Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-02-25
Agrifnltnral department.
(Original.]
MONEY.

of the names of Juno. Cicero says that the
name was given Juno, because she advised
(monuiD the Romans to sacrifice a sow to
Cybele, that an earthquake might be averted
Snidas, however, says that Juno was called
Moneta by the Romans, because she declared
to them, when in the midst of great pecuuia-
ry distress during the war with Pyrrhus, that
so long as they would conduct the war upon
principles of justice, the means of carrying it
on should be supplied them. In accordance
with her declaration, the means were supplied
for conducting the war, and the Romans were
victorious. AS an act of gratitude, Juno was
ever afterward called Moneta, the adviser; and
the Romans resolved that their coin should be
in her temple, which, likewise, was
called Moneta. There is another derivation
of the word money, which makes it come
from an Anglo-Saxon word, which means to
stamp. So much for the etymology of the
word.
What is money? 1t simply medium Of
exchange. In a material point of view, it is
either pieces of metals stamped by public au-
thority, or promissory notes. The metals
commonly used are gold, silver and copper
but amongst the ancient Spartans, iron was
used. The value of gold, in its crude state,
is much greater than that of any other metal,
not because of its intrinsic value; but because
it is very scarce, as compared with some of the
other metals. The intrinsic value Of iron is
very great, whilst its relative value is very
little. Gold, silver and copper have real
value, but not, by any means, so great as that
of iron. Paper bills have, we may say, no
real value. They possess no intrinsic worth,
only as medium of exchange. Notwith-
standing all the art and science that is dis
played in their execution, the crude material
of which they are made, possesses more in
trinsic value than they do. What then, since
coin possesses but little intrinsic value, and
notes, or bank bills, none at all, is
the use of money? As said before, its use is
simply as medium ofexchange. 1t matters
nothing, so far as the comfort of an indiv;du-
al is concerned, whether he has any money or
not provided he wants none Of the absolute
necessities of life But there is scarcely any
spot on this earth, that affords to man all the
absolute necessities of life; and certainly none
that affords all the necessities that are attend
ant upon the highest stage Of civilization.
In some countries, coffee and sugar can be
produced, but no wheat. In other countries,
cotton and rice can be produced; but in those
countries there is no iron and no salt. To
make direct change of these commodities
between different and distant countries, would
be attended with great Inconvenience and
endless confusion. Not only so, but in many
cases it would be impossible amongst near
neighbors to transact any amount of business.
We will suppose one individual to be stock
raiser, and another to be grain raiser. 1t
would be almost impossible for them to make
exchanges. Without money they could have
no standard value for any thing. To say
that horse or COW or any other animal is
worth so many bushels of corn or oats, would
be extremely vague. The kind of stock and
the quality of grain could not be taken into
lna savage state, or in very
low state of civilization, nation may live
without money but money is absolutely nec-
essary to civilization.
Since the use of money is simply medium
of exchange, it is simple to store it away in
Golfers as men do corn in crib. The indi-
vidual who is guilty of this act of partial in
sanity, is called miser. The name is pecu-
liarly appropriate. In every sense of the
word, he is wretched. Money, like corn, may
be plenty, or scarce, cheap or dear, and in
this respect, it is governed by the same law
which, under ordinary circumstances, governs
the price of corn. Money being simply a
medium of exchange it will be plenty, and
consequently cheap in that country whose ex-
ports exceed its imports. In individual cases
those persons will have plenty of money who
sell more than they buy; and money will be
scarce with those who buy great deal, and
sell very little. There may be an abnormal
state of things with individuals and even with
nations. The money value of the exports OF
a country may exceed the value of the i'm
ports, and the difference be spent in war or in
ornaments or in some useless way. In such
case money will be scarce and dear. Ihe
reason that money is so scarce with most Of
our people is that the money value OF tbell
sales is less than that of their purchases. Te
state the fact clearly, two hundred dollars
worth of cotton will not purchase three hun
dred dollars worth of bread and meat. he
verse the thing, and money would be plenty
Say we sell one hundred and fifty dollars
worth of cotton, and buy only fifty dollars
worth of commodities, which our climate vii
not allow us to produce, and money will b.
plenty, and land and cotton will be deare
than they are to-day. The price of cottol
will advance, for the demand will continue
and the price of land will advance, for there
will be money to invest in real estate.
GRAssHoppERs.-In reply to an inquiry b..
correspondent of the New York Sun, as tt
whether the grasshoppers, so destructive tt
crops in the West, are the same as those which
infested Egypt, and also whether the seven
teen-year is a native this country or import
ed, its able agricultural editor, Mr. Fuller
says:
"The grasshoppers of the Western State
are of an entirely distinct species from thos
inhabitiHg Egypt or other portions of the Ol'
World, but belong to the same family as tn
locust of ancient as we'll as modern times
Grasshopperi is a mere local English name 70
the hundred or more distinct species which in
habit our country. The one to which yo
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