what is property-第43部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



The　absurdity　of　the　phalansterian　economy　is　so　gross；　that　many　people　suspect　Fourier；　in　spite　of　all　the　homage　paid　by　him　to　proprietors；　of　having　been　a　secret　enemy　of　property。　　This　opinion　might　be　supported　by　plausible　arguments；　still　it　is　not　mine。　　Charlatanism　was　too　important　a　part　for　such　a　man　to　play；　and　sincerity　too　insignificant　a　one。　　I　would　rather　think　Fourier　ignorant　（which　is　generally　admitted）　than　disingenuous。　　As　for　his　disciples；　before　they　can　formulate　any　opinion　of　their　own；　they　must　declare　once　for　all；　unequivocally　and　with　no　mental　reservation；　whether　they　mean　to　maintain　property　or　not；　and　what　they　mean　by　their　famous　motto；〃To　each　according　to　his　capital；　his　labor；　and　his　skill。〃

II。　But；　some　half…converted　proprietor　will　observe；　〃Would　it　not　be　possible；　by　suppressing　the　bank；　incomes；　farm…rent；　house…rent；　usury　of　all　kinds；　and　finally　property　itself；　to　proportion　products　to　capacities？　　That　was　St。　Simon's　idea；　it　was　also　Fourier's；　it　is　the　desire　of　the　human　conscience；　and　no　decent　person　would　dare　maintain　that　a　minister　of　state　should　live　no　better　than　a　peasant。〃

O　Midas！　your　ears　are　long！　　What！　will　you　never　understand　that　disparity　of　wages　and　the　right　of　increase　are　one　and　the　same？　　Certainly；　St。　Simon；　Fourier；　and　their　respective　flocks　committed　a　serious　blunder　in　attempting　to　unite；　the　one；　inequality　and　communism；　the　other；　inequality　and　property：　but　you；　a　man　of　figures；　a　man　of　economy；you；　who　know　by　heart　your　LOGARITHMIC　tables；how　can　you　make　so　stupid　a　mistake？

Does　not　political　economy　itself　teach　you　that　the　product　of　a　man；　whatever　be　his　individual　capacity；　is　never　worth　more　than　his　labor；　and　that　a　man's　labor　is　worth　no　more　than　his　consumption？　　You　remind　me　of　that　great　constitution…framer；　poor　Pinheiro…Ferreira；　the　Sieyes　of　the　nineteenth　century；　who；　dividing　the　citizens　of　a　nation　into　twelve　classes；or；　if　you　prefer；　into　twelve　grades；assigned　to　some　a　salary　of　one　hundred　thousand　francs　each；　to　others；　eighty　thousand；　then　twenty…five　thousand；　fifteen　thousand；　ten　thousand；　&c。；　down　to　one　thousand　five　hundred；　and　one　thousand　francs；　the　minimum　allowance　of　a　citizen。　　Pinheiro　loved　distinctions；　and　could　no　more　conceive　of　a　State　without　great　dignitaries　than　of　an　army　without　drum…majors；　and　as　he　also　loved；　or　thought　he　loved；　liberty；　equality；　and　fraternity；　he　combined　the　good　and　the　evil　of　our　old　society　in　an　eclectic　philosophy　which　he　embodied　in　a　constitution。　　Excellent　Pinheiro！　　Liberty　even　to　passive　submission；　fraternity　even　to　identity　of　language；　equality　even　in　the　jury…box　and　at　the　guillotine；such　was　his　ideal　republic。　　Unappreciated　genius；　of　whom　the　present　century　was　unworthy；　but　whom　the　future　will　avenge！

Listen；　proprietor。　　Inequality　of　talent　exists　in　fact；　in　right　it　is　not　admissible；　it　goes　for　nothing；　it　is　not　thought　of。　　One　Newton　in　a　century　is　equal　to　thirty　millions　of　men；　the　psychologist　admires　the　rarity　of　so　fine　a　genius；　the　legislator　sees　only　the　rarity　of　the　function。　　Now；　rarity　of　function　bestows　no　privilege　upon　the　functionary；　and　that　for　several　reasons；　all　equally　forcible。

1。　Rarity　of　genius　was　not；　in　the　Creator's　design；　a　motive　to　compel　society　to　go　down　on　its　knees　before　the　man　of　superior　talents；　but　a　providential　means　for　the　performance　of　all　functions　to　the　greatest　advantage　of　all。

2。　Talent　is　a　creation　of　society　rather　than　a　gift　of　Nature；　it　is　an　accumulated　capital；　of　which　the　receiver　is　only　the　guardian。　　Without　society；without　the　education　and　powerful　assistance　which　it　furnishes；the　finest　nature　would　be　inferior　to　the　most　ordinary　capacities　in　the　very　respect　in　which　it　ought　to　shine。　　The　more　extensive　a　man's　knowledge；　the　more　luxuriant　his　imagination；　the　more　versatile　his　talent；the　more　costly　has　his　education　been；　the　more　remarkable　and　numerous　were　his　teachers　and　his　models；　and　the　greater　is　his　debt。　　The　farmer　produces　from　the　time　that　he　leaves　his　cradle　until　he　enters　his　grave：　the　fruits　of　art　and　science　are　late　and　scarce；　frequently　the　tree　dies　before　the　fruit　ripens。　　Society；　in　cultivating　talent；　makes　a　sacrifice　to　hope。

3。　Capacities　have　no　common　standard　of　comparison：　the　conditions　of　development　being　equal；　inequality　of　talent　is　simply　speciality　of　talent。

