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is　said　to　be　as　the　vine　（for　cheering）；　the　children　are　as　the



olive　branch；　for　praise：　nor　for　praise　only；　but　for　peace



（because　large　families　can　only　be　reared　in　times　of　peace）：



though　since；　in　their　spreading　and　voyaging　in　various



directions；　they　distribute　strength；　they　are；　to　the　home



strength；　as　arrives　in　the　hand　of　the　giant　　striking　here；



and　there　far　away。



　　　　Labour　being　thus　various　in　its　result；　the　prosperity　of



any　nation　is　in　exact　proportion　to　the　quantity　of　labour　which



it　spends　in　obtaining　and　employing　means　of　life。　Observe；　　I



say；　obtaining　and　employing；　that　is　to　say；　not　merely　wisely



producing；　but　wisely　distributing　and　consuming。　Economists



usually　speak　as　if　there　were　no　good　in　consumption



absolute。（27*）　So　far　from　this　being　so；　consumption　absolute　is



the　end；　crown；　and　perfection　of　production；　and　wise



consumption　is　a　far　more　difficult　art　than　wise　production。



Twenty　people　can　gain　money　for　one　who　can　use　it；　and　the



vital　question；　for　individual　and　for　nation；　is；　never　〃how



much　do　they　make？〃　but　〃to　what　purpose　do　they　spend？〃



　　　　The　reader　may；　perhaps；　have　been　surprised　at　the　slight



reference　I　have　hitherto　made　to　〃capital；〃　and　its　functions。



It　is　here　the　place　to　define　them。



　　　　Capital　signifies　〃head；　or　source；　or　root　material〃　　it



is　material　by　which　some　derivative　or　secondary　good　is



produced。　It　is　only　capital　proper　（caput　vivum；　not　caput



mortuum）　when　it　is　thus　producing　something　different　from



itself。　It　is　a　root；　which　does　not　enter　into　vital　function



till　it　produces　something　else　than　a　root：　namely；　fruit。　That



fruit　will　in　time　again　produce　roots；　and　so　all　living　capital



issues　in　reproduction　of　capital；　but　capital　which　produces



nothing　but　capital　is　only　root　producing　root；　bulb　issuing　in



bulb；　never　in　tulip；　seed　issuing　in　seed；　never　in　bread。　The



Political　Economy　of　Europe　has　hitherto　devoted　itself　wholly　to



the　multiplication；　or　（less　even）　the　aggregation；　of　bulbs。　It



never　saw；　nor　conceived；　such　a　thing　as　a　tulip。　Nay；　boiled



bulbs　they　might　have　been　　glass　bulbs　　Prince　Rupert's



drops；　consummated　in　powder　（well；　if　it　were　glass…powder　and



not　gunpowder）；　for　any　end　or　meaning　the　economists　had　in



defining　the　laws　of　aggregation。　We　will　try　and　get　a　clearer



notion　of　them。



　　　　The　best　and　simplest　general　type　of　capital　is　a　well…made



ploughshare。　Now；　if　that　ploughshare　did　nothing　but　beget　other



ploughshares；　in　a　polypous　manner；　　however　the　great　cluster



of　polypous　plough　might　glitter　in　the　sun；　it　would　have　lost



its　function　of　capital。　It　becomes　true　capital　only　by　another



kind　of　splendour；　　when　it　is　seen　〃splendescere　sulco；〃　to



grow　bright　in　the　furrow；　rather　with　diminution　of　its



substance；　than　addition；　by　the　noble　friction。　And　the　true



home　question；　to　every　capitalist　and　to　every　nation；　is　not；



〃how　many　ploughs　have　you？〃　but；　〃where　are　your　furrows？〃　not



　〃how　quickly　will　this　capital　reproduce　itself？〃　　but；



〃what　will　it　do　during　reproduction？〃　What　substance　will　it



furnish；　good　for　life？　what　work　construct；　protective　of　life？



if　none；　its　own　reproduction　is　useless　　if　worse　than　none；



（for　capital　may　destroy　life　as　well　as　support　it）；　its　own



reproduction　is　worse　than　useless；　it　is　merely　an　advance　from



Tisiphone；　on　mortgage　　not　a　profit　by　any　means。



　　　　Not　a　profit；　as　the　ancients　truly　saw；　and　showed　in　the



type　of　Ixion；　　for　capital　is　the　head；　or　fountain　head　of



wealth　　the　〃well…head〃　of　wealth；　as　the　clouds　are　the



well…heads　of　rain；　but　when　clouds　are　without　water；　and　only



beget　clouds；　they　issue　in　wrath　at　last；　instead　of　rain；　and



in　lightning　instead　of　harvest；　whence　Ixion　is　said　first　to



have　invited　his　guests　to　a　banquet；　and　then　made　them　fall



into　a　pit；　（as　also　Demas'　silver　mine；）　after　which；　to　show



the　rage　of　riches　passing　from　lust　of　pleasure　to　lust　of



power；　yet　power　not　truly　understood；　Ixion　is　said　to　have



desired　Juno；　and　instead；　embracing　a　cloud　（or　phantasm）；　to



have　begotten　the　Centaurs；　the　power　of　mere　wealth　being；　in



itself；　as　the　embrace　of　a　shadow；　　comfortless；　（so　also



〃Ephraim　feedeth　on　wind　and　followth　after　the　east　wind；〃　or



〃that　which　is　not〃　　Prov。　xxiii。　5；　and　again　Dante's　Geryon；



the　type　of　avaricious　fraud；　as　he　flies；　gathers　the　air　up



with　retractile　claws；　　〃l'aer　a　se　raccolse〃（28*））　but　in　its



offspring；　a　mingling　of　the　brutal　with　the　human　nature；　human



in　sagacity　　using　both　intellect　and　arrow；　but　brutal　in　its



