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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　necessity　of　these　laws　of　distribution　or　restraint　is



curiously　over…looked　in　the　ordinary　political　economist's



definition　of　his　own　〃science。〃　He　calls　it；　shortly；　the



〃science　of　getting　rich。〃　But　there　are　many　sciences；　as　well



as　many　arts；　of　getting　rich。　Poisoning　people　of　large　estates；



was　one　employed　largely　in　the　middle　ages；　adulteration　of　food



of　people　of　small　estates；　is　one　employed　largely　now。　The



ancient　and　honourable　Highland　method　of　blackmail；　the　more



modern　and　less　honourable　system　of　obtaining　goods　on　credit；



and　the　other　variously　improved　methods　of　appropriation　



which；　in　major　and　minor　scales　of　industry；　down　to　the　most



artistic　pocket…picking；　we　owe　to　recent　genius；　　all　come



under　the　general　head　of　sciences；　or　arts；　of　getting　rich。



　　　　So　that　it　is　clear　the　popular　economist；　in　calling　his



science　the　science　par　excellence　of　getting　rich；　must　attach



some　peculiar　ideas　of　limitation　to　its　character。　I　hope　I　do



not　misrepresent　him；　by　assuming　that　he　means　his　science　to　be



the　science　of　〃getting　rich　by　legal　or　just　means。〃　In　this



definition；　is　the　word　〃just；〃　or　〃legal；〃　finally　to　stand？　For



it　is　possible　among　certain　nations；　or　under　certain　rulers；　or



by　help　of　certain　advocates；　that　proceedings　may　be　legal　which



are　by　no　means　just。　If；　therefore；　we　leave　at　last　only　the



word　〃just〃　in　that　place　of　our　definition；　the　insertion　of



this　solitary　and　small　word　will　make　a　notable　difference　in



the　grammar　of　our　science。　For　then　it　will　follow　that；　in



order　to　grow　rich　scientifically；　we　must　grow　rich　justly；　and；



therefore；　know　what　is　just；　so　that　our　economy　will　no　longer



depend　merely　on　prudence；　but　on　jurisprudence　　and　that　of



divine；　not　human　law。　Which　prudence　is　indeed　of　no　mean　order；



holding　itself；　as　it　were；　high　in　the　air　of　heaven；　and　gazing



for　ever　on　the　light　of　the　sun　of　justice；　hence　the　souls



which　have　excelled　in　it　are　represented　by　Dante　as　stars；



forming　in　heaven　for　ever　the　figure　of　the　eye　of　an　eagle：



they　having　been　in　life　the　discerners　of　light　from　darkness；



or　to　the　whole　human　race；　as　the　light　of　the　body；　which　is



the　eye；　while　those　souls　which　form　the　wings　of　the　bird



（giving　power　and　dominion　to　justice；　〃healing　in　its　wings〃）



trace　also　in　light　the　inscription　in　heaven：　〃DILIGITE



JUSTITIAM　QUI　JUDICATIS　TERRAM。〃　〃Ye　who　judge　the　earth；　give〃



（not；　observe；　merely　love；　but）　〃diligent　love　to　justice：〃　the



love　which　seeks　diligently；　that　is　to　say；　choosingly；　and　by



preference；　to　all　things　else。　Which　judging　or　doing　judgment



in　the　earth　is；　according　to　their　capacity　and　position；



required　not　of　judges　only；　nor　of　rulers　only；　but　of　all



men：（7*）　a　truth　sorrowfully　lost　sight　of　even　by　those　who　are



ready　enough　to　apply　to　themselves　passages　in　which　Christian



men　are　spoken　of　as　called　to　be　〃saints〃　（i。e。　to　helpful　or



healing　functions）；　and　〃chosen　to　be　kings〃　（i。e。　to　knowing　or



directing　functions）；　the　true　meaning　of　these　titles　having



been　long　lost　through　the　pretences　of　unhelpful　and　unable



persons　to　saintly　and　kingly　character；　also　through　the　once



popular　idea　that　both　the　sanctity　and　royalty　are　to　consist　in



wearing　long　robes　and　high　crowns；　instead　of　in　mercy　and



judgment；　whereas　all　true　sanctity　is　saving　power；　as　all　true



royalty　is　ruling　power；　and　injustice　is　part　and　parcel　of　the



denial　of　such　power；　which　〃makes　men　as　the　creeping　things；　as



the　fishes　of　the　sea；　that　have　no　ruler　over　them。〃（8*）



　　　　Absolute　justice　is　indeed　no　more　attainable　than　absolute



