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second　is；　as　above　stated；　that　of　maintaining　constant　numbers



of　workmen　in　employment；　whatever　may　be　the　accidental　demand



for　the　article　they　produce。



　　　　I　believe　the　sudden　and　extensive　inequalities　of　demand；



which　necessarily　arise　in　the　mercantile　operations　of　an　active



nation；　constitute　the　only　essential　difficulty　which　has　to　be



overcome　in　a　just　organization　of　labour。　The　subject　opens　into



too　many　branches　to　admit　of　being　investigated　in　a　paper　of



this　kind；　but　the　following　general　facts　bearing　on　it　may　be



noted。



　　　　The　wages　which　enable　any　workman　to　live　are　necessarily



higher；　if　his　work　is　liable　to　intermission；　than　if　it　is



assured　and　continuous；　and　however　severe　the　struggle　for　work



may　become；　the　general　law　will　always　hold；　that　men　must　get



more　daily　pay　if；　on　the　average；　they　can　only　calculate　on



work　three　days　a　week　than　they　would　require　if　they　were　sure



of　work　six　days　a　week。　Supposing　that　a　man　cannot　live　on　less



than　a　shilling　a　day；　his　seven　shillings　he　must　get；　either



for　three　days'　violent　work；　or　six　days'　deliberate　work。　The



tendency　of　all　modern　mercantile　operations　is　to　throw　both



wages　and　trade　into　the　form　of　a　lottery；　and　to　make　the



workman's　pay　depend　on　intermittent　exertion；　and　the



principal's　profit　on　dexterously　used　chance。



　　　　In　what　partial　degree；　I　repeat；　this　may　be　necessary　in



consequence　of　the　activities　of　modern　trade；　I　do　not　here



investigate；　contenting　myself　with　the　fact；　that　in　its



fatalest　aspects　it　is　assuredly　unnecessary；　and　results　merely



from　love　of　gambling　on　the　part　of　the　masters；　and　from



ignorance　and　sensuality　in　the　men。　The　masters　cannot　bear　to



let　any　opportunity　of　gain　escape　them；　and　frantically　rush　at



every　gap　and　breach　in　the　walls　of　Fortune；　raging　to　be　rich；



and　affronting；　with　impatient　covetousness；　every　risk　of　ruin；



while　the　men　prefer　three　days　of　violent　labour；　and　three　days



of　drunkenness；　to　six　days　of　moderate　work　and　wise　rest。　There



is　no　way　in　which　a　principal；　who　really　desires　to　help　his



workmen；　may　do　it　more　effectually　than　by　checking　these



disorderly　habits　both　in　himself　and　them；　keeping　his　own



business　operations　on　a　scale　which　will　enable　him　to　pursue



them　securely；　not　yielding　to　temptations　of　precarious　gain；



and；　at　the　same　time；　leading　his　workmen　into　regular　habits　of



labour　and　life；　either　by　inducing　them　rather　to　take　low　wages



in　the　form　of　a　fixed　salary；　than　high　wages；　subject　to　the



chance　of　their　being　thrown　out　of　work；　or；　if　this　be



impossible；　by　discouraging　the　system　of　violent　exertion　for



nominally　high　day　wages；　and　leading　the　men　to　take　lower　pay



for　more　regular　labour。



　　　　In　effecting　any　radical　changes　of　this　kind；　doubtless



there　would　be　great　inconvenience　and　loss　incurred　by　all　the



originators　of　movement。　That　which　can　be　done　with　perfect



convenience　and　without　loss；　is　not　always　the　thing　that　most



needs　to　be　done；　or　which　we　are　most　imperatively　required　to



do。



　　　　I　have　already　alluded　to　the　difference　hitherto　existing



between　regiments　of　men　associated　for　purposes　of　violence；　and



for　purposes　of　manufacture；　in　that　the　former　appear　capable　of



self…sacrifice　　the　latter；　not；　which　singular　fact　is　the



real　reason　of　the　general　lowness　of　estimate　in　which　the



profession　of　commerce　is　held；　as　compared　with　that　of　arms。



Philosophically；　it　does　not；　at　first　sight；　appear　reasonable



（many　writers　have　endeavoured　to　prove　it　unreasonable）　that　a



peaceable　and　rational　person；　whose　trade　is　buying　and　selling；



should　be　held　in　less　honour　than　an　unpeaceable　and　often



irrational　person；　whose　trade　is　slaying。　Nevertheless；　the



consent　of　mankind　has　always；　in　spite　of　the　philosophers；



given　precedence　to　the　soldier。



　　　　And　this　is　right。



　　　　For　the　soldier's　trade；　verily　and　essentially；　is　not



slaying；　but　being　slain。　This；　without　well　knowing　its　own



meaning；　the　world　honours　it　for。　A　bravo's　trade　is　slaying；



but　the　world　has　never　respected　bravos　more　than　merchants：　the



reason　it　honours　the　soldier　is；　because　he　holds　his　life　at



the　service　of　the　State。　Reckless　he　may　be　　fond　of　pleasure



or　of　adventure…all　kinds　of　bye…motives　and　mean　impulses　may



have　determined　the　choice　of　his　profession；　and　may　affect　（to



all　appearance　exclusively）　his　daily　conduct　in　it；　but　our



estimate　of　him　is　based　on　this　ultimate　fact　　of　which　we　are



well　assured　　that　put　him　in　a　fortress　breach；　with　all　the



