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practice　of　one。



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



them　the　true　functions　of　a　merchant　with　respect　to　other



people。　I　should　like　the　reader　to　be　very　clear　about　this。



　　　　Five　great　intellectual　professions；　relating　to　daily



necessities　of　life；　have　hitherto　existed　　three　exist



necessarily；　in　every　civilised　nation：



　　　　The　Soldier's　profession　is　to　defend　it。



　　　　The　Pastor's　to　teach　it。



　　　　The　Physician's　to　keep　it　in　health。



　　　　The　lawyer's　to　enforce　justice　in　it。



　　　　The　Merchant's　to　provide　for　it。



And　the　duty　of　all　these　men　is；　on　due　occasion；　to　die　for　it。



　　　　〃On　due　occasion；〃　namely：　…



　　　　The　Soldier；　rather　than　leave　his　post　in　battle。



　　　　The　Physician；　rather　than　leave　his　post　in　plague。



　　　　The　Pastor；　rather　than　teach　Falsehood。



　　　　The　lawyer；　rather　than　countenance　Injustice。



　　　　The　Merchant…what　is　his　〃due　occasion〃　of　death？



　　　　It　is　the　main　question　for　the　merchant；　as　for　all　of　us。



For；　truly；　the　man　who　does　not　know　when　to　die；　does　not　know



how　to　live。



　　　　Observe；　the　merchant's　function　（or　manufacturer's；　for　in



the　broad　sense　in　which　it　is　here　used　the　word　must　be



understood　to　include　both）　is　to　provide　for　the　nation。　It　is



no　more　his　function　to　get　profit　for　himself　out　of　that



provision　than　it　is　a　clergyman's　function　to　get　his　stipend。



This　stipend　is　a　due　and　necessary　adjunct；　but　not　the　object



of　his　life；　if　he　be　a　true　clergyman；　any　more　than　his　fee　（or



honorarium）　is　the　object　of　life　to　a　true　physician。　Neither　is



his　fee　the　object　of　life　to　a　true　merchant。　All　three；　if　true



men；　have　a　work　to　be　done　irrespective　of　fee　　to　be　done



even　at　any　cost；　or　for　quite　the　contrary　of　fee；　the　pastor's



function　being　to　teach；　the　physician's　to　heal；　and　the



merchant's；　as　I　have　said；　to　provide。　That　is　to　say；　he　has　to



understand　to　their　very　root　the　qualities　of　the　thing　he　deals



in；　and　the　means　of　obtaining　or　producing　it；　and　he　has　to



apply　all　his　sagacity　and　energy　to　the　producing　or　obtaining



it　in　perfect　state；　and　distributing　it　at　the　cheapest　possible



price　where　it　is　most　needed。



　　　　And　because　the　production　or　obtaining　of　any　commodity



involves　necessarily　the　agency　of　many　lives　and　hands；　the



merchant　becomes　in　the　course　of　his　business　the　master　and



governor　of　large　masses　of　men　in　a　more　direct；　though　less



confessed　way；　than　a　military　officer　or　pastor；　so　that　on　him



falls；　in　great　part；　the　responsibility　for　the　kind　of　life



they　lead：　and　it　becomes　his　duty；　not　only　to　be　always



considering　how　to　produce　what　he　sells；　in　the　purest　and



cheapest　forms；　but　how　to　make　the　various　employments　involved



in　the　production；　or　transference　of　it；　most　beneficial　to　the



men　employed。



　　　　And　as　into　these　two　functions；　requiring　for　their　right



exercise　the　highest　intelligence；　as　well　as　patience；　kindness；



and　tact；　the　merchant　is　bound　to　put　all　his　energy；　so　for



their　just　discharge　he　is　bound；　as　soldier　or　physician　is



bound；　to　give　up；　if　need　be；　his　life；　in　such　way　as　it　may　be



demanded　of　him。　Two　main　points　he　has　in　his　providing　function



to　maintain：　first；　his　engagements　（faithfulness　to　engagements



being　the　real　root　of　all　possibilities；　in　commerce）；　and；



secondly；　the　perfectness　and　purity　of　the　thing　provided；　so



that；　rather　than　fail　in　any　engagement；　or　consent　to　any



deterioration；　adulteration；　or　unjust　and　exorbitant　price　of



that　which　he　provides；　he　is　bound　to　meet　fearlessly　any　form



of　distress；　poverty；　or　labour；　which　may；　through　maintenance



of　these　points；　come　upon　him。



　　　　Again：　in　his　office　as　governor　of　the　men　employed　by　him；



the　merchant　or　manufacturer　is　invested　with　a　distinctly



paternal　authority　and　responsibility。　In　most　cases；　a　youth



entering　a　commercial　establishment　is　withdrawn　altogether　from



home　influence；　his　master　must　become　his　father；　else　he　has；



for　practical　and　constant　help；　no　father　at　hand：　in　all　cases



the　master's　authority；　together　with　the　general　tone　and



atmosphere　of　his　business；　and　the　character　of　the　men　with



whom　the　youth　is　compelled　in　the　course　of　it　to　associate；



have　more　immediate　and　pressing　weight　than　the　home　influence；



and　will　usually　neutralize　it　either　for　good　or　evil；　so　that



the　only　means　which　the　master　has　of　doing　justice　to　the　men



employed　by　him　is　to　ask　himself　sternly　whether　he　is　dealing



with　such　subordinate　as　he　would　with　his　own　son；　if　compelled



by　circumstances　to　take　such　a　position。



