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03-wealth-第2部分

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be relied on to keep his integrity。  And when one observes in the

hotels and palaces of our Atlantic capitals; the habit of expense;

the riot of the senses; the absence of bonds; clanship;

fellow…feeling of any kind; he feels; that; when a man or a woman is

driven to the wall; the chances of integrity are frightfully

diminished; as if virtue were coming to be a luxury which few could

afford; or; as Burke said; 〃at a market almost too high for

humanity。〃 He may fix his inventory of necessities and of enjoyments

on what scale he pleases; but if he wishes the power and privilege of

thought; the chalking out his own career; and having society on his

own terms; he must bring his wants within his proper power to

satisfy。



        The manly part is to do with might and main what you can do。

The world is full of fops who never did anything; and who have

persuaded beauties and men of genius to wear their fop livery; and

these will deliver the fop opinion; that it is not respectable to be

seen earning a living; that it is much more respectable to spend

without earning; and this doctrine of the snake will come also from

the elect sons of light; for wise men are not wise at all hours; and

will speak five times from their taste or their humor; to once from

their reason。  The brave workman; who might betray his feeling of it

in his manners; if he do not succumb in his practice; must replace

the grace or elegance forfeited; by the merit of the work done。  No

matter whether he make shoes; or statues; or laws。  It is the

privilege of any human work which is well done to invest the doer

with a certain haughtiness。  He can well afford not to conciliate;

whose faithful work will answer for him。  The mechanic at his bench

carries a quiet heart and assured manners; and deals on even terms

with men of any condition。  The artist has made his picture so true;

that it disconcerts criticism。  The statue is so beautiful; that it

contracts no stain from the market; but makes the market a silent

gallery for itself。  The case of the young lawyer was pitiful to

disgust;  a paltry matter of buttons or tweezer…cases; but the

determined youth saw in it an aperture to insert his dangerous

wedges; made the insignificance of the thing forgotten; and gave fame

by his sense and energy to the name and affairs of the Tittleton

snuffbox factory。



        Society in large towns is babyish; and wealth is made a toy。

The life of pleasure is so ostentatious; that a shallow observer must

believe that this is the agreed best use of wealth; and; whatever is

pretended; it ends in cosseting。  But; if this were the main use of

surplus capital; it would bring us to barricades; burned towns; and

tomahawks; presently。  Men of sense esteem wealth to be the

assimilation of nature to themselves; the converting of the sap and

juices of the planet to the incarnation and nutriment of their

design。  Power is what they want;  not candy;  power to execute

their design; power to give legs and feet; form and actuality to

their thought; which; to a clear…sighted man; appears the end for

which the Universe exists; and all its resources might be well

applied。  Columbus thinks that the sphere is a problem for practical

navigation; as well as for closet geometry; and looks on all kings

and peoples as cowardly landsmen; until they dare fit him out。  Few

men on the planet have more truly belonged to it。  But he was forced

to leave much of his map blank。  His successors inherited his map;

and inherited his fury to complete it。



        So the men of the mine; telegraph; mill; map; and survey; the

monomaniacs; who talk up their project in marts; and offices; and

entreat men to subscribe:  how did our factories get built? how did

North America get netted with iron rails; except by the importunity

of these orators; who dragged all the prudent men in?  Is party the

madness of many for the gain of a few?  This _speculative_ genius is

the madness of few for the gain of the world。  The projectors are

sacrificed; but the public is the gainer。  Each of these idealists;

working after his thought; would make it tyrannical; if he could。  He

is met and antagonized by other speculators; as hot as he。  The

equilibrium is preserved by these counteractions; as one tree keeps

down another in the forest; that it may not absorb all the sap in the

ground。  And the supply in nature of railroad presidents;

copper…miners; grand…junctioners; smoke…burners; fire…annihilators;

&c。; is limited by the same law which keeps the proportion in the

supply of carbon; of alum; and of hydrogen。



        To be rich is to have a ticket of admission to the master…works

and chief men of each race。  It is to have the sea; by voyaging; to

visit the mountains; Niagara; the Nile; the desert; Rome; Paris;

Constantinople; to see galleries; libraries; arsenals; manufactories。

The reader of Humboldt's 〃Cosmos〃 follows the marches of a man whose

eyes; ears; and mind are armed by all the science; arts; and

implements which mankind have anywhere accumulated; and who is using

these to add to the stock。  So is it with Denon; Beckford; Belzoni;