pleasures　of　the　world　behind　him；　and　only　death　and　his　duty　in



front　of　him；　he　will　keep　his　face　to　the　front；　and　he　knows



that　his　choice　may　be　put　to　him　at　any　moment　　and　has



beforehand　taken　his　part　　virtually　takes　such　part



continually　　does；　in　reality；　die　daily。



　　　　Not　less　is　the　respect　we　pay　to　the　lawyer　and　physician；



founded　ultimately　on　their　self…sacrifice。　Whatever　the　learning



or　acuteness　of　a　great　lawyer；　our　chief　respect　for　him　depends



on　our　belief　that；　set　in　a　judge's　seat；　he　will　strive　to



judge　justly；　come　of　it　what　may。　Could　we　suppose　that　he　would



take　bribes；　and　use　his　acuteness　and　legal　knowledge　to　give



plausibility　to　iniquitous　decisions；　no　degree　of　intellect



would　win　for　him　our　respect。　Nothing　will　win　it；　short　of　our



tacit　conviction；　that　in　all　important　acts　of　his　life　justice



is　first　with　him；　his　own　interest；　second。



　　　　In　the　case　of　a　physician；　the　ground　of　the　honour　we



render　him　is　clearer　still。　Whatever　his　science；　we　would



shrink　from　him　in　horror　if　we　found　him　regard　his　patients



merely　as　subjects　to　experiment　upon；　much　more；　if　we　found



that；　receiving　bribes　from　persons　interested　in　their　deaths；



he　was　using　his　best　skill　to　give　poison　in　the　mask　of



medicine。



　　　　Finally；　the　principle　holds　with　utmost　clearness　as　it



respects　clergymen。　No　goodness　of　disposition　will　excuse　want



of　science　in　a　physician；　or　of　shrewdness　in　an　advocate；　but　a



clergyman；　even　though　his　power　of　intellect　be　small；　is



respected　on　the　presumed　ground　of　his　unselfishness　and



serviceableness。



　　　　Now；　there　can　be　no　question　but　that　the　tact；　foresight；



decision；　and　other　mental　powers；　required　for　the　successful



management　of　a　large　mercantile　concern；　if　not　such　as　could　be



compared　with　those　of　a　great　lawyer；　general；　or　divine；　would



at　least　match　the　general　conditions　of　mind　required　in　the



subordinate　officers　of　a　ship；　or　of　a　regiment；　or　in　the



curate　of　a　country　parish。　If；　therefore；　all　the　efficient



members　of　the　so…called　liberal　professions　are　still；　somehow；



in　public　estimate　of　honour；　preferred　before　the　head　of　a



commercial　firm；　the　reason　must　lie　deeper　than　in　the



measurement　of　their　several　powers　of　mind。



　　　　And　the　essential　reason　for　such　preference　will　he　found　to



lie　in　the　fact　that　the　merchant　is　presumed　to　act　always



selfishly。　His　work　may　be　very　necessary　to　the　community。　but



the　motive　of　it　is　understood　to　be　wholly　personal。　The



merchant's　first　object　in　all　his　dealings　must　be　（the　public



believe）　to　get　as　much　for　himself；　and　leave　as　little　to　his



neighbour　（or　customer）　as　possible。　Enforcing　this　upon　him；　by



political　statute；　as　the　necessary　principle　of　his　action；



recommending　it　to　him　on　all　occasions；　and　themselves



reciprocally　adopting　it；　proclaiming　vociferously；　for　law　of



the　universe；　that　a　buyer's　function　is　to　cheapen；　and　a



seller's　to　cheat；　　the　public；　nevertheless；　involuntarily



condemn　the　man　of　commerce　for　his　compliance　with　their　own



statement；　and　stamp　him　for　ever　as　belonging　to　an　inferior



grade　of　human　personality。



　　　　This　they　will　find；　eventually；　they　must　give　up　doing。



They　must　not　cease　to　condemn　selfishness；　but　they　will　have　to



discover　a　kind　of　commerce　which　is　not　exclusively　selfish。　Or；



rather；　they　will　have　to　discover　that　there　never　was；　or　can



be；　any　other　kind　of　commerce；　that　this　which　they　have　called



commerce　was　not　commerce　at　all；　but　cozening；　and　that　a　true



merchant　differs　as　much　from　a　merchant　according　to　laws　of



modern　political　economy；　as　the　hero　of　the　Excursion　from



Autolycus。　They　will　find　that　commerce　is　an　occupation　which



gentlemen　will　every　day　see　more　need　to　engage　in；　rather　than



in　the　businesses　of　talking　to　men；　or　slaying　them；　that；　in



true　commerce；　as　in　true　preaching；　or　true　fighting；　it　is



necessary　to　admit　the　idea　of　occasional　voluntary　loss；　　that



sixpences　have　to　be　lost；　as　well　as　lives；　under　a　sense　of



duty。　that　the　market　may　have　its　martyrdoms　as　well　as　the



pulpit；　and　trade　its　heroisms　as　well　as　war。



　　　　May　have　　in　the　final　issue；　must　have…and　only　has　not



had　yet；　because　men　of　heroic　temper　have　always　been　misguided



in　their　youth　into　other　fields；　not　recognising　what　is　in　our



days；　perhaps；　the　most　important　of　all　fields；　so　that；　while



many　a　jealous　person　loses　his　life　in　trying　to　teach　the　form



of　a　gospel；　very　few　will　lose　a　hundred　pounds　in　showing　the



practice　of　one。



　　　　The　fact　is；　that　people　never　have　had　clearly　explained　to



them　the　true　functions　of　a　merchant　with　res