The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1875-01-27

An INSTRUMENT OF EXCHANGE.
-44-z--
Hers Is d half sovereign which I hold in
my hand, said Prof Price, in a lecture at Ok
ford. That is a coin--a piece of currency
What is it? This coin is piece of gold with
a mark upon It. 1vhat is that mark2 The
arms of the Queen Victoria. Those arms are
put upon it at the factory where 1t was made
the Royal Mint of England Did they put
into this metal anything besides goids Yes /;
they put little alloy into it merely for the
purpose of hardening II, in order that the
mark may not be erased by constant wear.
But IN England nothing is charged for that
You get the sane quantity fettirued to you In
coin that YOU bring to the bank in illgots !,
and, therefore, it is pure piece of gold.
What on earth was that little thing invented
for9 If We're in Egypt should say it was
something to put around a wonian's neck or
in her ears, to use as ornaments but we know
that this is not the application of it in great
cities and nations. Then must trace it, aud
what does it do? If / see cart understand
directly what cart Is. There are two shafts,
which Enthusiastically indicate a horse the
wheels indicate motion, and the body midi
Gates capacity to carry weight, and know
all about cart at the very first sight.
What is this coin for? I mist watch thc
people who use it. find people buy it.
They give their property for it, and as they
don't use it in the way Of ornament, l watch
them closer, and perceive this man who has
given certain property for it is very soon
anxious to get rid of it. That is the next
wonderful thing about this little coin. 1t is
bought and then the next step is to get rid
of it as quickly as possible. 1t becomes then
a "current " thing. 1t runs. Currency is
the running" from cuYyo in Latin. Then
buy ii to run, aud not To STAY with me- My
next step is: What is that necessary for?
When it leaves me what has happened to m6p
have gained other goods 1t has had this
wonderful effecS upon me. have got rid Of
quantity of goods in my hands which | did
not want, and | have got into my hands a
quantity of goods did waut. Ali, then, |
sec at once what it means; the operation
iinished. ti,pqa have exchanged the goods
certain qnallsy IN tnissi lits.fo Mitrc iIa5s
its way into human society, and it is this ::
We cannot make all our things for ourselves.
There must be division of employments,
division of markings. One says ~ will
make hats il you will make shoes" Another
says 81 will make coats' A third says
Il will make carts" And in human life all
these things must be exchanged somehow.
The man is not going to give LIS lio1se fui the
hat. That would not do at all. 8 Well,
says the halter to the other person with whom
he is trading there is something reasonable in
that. The horse cost you great length OF
time in cares plenty of corn, plenty of hay
so it won't do to give it for the hat We
must have some principle of exchange.
And then he discovers that this little thing
which show to you is tool. And, gentfs@
men, from the first word say to you now to
the last word say to you wish you never
to look on the currency as anything else than
a tool of exchange and all the mess, and all
the disorder, and all the utter confusion on
this subject is that people will not submit to
grasp the idea that this thing was invented as
"a machine for exchanging goods, and for
nothing else--nothing else ut all.