Wilkinson; Layard; Kane; Lepsius; and Livingston。  〃The rich man;〃

says Saadi; 〃is everywhere expected and at home。〃 The rich take up

something more of the world into man's life。  They include the

country as well as the town; the ocean…side; the White Hills; the Far

West; and the old European homesteads of man; in their notion of

available material。  The world is his; who has money to go over it。

He arrives at the sea…shore; and a sumptuous ship has floored and

carpeted for him the stormy Atlantic; and made it a luxurious hotel;

amid the horrors of tempests。  The Persians say; 〃'Tis the same to

him who wears a shoe; as if the whole earth were covered with

leather。〃



        Kings are said to have long arms; but every man should have

long arms; and should pluck his living; his instruments; his power;

and his knowing; from the sun; moon; and stars。  Is not then the

demand to be rich legitimate?  Yet; I have never seen a rich man。  I

have never seen a man as rich as all men ought to be; or; with an

adequate command of nature。  The pulpit and the press have many

commonplaces denouncing the thirst for wealth; but if men should take

these moralists at their word; and leave off aiming to be rich; the

moralists would rush to rekindle at all hazards this love of power in

the people; lest civilization should be undone。  Men are urged by

their ideas to acquire the command over nature。  Ages derive a

culture from the wealth of Roman Caesars; Leo Tenths; magnificent

Kings of France; Grand Dukes of Tuscany; Dukes of Devonshire;

Townleys; Vernons; and Peels; in England; or whatever great

proprietors。  It is the interest of all men; that there should be

Vaticans and Louvres full of noble works of art; British Museums; and

French Gardens of Plants; Philadelphia Academies of Natural History;

Bodleian; Ambrosian; Royal; Congressional Libraries。  It is the

interest of all that there should be Exploring Expeditions; Captain

Cooks to voyage round the world; Rosses; Franklins; Richardsons; and

Kanes; to find the magnetic and the geographic poles。  We are all

richer for the measurement of a degree of latitude on the earth's

surface。  Our navigation is safer for the chart。  How intimately our

knowledge of the system of the Universe rests on that!   and a true

economy in a state or an individual will forget its frugality in

behalf of claims like these。



        Whilst it is each man's interest; that; not only ease and

convenience of living; but also wealth or surplus product should

exist somewhere; it need not be in his hands。  Often it is very

undesirable to him。  Goethe said well; 〃nobody should be rich but

those who understand it。〃 Some men are born to own; and can animate

all their possessions。  Others cannot: their owning is not graceful;

seems to be a compromise of their character: they seem to steal their

own dividends。  They should own who can administer; not they who

hoard and conceal; not they who; the greater proprietors they are;

are only the greater beggars; but they whose work carves out work for

more; opens a path for all。  For he is the rich man in whom the

people are rich; and he is the poor man in whom the people are poor:

and how to give all access to the masterpieces of art and nature; is

the problem of civilization。  The socialism of our day has done good

service in setting men on thinking how certain civilizing benefits;

now only enjoyed by the opulent; can be enjoyed by all。  For example;

the providing to each man the means and apparatus of science; and of

the arts。  There are many articles good for occasional use; which few

men are able to own。  Every man wishes to see the ring of Saturn; the

satellites and belts of Jupiter and Mars; the mountains and craters

in the moon: yet how few can buy a telescope! and of those; scarcely

one would like the trouble of keeping it in order; and exhibiting it。

So of electrical and chemical apparatus; and many the like things。

Every man may have occasion to consult books which he does not care

to possess; such as cyclopaedias; dictionaries; tables; charts; maps;

and public documents: pictures also of birds; beasts; fishes; shells;

trees; flowers; whose names he desires to know。



        There is a refining influence from the arts of Design on a

prepared mind; which is as positive as that of music; and not to be

supplied from any other source。  But pictures; engravings; statues;

and casts; beside their first cost; entail expenses; as of galleries

and keepers for the exhibition; and the use which any man can make of

them is rare; and their value; too; is much enhanced by the numbers

of men who can share their enjoyment。  In the Greek cities; it was

reckoned profane; that any person should pretend a property in a work

of art; which b
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