Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-05-27
DEFINITION OF WEALTH.
Something New for Political Econ
omistS to Consider.
a Critical Analysis OF the Word Which
Define, It's True Meaning and
Llmitations-An Interest
Ing Study.


and tho process my have been like
this: Veal things, wcal-th;nGs, wealth
pronounced Us two syll2blcs, with
''ings" droppcdU, and finally wealth as
v"c now have it. But. however formed,
that the term wealth is identical in
Ennaning with weal-things there can be
:ro doubt. by examining these two
lords, therefore asccrtainiug their
meanings and combining them, if the
IrCrll be we'll done, the exact and COM
rletc meaning of the word wealth will
appear.
The word 'thinr." says the Chicago
journal, springs from an old Saxon root
which signifies ''to be heavy" But
what is heavy is of material substance
and is an object of sense. A thing,
t!.cn, is any material object cognizable
hY the senses. But it is especially used
rf what is without life, though in COM
mon speech ell living beings below man
are spoken of rs things, and even man
himself when thought of us belonging
t. thc animal kingdom, as in the phrase,
sail animals and inanimatc things" Brt
stri lily speaking, man is not accounted
thing, because he IS moral person,
uad this higher element of personality
raises him above the sphere of things
Veal has the same root as well. To
be wcll-that is to be in state that is
.vcal-iS to be in health, and thGG is to
b. in the state Of fullest, most active
;al most unimpaircd life. This is the
keynote word of the whole matter
life TO be well is to be in a state
that is wcal-is to be in the fullest
degree alive.
'Hhc things that make for veal arc
the things which make fer to-bc-wcll:
that is to- be alive, that is again, fer
life. The things which make for veal,
that is for life, came in human speech
to be called wcal-thinTs, and this com
nOunh word was contracted into wealth.
j.: these steps the correct and complete
definition OF our term is brought plainly
into view.
Wealth is one, or more, or the sum OF
things. which make for life.
And here, in passing. it may be said
that life, and especially life rs found IL
man. is the keynote word Of all that i:
contained in what men have been wont
TO call ''political economy
Now take this definition as n meaSur-
ing staff in the hand and go abroad
through the world and measure off the
arr2T. Of things tllcccin. All tilinGS
which make Tor life are veal things
wealth. Wheat, corn, grain, fruit,
root crops, food things of every sort,
are wealth. So arc all implements to
provide them. So arc clothing, fucka ard
81 implements to provide these. So crc
ell things to help about them, as in
Transportation and exchange.
tiut human life has grades, and those
things which feed IL IN its higher grades
e. also wcaltll-as works Of art. t.
i!lustr"t2 the higher, spiritual side OF
human life, or hospitals, to illustrate it
G.:;iin..
But arc nuslzets and cannon, and all
the munitions Of war, wealth? In sc
flr as they are necdful to help some
life preserve itself against destruction
by other life, they are wealth to the
lives they preserves; but they arc death,
which is ''illth" to those whom they kill
in preserving alive those whom they
G-fGnd. But To the whole sum of human
G[c on the Garth, they arc u mon5Grou!
evil, 10 BE- swept off from the earth Us
TIC heart of human kind IS healed Of it$
impulses to rob and kill. In true
economic sense nothing that is made
im killing mon is. wealth; but only
WHIT is made to make for life for all.
Fat, finally, arc not human faculties
powers, actions, activities and the like
w.aICh? No: they come not under thi!
H'crI. There must be another word fol
t,iHn, If one would escape confusion OF
pa.ntt and utter clear thought in nc
aHrato speech.
tnIly tho material things which max
h,r iif2 Hre wealth, and all those thing
dhdt word includes.