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wealbk02-第16部分

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proportion to those which are likely to be employed in the

maintenance of idleness than they were two or three centuries

ago。 Our ancestors were idle for want of a sufficient

encouragement to industry。 It is better; says the proverb; to

play for nothing than to work for nothing。 In mercantile and

manufacturing towns; where the inferior ranks of people are

chiefly maintained by the employment of capital; they are in

general industrious; sober; and thriving; as in many English; and

in most Dutch towns。 In those towns which are principally

supported by the constant or occasional residence of a court; and

in which the inferior ranks of people are chiefly maintained by

the spending of revenue; they are in general idle; dissolute; and

poor; as at Rome; Versailles; Compiegne; and Fontainebleu。 If you

except Rouen and Bordeaux; there is little trade or industry in

any of the parliament towns of France; and the inferior ranks of

people; being elderly maintained by the expense of the members of

the courts of justice; and of those who come to plead before

them; are in general idle and poor。 The great trade of Rouen and

Bordeaux seems to be altogether the effect of their situation。

Rouen is necessarily the entrepot of almost all the goods which

are brought either from foreign countries; or from the maritime

provinces of France; for the consumption of the great city of

Paris。 Bordeaux is in the same manner the entrepot of the wines

which grow upon the banks of the Garonne; and of the rivers which

run into it; one of the richest wine countries in the world; and

which seems to produce the wine fittest for exportation; or best

suited to the taste of foreign nations。 Such advantageous

situations necessarily attract a great capital by the great

employment which they afford it; and the employment of this

capital is the cause of the industry of those two cities。 In the

other parliament towns of France; very little more capital seems

to be employed than what is necessary for supplying their own

consumption; that is; little more than the smallest capital which

can be employed in them。 The same thing may be said of Paris;

Madrid; and Vienna。 Of those three cities; Paris is by far the

most industrious; but Paris itself is the principal market of all

the manufactures established at Paris; and its own consumption is

the principal object of all the trade which it carries on。

London; Lisbon; and Copenhagen; are; perhaps; the only three

cities in Europe which are both the constant residence of a

court; and can at the same time be considered as trading cities;

or as cities which trade not only for their own consumption; but

for that of other cities and countries。 The situation of all the

three is extremely advantageous; and naturally fits them to be

the entrepots of a great part of the goods destined for the

consumption of distant places。 In a city where a great revenue is

spent; to employ with advantage a capital for any other purpose

than for supplying the consumption of that city is probably more

difficult than in one in which the inferior ranks of people have

no other maintenance but what they derive from the employment of

such a capital。 The idleness of the greater part of the people

who are maintained by the expense of revenue corrupts; it is

probable; the industry of those who ought to be maintained by the

employment of capital; and renders it less advantageous to employ

a capital there than in other places。 There was little trade or

industry in Edinburgh before the union。 When the Scotch

Parliament was no longer to be assembled in it; when it ceased to

be the necessary residence of the principal nobility and gentry

of Scotland; it became a city of some trade and industry。 It

still continues; however; to be the residence of the principal

courts of justice in Scotland; of the Boards of Customs and

Excise; etc。 A considerable revenue; therefore; still continues

to be spent in it。 In trade and industry it is much inferior to

Glasgow; of which the inhabitants are chiefly maintained by the

employment of capital。 The inhabitants of a large village; it has

sometimes been observed; after having made considerable progress

in manufactures; have become idle and poor in consequence of a

great lord having taken up his residence in their neighbourhood。

     The proportion between capital and revenue; therefore; seems

everywhere to regulate the proportion between industry and

idleness。 Wherever capital predominates; industry prevails:

wherever revenue; idleness。 Every increase or diminution of

capital; therefore; naturally tends to increase or diminish the

real quantity of industry; the number of productive hands; and

consequently the exchangeable value of the annual produce of the

land and labour of the country; the real wealth and revenue of

all its inhabitants。

     Capitals are increased by parsimony; and diminished by

prodigality and misconduct。

     Whatever a person saves from his revenue he adds to his

capital; and either employs it himself in maintaining an

additional number of productive hands; or enables some other

person to do so; by lending it to him for an interest; that is;

