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Show 558 ON THi. IM~1EDIATIC CAUSES [Cu. VII. Another fundamental error into which the writers above-mentioned and their follovvers appear to have fallen is, the not taking into consideration the influence of so general and in1portant a principle in human nature, as indolence or the love of ease. It has been supposed* that, if a certain number of farmers and a certain nun1ber of tnanufacturers had been exchanging their surplus food and clothing with each other, and their powers of produc .. tion were suddenly so increased that both parties could, 'vith the same labour, prod nee luxuries in addition to \~/hat they had before obtained, there could be no sort of difficulty with regard to demand, as part of the luxuries which the farmer produ~ed \vould be exchanged against part of the luxunes produced by the manufacturer; and the only result \vould be, the happy one of both parties being better supplied and having tnore enjoyments. But in this intercourse of n1utual o-ratifications, h . b two t 1ngs are taken for granted, which are the very points in dispute. It is taken for crranted that luxuries are always preferred to indolence, and that the profits of each party are consumed as revenue. What would be the effect of a desire to save under such circumstances, shall be considered presently. The effect of a preference of indolence to luxuries would evidently be to occasion a want of den1and for the returns of the increased powers of production supposed, and to thro\v labourers out • Edinburgh Review, No. LXIV. p. 471. SEC. III.] OF 'rHE PROGRESS OF 'YEALTII. 3.59 of employn1ent. ,.fhe cultivator, being now enabled to obtain the necessaries and conveniences to \vhicl1 he had been accustomed, with less toil and trouble, and his tastes for ribands, lace and vel vet not being fully forn1ed, might be very likely to indulge himself in indolence, and employ less labour on the land; while the manufacturer findino- his vel- ' b vets rather heavy of sale, would be led to discon-tinue their n1an ufacture, and to fall almost necessarily into the same indolent syste1n as the farn1er. That an efficient taste for luxuries, that is, such a ta~te as will properly sti1nulate industry, instead of betng re~dy to appear at the mon1ent it is required, is a pl~~t of slow growth, the history of human society sufficiently ~~e\vs; and that it is a most important error to take for granted, that mankind will produce and consume all that they have the power to produce and consun1e, and will never prefe~· indolence t~ the re\~ards of _indus~ry, \vill sufficiently appear ft o~ a shght revie\v of son1e of the nations \Vi th ~htch we are acquainted. llut I shall have occaSion for a revie\v of this kind in the next section. and to this I refer the reader. . ' A third very serious error of the w n" t ers a b ove referred to, an~ pr~ctically the Inost important of the three, consists In supposing that accunlulation ensures demand; or that' the consuinption of the laboure~s employed by those \Vhose object is to saved," v· nll create such an effectual demat1d lclo 1. C001- ffiOd1tleS as to encourage a continued increase of pro uce. Mr. Ricardo obs erves, t 11 at " If 10,000 l. vvcre J\. ,\ 4 |
