Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1861-02-08

: II
a quantity Of fur which he wished TO ex-
change for a horse, and did not succeed in
meeting man with horse who wanted fur,
he soon found that his most judeious course
was to exchange his fur first for quantity Of
some valuable metal, and this he would find
more readily exchaugeable for horse Rcas-
oning beforehand it might seem as IL some
article of universal and prime necessity, like
wheat, would be more readily exchangcable
for all other commodities than any metal but
on full examination we find that this is not
the case. When our st. Louis merchant de-
sired to transfer certain values to New York,
be found a large number Of commodities in
regular course Of export from the West to the
Fast. Among these were wheat, corn, rye,
barley whisky, beef, pork butter, cheese, ba
con, eggs and furs. But against all Of these
there we're two objections which did not ap-
ply to lead they we're liable to be damaged
on the passage, and they we're more subject
TO huctuation in price. If he bought fur he
might possibly make profit on il but, on
the other hand, he was very liable TO be oblig
ed to sell it for three-iourths or one-half Of
what IL cost him In buying lead he was
more certain Of being able to sell it promptly
in New York for what it cost him, than was
the case with any other commodity whatever,
excepting silver or some other metal more
valuable than lead.
Human nature has always been tho same
that it is now and the properties of sub
stances have been The same therefore, there
was always the same reason why men should
seek the metals as deposits Of value which
they did not require for immediate use, that
there is at the present day. If man invest
ed 500 in wheat, and laid it away, his pro-
perty was exposed to two dangers-tho wheat
might rot, in which case he would lose all Of
his investment or it might decline in price,
in which case he would lose a portion. But
( if we bought quantity Of one Of the more
valuable metals, like gold or silver, he was
sure that it would not decay, and it was in
danger Of but very slight Auctuaton in price
He might lay it away for weeks or months.
or years and whenever be had occasion to ex-
change it for any article to crafty any of his
wants, he would find it to possess the whole,
or nearly the whole, of the value which 1t
originally cost him. 1t is this power of pre-
serrn9 values so perfectly, that seems to have
given the precious metals their great ex-
changeabity.
When it was found that these metals were
more readily exchangeable than other commo-
dities, this fact made them more eagarly sought
for and still moro readily exchangeable, so
that they acquired the new use of instruments
for efecting the exchange Of other commodi-
ties. AT first, the amount of metal given in
exchange for any commodity was ascertained
by weighing, and this is practiced to a con-
siderable extent yet. In China, notwithstand-
ing the old and complicated civilization Of
that empire, a large portion of the metal
which is used for currency is weighed as it
passed from one person to another. The
writer of this has sold many thousand dol
lars worth Of merchandise for gold dust, the
several amounts Of which he carefully weigh
cd in delicate balances, he received them
But when the precious metals had passed
into use AS currency. various governments
had portions Of them formed into pieces of
equal size, and the weight stamped upon them
to save the people the great Inconvenience
and labor Of weighing the little quantities
whenever they passed from hand to hand
And thus MoNEY introduced itself into hu-
man affairs. and commenced the exerton Of
its great and al-pervading influence,
1t will be observed that it is the property
Of exchangeability alone which causes money
to be universally sought after When men
are struggling to obtain money, what they
really desire is food, or clothing, or fuel, or
houses, or horses, or carriages, or books, or
some other of the thousand articles which
contribute to the qualification of human wants.
As the obtaining Of money is, in civilized
communities, the most suitable means Of pro-
curing any of these articles, it is not strange
that it should be an object Of intense and
universal desire. When business man hires
money, the money is not the ultimate object
of his wants, but some other form of proper
ty. If farmer hires it, he exchanges it pres
emily for plows, or horses, OF cattle or man
ure, or seed, or something else which will aid
him in the cultivation of his land. If a
manufacturer hires money, it is with the in
tention Of exchanging it for machinery, or
raw material, or labor, or some kind Of capital
which will facilitate his operations. II mer-
chant procures a loan, he exchanges the
money for merchandise, which he may sell for
more than its cost, and thus increase his pos
sessions. Wide spread and intense as is the
desire for money, it is only desired because it
can be exchanged for other kinds of proper
Scientific american.