；　〃the　wind　was　in　their　wings；〃　not　wings　〃of　a　stork；〃　as



in　our　version；　but　〃miivi；〃　of　a　kite；　in　the　Vulgate；　or



perhaps　more　accurately　still　in　the　Septuagint；　〃h