body　and　hoof；　for　consuming；　and　trampling　down。　For　which　sin



Ixion　is　at　last　bound　upon　a　wheel　　fiery　and　toothed；　and



rolling　perpetually　in　the　air：　　the　type　of　human　labour　when



selfish　and　fruitless　（kept　far　into　the　Middle　Ages　in　their



wheels　of　fortune）；　the　wheel　which　has　in　it　no　breath　or



spirit；　but　is　whirled　by　chance　only；　whereas　of　all　true　work



the　Ezekiel　vision　is　true；　that　the　Spirit　of　the　living



creature　is　in　the　wheels；　and　where　the　angels　go；　the　wheels　go



by　them；　but　move　no　otherwise。



　　　　This　being　the　real　nature　of　capital；　it　follows　that　there



are　two　kinds　of　true　production；　always　going　on　in　an　active



State：　one　of　seed；　and　one　of　food；　or　production　for　the



Ground；　and　for　the　Mouth；　both　of　which　are　by　covetous　persons



thought　to　be　production　only　for　the　granary；　whereas　the



function　of　the　granary　is　but　intermediate　and　conservative；



fulfilled　in　distribution；　else　it　ends　in　nothing　but　mildew；



and　nourishment　of　rats　and　worms。　And　since　production　for　the



Ground　is　only　useful　with　future　hope　of　harvest；　all　essential



production　is　for　the　Mouth；　and　is　finally　measured　by　the



mouth；　hence；　as　I　said　above；　consumption　is　the　crown　of



production；　and　the　wealth　of　a　nation　is　only　to　be　estimated　by



what　it　consumes。



　　　　The　want　of　any　clear　sight　of　this　fact　is　the　capital



error；　issuing　in　rich　interest　and　revenue　of　error　among　the



political　economists。　Their　minds　are　continually　set　on



money…gain；　not　on　mouth…gain；　and　they　fall　into　every　sort　of



net　and　snare；　dazzled　by　the　coin…glitter　as　birds　by　the



fowler's　glass；　or　rather　（for　there　is　not　much　else　like　birds



in　them）　they　are　like　children　trying　to　jump　on　the　heads　of



their　own　shadows；　the　money…gain　being　only　the　shadow　of　the



true　gain；　which　is　humanity。



　　　　The　final　object　of　political　economy；　therefore；　is　to　get



good　method　of　consumption；　and　great　quantity　of　consumption：　in



other　words；　to　use　everything；　and　to　use　it　nobly。　whether　it



be　substance；　service；　or　service　perfecting　substance。　The　most



curious　error　in　Mr　Mill's　entire　work；　（provided　for　him



originally　by　Ricardo；）　is　his　endeavour　to　distinguish　between



direct　and　indirect　service；　and　consequent　assertion　that　a



demand　for　commodities　is　not　demand　for　labour　（I。　v。　9；　et



seq。）。　He　distinguishes　between　labourers　employed　to　lay　out



pleasure　grounds；　and　to　manufacture　velvet；　declaring　that　it



makes　material　difference　to　the　labouring　classes　in　which　of



these　two　ways　a　capitalist　spends　his　money；　because　the



employment　of　the　gardeners　is　a　demand　for　labour；　but　the



purchase　of　velvet　is　not。（29*）　Error　colossal；　as　well　as



strange。　It　will；　indeed；　make　a　difference　to　the　labourer



whether　we　bid　him　swing　his　scythe　in　the　spring　winds；　or　drive



the　loom　in　pestilential　air。　but；　so　far　as　his　pocket　is



concerned；　it　makes；　to　him　absolutely　no　difference　whether　we



order　him　to　make　green　velvet；　with　seed　and　a　scythe；　or　red



velvet；　with　silk　and　scissors。　Neither　does　it　anywise　concern



him　whether；　when　the　velvet　is　made；　we　consume　it　by　walking　on



it；　or　wearing　it；　so　long　as　our　consumption　of　it　is　wholly



selfish。　But　if　our　consumption　is　to　be　in　anywise　unselfish；



not　only　our　mode　of　consuming　the　articles　we　require　interests



him；　but　also　the　kind　of　article　we　require　with　a　view　to



consumption。　As　thus　（returning　for　a　moment　to　Mr　Mill's　great



hardware　theory（30*））：　it　matters；　so　far　as　the　labourer's



immediate　profit　is　concerned；　not　an　iron　filing　whether　I



employ　him　in　growing　a　peach；　or　forging　a　bombshell；　but　my



probable　mode　of　consumption　of　those　articles　matters　seriously。



Admit　that　it　is　to　be　in　both　cases　〃unselfish；〃　and　the



difference；　to　him；　is　final；　whether　when　his　child　is　ill；　I



walk　into　his　cottage　and　give　it　the　peach；　or　drop　the　shell



down　his　chimney；　and　blow　his　roof　off。



　　　　The　worst　of　it；　for　the　peasant；　is；　that　the　capitalist's



consumption　of　the　peach　is　apt　to　be　selfish；　and　of　the　shell；



distributive；（31*）　but；　in　all　cases；　this　is　the　broad　and



general　fact；　that　on　due　catallactic　commercial　principles；



somebody's　roof　must　go　off　in　fulfilment　of　the　bomb's　destiny。



You　may　grow　for　your　neighbour；　at　your　liking；　grapes　or



grape…shot；　he　will　also；　catallactically；　grow　grapes　or



grape…shot　for　you；　and　you　will　each　reap　what　you　have　sown。



　　　　It　is；　therefore；　the　manner　and　issue　of　consumption　which



are　the　real　tests　of　production。　Production　does　not　consist　in



things　laboriously　made；　but　in　things　serviceably　consumable；



and　the　question　for　the　nation　is　not　how　much　labour　it