　　　　Supposing　the　captain　of　a　frigate　saw　it　right；　or　were　by



any　chance　obliged；　to　place　his　own　son　in　the　position　of　a



common　sailor：　as　he　would　then　treat　his　son；　he　is　bound　always



to　treat　every　one　of　the　men　under　him。　So；　also；　supposing　the



master　of　a　manufactory　saw　it　right；　or　were　by　any　chance



obliged；　to　place　his　own　son　in　the　position　of　an　ordinary



workman；　as　he　would　then　treat　his　son；　he　is　bound　always　to



treat　every　one　of　his　men。　This　is　the　only　effective；　true；　or



practical　Rule　which　can　be　given　on　this　point　of　political



economy。



　　　　And　as　the　captain　of　a　ship　is　bound　to　be　the　last　man　to



leave　his　ship　in　case　of　wreck；　and　to　share　his　last　crust　with



the　sailors　in　case　of　famine；　so　the　manufacturer；　in　any



commercial　crisis　or　distress；　is　bound　to　take　the　suffering　of



it　with　his　men；　and　even　to　take　more　of　it　for　himself　than　he



allows　his　men　to　feel；　as　a　father　would　in　a　famine；　shipwreck；



or　battle；　sacrifice　himself　for　his　son。



　　　　All　which　sounds　very　strange：　the　only　real　strangeness　in



the　matter　being；　nevertheless；　that　it　should　so　sound。　For　all



this　is　true；　and　that　not　partially　nor　theoretically；　but



everlastingly　and　practically：　all　other　doctrine　than　this



respecting　matters　political　being　false　in　premises；　absurd　in



deduction；　and　impossible　in　practice；　consistently　with　any



progressive　state　of　national　life；　all　the　life　which　we　now



possess　as　a　nation　showing　itself　in　the　resolute　denial　and



scorn；　by　a　few　strong　minds　and　faithful　hearts；　of　the　economic



principles　taught　to　our　multitudes；　which　principles；　so　far　as



accepted；　lead　straight　to　national　destruction。　Respecting　the



modes　and　forms　of　destruction　to　which　they　lead；　and；　on　the



other　hand；　respecting　the　farther　practical　working　of　true



polity；　I　hope　to　reason　farther　in　a　following　paper。







The　Veins　of　Wealth







　　　　The　answer　which　would　be　made　by　any　ordinary　political



economist　to　the　statements　contained　in　the　preceding　paper；　is



in　few　words　as　follows：



　　　　〃It　is　indeed　true　that　certain　advantages　of　a　general



nature　may　be　obtained　by　the　development　of　social　affections。



But　political　economists　never　professed；　nor　profess；　to　take



advantages　of　a　general　nature　into　consideration。　Our　science　is



simply　the　science　of　getting　rich。　So　far　from　being　a



fallacious　or　visionary　one；　it　is　found　by　experience　to　be



practically　effective。　Persons　who　follow　its　precepts　do



actually　become　rich；　and　persons　who　disobey　them　become　poor。



Every　capitalist　of　Europe　has　acquired　his　fortune　by　following



the　known　laws　of　our　science；　and　increases　his　capital　daily　by



an　adherence　to　them。　It　is　vain　to　bring　forward　tricks　of



logic；　against　the　force　of　accomplished　facts。　Every　man　of



business　knows　by　experience　how　money　is　made；　and　how　it　is



lost。〃



　　　　Pardon　me。　Men　of　business　do　indeed　know　how　they　themselves



made　their　money；　or　how；　on　occasion；　they　lost　it。　Playing　a



long…practised　game；　they　are　familiar　with　the　chances　of　its



cards；　and　can　rightly　explain　their　losses　and　gains。　But　they



neither　know　who　keeps　the　bank　of　the　gambling…house；　nor　what



other　games　may　be　played　with　the　same　cards；　nor　what　other



losses　and　gains；　far　away　among　the　dark　streets；　are



essentially；　though　invisibly；　dependent　on　theirs　in　the　lighted



rooms。　They　have　learned　a　few；　and　only　a　few；　of　the　laws　of



mercantile　economy；　but　not　one　of　those　of　political　economy。



　　　　Primarily；　which　is　very　notable　and　curious；　I　observe　that



men　of　business　rarely　know　the　meaning　of　the　word　〃rich。〃　At



least；　if　they　know；　they　do　not　in　their　reasonings　allow　for



the　fact；　that　it　is　a　relative　word；　implying　its　opposite



〃poor〃　as　positively　as　the　word　〃north〃　implies　its　opposite



〃south。〃　Men　nearly　always　speak　and　write　as　if　riches　were



absolute；　and　it　were　possible；　by　following　certain　scientific



precepts；　for　everybody　to　be　rich。　Whereas　riches　are　a　power



like　that　of　electricity；　acting　only　through　inequalities　or



negations　of　itself。　The　force　of　the　guinea　you　have　in　your



pocket　depends　wholly　on　the　default　of　a　guinea　in　your



neighbour's　pocket。　If　he　did　not　want　it；　it　would　be　of　no　use



to　you；　the　degree　of　power　it　possesses　depends　accurately　upon



the　need　or　desire　he　has　for　it；　　and　the　art　of　making



yourself　rich；　in　the　ordinary　mercantile　economist's　sense；　is



therefore　equally　and　necessarily　the　art　of　keeping　your



neighbour　poor。



　　　　I　would　not　contend　in　this　matter　（and　rarely　in　any　matter）



for　the　acceptance　of　terms。　But　I　wish　the　reader　clearly　and



deeply