for a share of the profits。 As the capital of an individual can

be increased only by what he saves from his annual revenue or his

annual gains; so the capital of a society; which is the same with

that of all the individuals who compose it; can be increased only

in the same manner。

     Parsimony; and not industry; is the immediate cause of the

increase of capital。 Industry; indeed; provides the subject which

parsimony accumulates。 But whatever industry might acquire; if

parsimony did not save and store up; the capital would never be

the greater。

     Parsimony; by increasing the fund which is destined for the

maintenance of productive hands; tends to increase the number of

those hands whose labour adds to the value of the subject upon

which it is bestowed。 It tends; therefore; to increase the

exchangeable value of the annual produce of the land and labour

of the country。 It puts into motion an additional quantity of

industry; which gives an additional value to the annual produce。

     What is annually saved is as regularly consumed as what is

annually spent; and nearly in the same time too; but it is

consumed by a different set of people。 That portion of his

revenue which a rich man annually spends is in most cases

consumed by idle guests and menial servants; who leave nothing

behind them in return for their consumption。 That portion which

he annually saves; as for the sake of the profit it is

immediately employed as a capital; is consumed in the same

manner; and nearly in the same time too; but by a different set

of people; by labourers; manufacturers; and artificers; who

reproduce with a profit the value of their annual consumption。

His revenue; we shall suppose; is paid him in money。 Had he spent

the whole; the food; clothing; and lodging; which the whole could

have purchased; would have been distributed among the former set

of people。 By saving a part of it; as that part is for the sake

of the profit immediately employed as a capital either by himself

or by some other person; the food; clothing; and lodging; which

may be purchased with it; are necessarily reserved for the

latter。 The consumption is the same; but the consumers are

different。

     By what a frugal man annually saves; he not only affords

maintenance to an additional number of productive hands; for that

or the ensuing year; but; like the founder of a public workhouse;

he establishes as it were a perpetual fund for the maintenance of

an equal number in all times to come。 The perpetual allotment and

destination of this fund; indeed; is not always guarded by any

positive law; by any trust…right or deed of mortmain。 It is

always guarded; however; by a very powerful principle; the plain

and evident interest of every individual to whom any share of it

shall ever belong。 No part of it can ever afterwards be employed

to maintain any but productive hands without an evident loss to

the person who thus perverts it from its proper destination。

     The prodigal perverts it in this manner。 By not confining

his expense within his income; he encroaches upon his capital。

Like him who perverts the revenues of some pious foundation to

profane purposes; he pays the wages of idleness with those funds

which the frugality of his forefathers had; as it were;

consecrated to the maintenance of industry。 By diminishing the

funds destined for the employment of productive labour; he

necessarily diminishes; so far as it depends upon him; the

quantity of that labour which adds a value to the subject upon

which it is bestowed; and; consequently; the value of the annual

produce of the land and labour of the whole country; the real

wealth and revenue of its inhabitants。 If the prodigality of some

was not compensated by the frugality of others; the conduct of

every prodigal; by feeding the idle with the bread of the

industrious; tends not only to beggar himself; but to impoverish

his country。

     Though the expense of the prodigal should be altogether in

home…made; and no part of it in foreign commodities; its effect

upon the productive funds of the society would still be the same。

Every year there would still be a certain quantity of food and

clothing; which ought to have maintained productive; employed in

maintaining unproductive hands。 Every year; therefore; there

would still be some diminution in what would otherwise have been

the value of the annual produce of the land and labour of the

country。

     This expense; it may be said indeed; not being in foreign

goods; and not occasioning any exportation of gold and silver;

the same quantity of money would remain in the country as before。

But if the quantity of food and clothing; which were thus

consumed by unproductive; had been distributed among productive

hands; they would have reproduced; together with a profit; the

full value of their consumption。 The same quantity of money would

in t
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