truth；　but　the　righteous　man　is　distinguished　from　the



unrighteous　by　his　desire　and　hope　of　justice；　as　the　true　man



from　the　false　by　his　desire　and　hope　of　truth。　And　though



absolute　justice　be　unattainable；　as　much　justice　as　we　need　for



all　practical　use　is　attainable　by　all　those　who　make　it　their



aim。



　　　　We　have　to　examine；　then；　in　the　subject　before　us；　what　are



the　laws　of　justice　respecting　payment　of　labour　　no　small



part；　these；　of　the　foundations　of　all　jurisprudence。



　　　　I　reduced；　in　my　last　paper；　the　idea　of　money　payment　to　its



simplest　or　radical　terms。　In　those　terms　its　nature；　and　the



conditions　of　justice　respecting　it；　can　be　best　ascertained。



　　　　Money　payment；　as　there　stated；　consists　radically　in　a



promise　to　some　person　working　for　us；　that　for　the　time　and



labour　he　spends　in　our　service　to…day　we　will　give　or　procure



equivalent　time　and　labour　in　his　service　at　any　future　time　when



he　may　demand　it。（9*）



　　　　If　we　promise　to　give　him　less　labour　than　he　has　given　us；



we　under…pay　him。　If　we　promise　to　give　him　more　labour　than　he



has　given　us；　we　over…pay　him。　In　practice；　according　to　the　laws



of　demand　and　supply；　when　two　men　are　ready　to　do　the　work；　and



only　one　man　wants　to　have　it　done；　the　two　men　underbid　each



other　for　it；　and　the　one　who　gets　it　to　do；　is　under…paid。　But



when　two　men　want　the　work　done；　and　there　is　only　one　man　ready



to　do　it；　the　two　men　who　want　it　done　over…bid　each　other；　and



the　workman　is　over…paid。



　　　　I　will　examine　these　two　points　of　injustice　in　succession；



but　first　I　wish　the　reader　to　clearly　understand　the　central



principle；　lying　between　the　two；　of　right　or　just　payment。



　　　　When　we　ask　a　service　of　any　man；　he　may　either　give　it　us



freely；　or　demand　payment　for　it。　Respecting　free　gift　of



service；　there　is　no　question　at　present；　that　being　a　matter　of



affection　　not　of　traffic。　But　if　he　demand　payment　for　it；　and



we　wish　to　treat　him　with　absolute　equity；　it　is　evident　that



this　equity　can　only　consist　in　giving　time　for　time；　strength



for　strength；　and　skill　for　skill。　If　a　man　works　an　hour　for　us；



and　we　only　promise　to　work　half…an…hour　for　him　in　return；　we



obtain　an　unjust　advantage。　If；　on　the　contrary；　we　promise　to



work　an　hour　and　a　half　for　him　in　return；　he　has　an　unjust



advantage。　The　justice　consists　in　absolute　exchange；　or；　if



there　be　any　respect　to　the　stations　of　the　parties；　it　will　not



be　in　favour　of　the　employer：　there　is　certainly　no　equitable



reason　in　a　main's　being　poor；　that　if　he　give　me　a　pound　of



bread　to…day；　I　should　return　him　less　than　a　pound　of　bread



to…morrow；　or　any　equitable　reason　in　a　man's　being　uneducated；



that　if　he　uses　a　certain　quantity　of　skill　and　knowledge　in　my



service；　I　should　use　a　less　quantity　of　skill　and　knowledge　in



his。　Perhaps；　ultimately；　it　may　appear　desirable；　or；　to　say　the



least；　gracious；　that　I　should　give　in　return　somewhat　more　than



I　received。　But　at　present；　we　are　concerned　on　the　law　of



justice　only；　which　is　that　of　perfect　and　accurate　exchange；　



one　circumstance　only　interfering　with　the　simplicity　of　this



radical　idea　of　just　payment　　that　inasmuch　as　labour　（rightly



directed）　is　fruitful　just　as　seed　is；　the　fruit　（or　〃interest；〃



as　it　is　called）　of　the　labour　first　given；　or　〃advanced；〃　ought



to　be　taken　into　account；　and　balanced　by　an　additional　quantity



of　labour　in　the　subsequent　repayment。　Supposing　the　repayment　to



take　place　at　the　end　of　a　year；　or　of　any　other　given　time；　this



calculation　could　be　approximately　made；　but　as　money　（that　is　to



say；　cash）　payment　involves　no　reference　to　time　（it　being



optional　with　the　person　paid　to　spend　what　he　receives　at　once



or　after　any　number　of　years