The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-07

And is not this true?" / asked.
II am not sure OF that. 1t is a much
vexed question whether he is or no.
Whether the wages of those who have got
work are really all over the land higher
than they were dozen years ago Is a
debated and debatable question, and even
when wages are good, good workmen may
be unable to secure more than one or two
days work out of the six. But one thinS
seems very certain to me- and that Is this
that condition under which tens or thou-
sands are longing TO get work because they
hate and loath ideness and yet cannot get
work, steady work, OF any sort, and so are
gradually being thrust down toward tramp
dom and pauperdom; such a condition OF
things. | say. in a country vast. rich and
only partially developed gives righteous
cause for discomfort On the other hand,
before these discontinued multitudes is
blaZoned the enormous success OF the few.
These few are immensely better off then
they ever have been, and in some cases
they seem likely 10 ignore the responsible
this money-money every dollar of which
American industry has helped them 10
make-out OF the country and spend IL
abroad, forgetting the. land their money
came from, comes from, should surely
be considered in the spending of it-they
are making a great mistake. / hold there Is
a reasonable element in the discomfort,
warning us of our large obligations ana
helping US to unite in strenuous effort to
remedy our unnecessarily bad conditions
There is, on the other hand. a foolish and
hurtful discomfort that angriy and de-
sstructively wants to attempt the impossi-
bic. The first inspires the statesman. God
send US such! The second fires the agita-
tor. Yet even he can do good. for lie,
US never forget that the only really dam
gerous element in agitation is the injustice
that lies at its root. Remove injustice and
you cut the nerve of agitation and make
the agitation Improbable
As Dr. Rainsford warmed to the subject
ne had risen ana was pacing the floor. He
now stopped and said impresSively:
Personally, in conclusion, let me say that
i don believe Gods sun ever shone II
land I'm which there were so many men WILL
ing, even at the cost of sacrifice to do their
duty and serve their generation as i'm oI-
own-last. youngest fairest of the lands OF
the earth. Have no fear but we will find
the way through. Only let us bravely maks.
up our mind to some great changes the
I times are ripe for them. the stability Of our
elviliza ton requires them Let US see to it
triotic men. and not left TO well intentioneo
enthusiasts
And SO the interview came to an end and
L was bowed out.
But, having got my cue from DIR. Rains
ford; crossed over to the libraries when
took down the books he had recommended
S rs on1 Eh E had the III good luck to find
very clever essay written in 1873 on this
very book by Leslie Stephen. who is an en-
thuslasuc exponent of the doctrines of the
modern political economists.
THE FABLE OF THE BEES"
Mandeville's work. it should be explained
- NOcoNiNi POVii Will pIOSt NOTES, whose
full title runs. 1.-The Fable of the Bees: or.
Private Vices Public Benefits" II is the
paradox which is summed UP in the alter
native title that gave the book its chief no.
toriety. Harken to Leslie Stephens COM
ments:
1.-The fallacy which lies at the bottom of
Mandeville's economical sophistries is. one
might suppose, sufficiently Transparent ana
yet II not only puzzled the ablest thinkers
OF the DAY, but enjoys a permanent popu-
larity. In slightly altered forms il is con-
stantly reappearing and repeated confirnla-
ton never kills IL at the root. The doctrine
is, IN general terms. that consumption in
stead of saving is beneficial to Iaborers
This doctrine Bernard AIandeville exhaIIsts
MS ingenuity in exhibiting in the most ex-
the sensual courtier that sets no limits To
his luxury: the tickle strumpet that invents
new fashions every week; the naughty
duchess that in eQuipage, entertainments
and all her behavior would initiate a
princess; the profuse rake and lavish her
onat scatter about their money, without wit
either destroy or give it away the next day:
the covetous and perjured william. than
tears of widows and orphans. and left the
prodlgals the money TO spend-it is these
that are the proper food of the full-grown
l4eviathan, In other words, all of these W..
require In order to set all varieties of labor
10 work and TO procure an honest liveli-
hood TO the vast numbers of working moor
that are required to make a large societv-"
Mr.. Stephen adds the following commen-
tary: Nobody would now commend actla,
wee, but we have quite recently seen q de-
ploys labor"
Let US quote still further from De Mande-
Vile: He that gives most trouble to thou
sands or his neighbors and invenls me
most operoSe manufactures Is right or
wrong. the greatest friend to society" Nay
ne manages to cap these extravagancies pv
arguing that even the destruction of ca initial
may be useful. The fire of London was a
great calamity, but if the carpenters brick
layers. smiths and others set at work were
10 vote against those who lost by the fire
the reJoicings would equal. if not exceed
Now let US turn to John Stuart Mill. Here
Is now he draws the distinction between
productive and nonproductive consumption:
THE DIFFERENT CONSUMERS.
All the members of the community are
not laborers. but all are consumers. ana
| consume either unproductiveIy or produce
lively. Whoever contributes nothing direc;
| ly or indirectly to production is an unpro-
ductive consumer. The only productive
consumers productive laborers. the la
| Dor of direction being, of course included
| as well as that of execution But the con-
sumption even of productive laborers is not
an OF II productive consumption. There is
unproductive CONSUMPTION nv prod,tctivo
consumers. What they consume i'm keen
| ing up or improving their health Strength
ana capacities OF work. or in rearing other
II H.
| ductive consumption. But consumption on
| pleasures or luXuries whether by the idle
| OF Dy the Industrious. since production is
neither Its object nor is in any way ao-
vanced Dy II, must be reckoned unDroIuci-
! I'VE: with reservation. perhaps, of q cer.
| tain quantum of enjoyment which NAV he
ciassed cmong necessaries, since ANYTHING
| snort or II would not be consistent with the
greatest efficiency of labor. That alone is
productive consumption which goes to
| MAINTAIN and increase the productive now
ers OF the community. either those residing
| In its soil. in its materials, i'm the humber
| ana efnc1ency OF Its instruments of produc-
| ton. or in its people
'1nere are numerous products which NAV
be said not 10 admit of being consumed
! otherwise than unproductively The annual
! consumption of gold lace. pineap2les or
| champagne must be reckoned unprodIIctive
since these things give no assistance to pro,
/ auction or any support to life or strenpth
but what would equally be given by things
| much less costly"
Mill does not. however lament over the
| Iact that certain proportion of the annual,
| produce goes, in an opuient country 70
/ supply unproductive consumption He ex-
plains that this portion of the produce IL
the fund from which all the wants of tho
community other than that of mere Twins.
1 are provided for: the measure of it's means
/ or enjoyment and of its power of accom-
/ plishing all purposes not productive "'Tha
tnlngS 10 be regretted" he saws "ani
K which are not incapable of being remediad
are the prodigious inequality with whicf,
/ this surplus is distributed. the little worth
OF Ihe SUBJECTS TO which the greater part
| OF 1t Is devoted and the large share which
/ fails 10 the lot OF persons who render mr.
/ equivalent service in return
| Mr.. Russell Sage positively refused rc
DISCUSS the question OF graded tax as
applied to inheritance When ! ennroscba<,
j an fIA .fa1.f -, Il