unto this last-第15部分

快捷操作: 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! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！





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



education。〃　Why　not？　That　is　precisely　the　point　at　issue。



Charitable　persons　suppose　the　worst　fault　of　the　rich　is　to



refuse　the　people　meat；　and　the　people　cry　for　their　meat；　kept



back　by　fraud；　to　the　Lord　of　Multitudes。（33*）　Alas！　it　is　not



meat　of　which　the　refusal　is　cruelest；　or　to　which　the　claim　is



validest。　The　life　is　more　than　the　meat。　The　rich　not　only



refuse　food　to　the　poor；　they　refuse　wisdom；　they　refuse　virtue；



they　refuse　salvation。　Ye　sheep　without　shepherd；　it　is　not　the



pasture　that　has　been　shut　from　you；　but　the　Presence。　Meat！



perhaps　your　right　to　that　may　be　pleadable；　but　other　rights



have　to　be　pleaded　first。　Claim　your　crumbs　from　the　table；　if



you　will；　but　claim　them　as　children；　not　as　dogs；　claim　your



right　to　be　fed；　but　claim　more　loudly　your　right　to　be　holy；



perfect；　and　pure。



　　　　Strange　words　to　be　used　of　working　people：　〃What！　holy；



without　any　long　robes　nor　anointing　oils；　these　rough…jacketed；



rough…worded　persons；　set　to　nameless　and　dishonoured　service？



Perfect！　　these；　with　dim　eyes　and　cramped　limbs；　and　slowly



wakening　minds？　Pure　　these；　with　sensual　desire　and　grovelling



thought；　foul　of　body；　and　coarse　of　soul？〃　It　may　be　so；



nevertheless；　such　as　they　are；　they　are　the　holiest；　perfectest；



purest　persons　the　earth　can　at　present　show。　They　may　be　what



you　have　said；　but　if　so；　they　yet　are　holier　than　we；　who　have



left　them　thus。



　　　　But　what　can　be　done　for　them？　Who　can　clothe　　who　teach　



who　restrain　their　multitudes？　What　end　can　there　he　for　them　at



last；　but　to　consume　one　another？



　　　　I　hope　for　another　end；　though　not；　indeed；　from　any　of　the



three　remedies　for　over…population　commonly　suggested　by



economists。



　　　　These　three　are；　in　brief　　Colonization；　Bringing　in　of



waste　lands；　or　Discouragement　of　Marriage。



　　　　The　first　and　second　of　these　expedients　merely　evade　or



delay　the　question。　It　will；　indeed；　be　long　before　the　world　has



been　all　colonized；　and　its　deserts　all　brought　under



cultivation。　But　the　radical　question　is　not　how　much　habitable



land　is　in　the　world；　but　how　many　human　beings　ought　to　be



maintained　on　a　given　space　of　habitable　land。



　　　　Observe；　I　say；　ought　to　be；　not　how　many　can　be。　Ricardo；



with　his　usual　inaccuracy；　defines　what　he　calls　the　〃natural



rate　of　wages〃　as　〃that　which　will　maintain　the　labourer。〃



Maintain　him！　yes；　but　how？　　the　question　was　instantly　thus



asked　of　me　by　a　working　girl；　to　whom　I　read　the　passage。　I　will



amplify　her　question　for　her。　〃Maintain　him；　how？〃　As；　first；　to



what　length　of　life？　Out　of　a　given　number　of　fed　persons　how



many　are　to　be　old　　how　many　young；　that　is　to　say；　will　you



arrange　their　maintenance　so　as　to　kill　them　early　　say　at



thirty　or　thirty…five　on　the　average；　including　deaths　of　weakly



or　ill…fed　children？　　or　so　as　to　enable　them　to　live　out　a



natural　life？　You　will　feed　a　greater　number；　in　the　first



case；（34*）　by　rapidity　of　succession；　probably　a　happier　number



in　the　second：　which　does　Mr　Ricardo　mean　to　be　their　natural



state；　and　to　which　state　belongs　the　natural　rate　of　wages？



　　　　Again：　A　piece　of　land　which　will　only　support　ten　idle；



ignorant；　and　improvident　persons；　will　support　thirty　or　forty



intelligent　and　industrious　ones。　Which　of　these　is　their　natural



state；　and　to　which　of　them　belongs　the　natural　rate　of　wages？



　　　　Again：　If　a　piece　of　land　support　forty　persons　in



industrious　ignorance；　and　if；　tired　of　this　ignorance；　they　set



apart　ten　of　their　number　to　study　the　properties　of　cones；　and



the　sizes　of　stars；　the　labour　of　these　ten；　being　withdrawn　from



the　ground；　must　either　tend　to　the　increase　of　food　in　some



transitional　manner；　or　the　persons　set　apart　for　sidereal　and



conic　purposes　must　starve；　or　some　one　else　starve　instead　of



them。　What　is；　therefore；　the　natural　rate　of　wages　of　the



scientific　persons；　and　how　does　this　rate　relate　to；　or　measure；



their　reverted　or　transitional　productiveness？



　　　　Again：　If　the　ground　maintains；　at　first；　forty　labourers　in



a　peaceable　and　pious　state　of　mind；　but　they　become　in　a　few



years　so　quarrelsome　and　impious　that　they　have　to　set　apart



five；　to　meditate　upon　and　settle　their　disputes；　　ten；　armed



to　the　teeth　with　costly　instruments；　to　enforce　the　decisions；



and　five　to　remind　everybody　in　an　eloquent　manner　of　the



existence　of　a　God；　what　will　be　the　result　upon　the　general



power　of　production；　and　what　is　the　〃natural　rate　of　wages〃　of



the　meditative；　muscular；　and　oracular　labourers？



　　　　Leaving　these　questions　to　be　discussed；　or　waived；　at　their



pleasure；　by　Mr　Ricardo's　followers；　I　proceed　to　state　the　main



facts　bearing　on　that　probable　future　of　the　labouring　classes



which　has　been　partially　glanced　at　by　Mr　Mill。　That　chapter　and



the　preceding　one　differ　from　the　common　writing　of　political



economists　in　admitting　some　value　in　the　aspect　of　nature；　and



expressing　regret　at　the　probability　of　the　destruction　of



natural　scenery。　But　we　may　spare　our　anxieties；　on　this　head。



Men　can　neither　drink　steam；　nor　eat　stone。　The　maximum　of



population　on　a　given　space　of　land　implies　also　the　relative



maximum　of　edible　vegetable；　whether　for　men　or　cattle；　it



implies　a　maximum　of　pure　air；　and　of　pure　water。　Therefore：　a



maximum　of　wood；　to　transmute　the　air；　and　of　sloping　ground；



protected　by　herbage　from　the　extreme　heat　of　the　sun；　to　feed



the　streams。　All　England　may；　if　it　so　chooses；　become　one



manufacturing　town；　and　Englishmen；　sacrificing　themselves　to　the



good　of　general