4。　Inequality　of　wages；　like　the　right　of　increase；　is　economically　impossible。　　Take　the　most　favorable　case；that　where　each　laborer　has　furnished　his　maximum　production；　that　there　may　be　an　equitable　distribution　of　products；　the　share　of　each　must　be　equal　to　the　quotient　of　the　total　production　divided　by　the　number　of　laborers。　　This　done；　what　remains　wherewith　to　pay　the　higher　wages？　　Nothing　whatever。

Will　it　be　said　that　all　laborers　should　be　taxed？　　But；　then；　their　consumption　will　not　be　equal　to　their　production；　their　wages　will　not　pay　for　their　productive　service；　they　will　not　be　able　to　repurchase　their　product；　and　we　shall　once　more　be　afflicted　with　all　the　calamities　of　property。　　I　do　not　speak　of　the　injustice　done　to　the　defrauded　laborer；　of　rivalry；　of　excited　ambition；　and　burning　hatred；these　may　all　be　important　considerations；　but　they　do　not　hit　the　point。

On　the　one　hand；　each　laborer's　task　being　short　and　easy；　and　the　means　for　its　successful　accomplishment　being　equal　in　all　cases；　how　could　there　be　large　and　small　producers？　　On　the　other　hand；　all　functions　being　equal；　either　on　account　of　the　actual　equivalence　of　talents　and　capacities；　or　on　account　of　social　co…operation；　how　could　a　functionary　claim　a　salary　proportional　to　the　worth　of　his　genius？

But；　what　do　I　say？　　In　equality　wages　are　always　proportional　to　talents。　　What　is　the　economical　meaning　of　wages？　　The　reproductive　consumption　of　the　laborer。　　The　very　act　by　which　the　laborer　produces　constitutes；　then；　this　consumption；　exactly　equal　to　his　production；　of　which　we　are　speaking。　　When　the　astronomer　produces　observations；　the　poet　verses；　or　the　savant　experiments；　they　consume　instruments；　books；　travels；　&c。；　&c。；　now；　if　society　supplies　this　consumption；　what　more　can　the　astronomer；　the　savant；　or　the　poet　demand？　　We　must　conclude；　then；　that　in　equality；　and　only　in　equality；　St。　Simon's　adageTO　EACH　ACCORDING　TO　HIS　CAPACITY　TO　EACH　CAPACITY　ACCORDING　TO　ITS　RESULTSfinds　its　full　and　complete　application。

III。　The　great　evilthe　horrible　and　ever…present　evilarising　from　property；　is　that；　while　property　exists；　population；　however　reduced；　is；　and　always　must　be；　over…abundant。　　Complaints　have　been　made　in　all　ages　of　the　excess　of　population；　in　all　ages　property　has　been　embarrassed　by　the　presence　of　pauperism；　not　perceiving　that　it　caused　it。　　Further；nothing　is　more　curious　than　the　diversity　of　the　plans　proposed　for　its　extermination。　　Their　atrocity　is　equalled　only　by　their　absurdity。

The　ancients　made　a　practice　of　abandoning　their　children。　　The　wholesale　and　retail　slaughter　of　slaves；　civil　and　foreign　wars；　also　lent　their　aid。　　In　Rome　（where　property　held　full　sway）；　these　three　means　were　employed　so　effectively；　and　for　so　long　a　time；　that　finally　the　empire　found　itself　without　inhabitants。　　When　the　barbarians　arrived；　nobody　was　to　be　found；　the　fields　were　no　longer　cultivated；　grass　grew　in　the　streets　of　the　Italian　cities。

In　China；　from　time　immemorial；　upon　famine　alone　has　devolved　the　task　of　sweeping　away　the　poor。　　The　people　living　almost　exclusively　upon　rice；　if　an　accident　causes　the　crop　to　fail；　in　a　few　days　hunger　kills　the　inhabitants　by　myriads；　and　the　Chinese　historian　records　in　the　annals　of　the　empire；　that　in　such　a　year　of　such　an　emperor　twenty；　thirty；　fifty；　one　hundred　thousand　inhabitants　died　of　starvation。　　Then　they　bury　the　dead；　and　recommence　the　production　of　children　until　another　famine　leads　to　the　same　result。　　Such　appears　to　have　been；　in　all　ages；　the　Confucian　economy。

I　borrow　the　following　facts　from　a　modern　economist：


〃Since　the　fourteenth　and　fifteenth　centuries；　England　has　been　preyed　upon　by　pauperism。　　At　that　time　beggars　were　punished　by　law。〃　　Nevertheless；　she　had　not　one…fourth　as　large　a　population　as　she　has　to…day。

〃Edward　prohibits　alms…giving；　on　pain　of　imprisonment。　。　。　。　　The　laws　of　1547　and　1656　prescribe　a　like　punishment；　in　case　of　a　second　offence。　　Elizabeth　orders　that　each　parish　shall　support　its　own　paupers。　　But　what　is　a　pauper？　　Charles　II。　decides　that　an　UNDISPUTED　residence　of　forty　days　constitutes　a　settlement　in　a　parish；　but；　if　disputed；　the　new…comer　is　forced　to　pack　off。　　James　II。　modifies　this　decision；　which　is　again　modified　by　William。　　In　the　midst　of　trials；　reports；　and　modifications；　pauperism　increases；　and　the　workingman　languishes　and　dies。

〃The　poor…tax　in　1774　exceeded　forty　millions　of　francs；　in　1783…　4…5；　it　averaged　fifty…three　millions；　1813；　more　than　a　hundred　and　eighty…seven　millions　five　hundred　thousand　francs；　1816；　two　hundred　and　fifty　millions；　in　1817；　it　is　estimated　at　three　hundred　and　seventeen　millions。

〃In　1821；　the　number　of　paupers　enrolled　upon　the　parish　lists　was　estimated　at　four　millions；　nearly　one…third　of　the　population。

〃FRANCE。　　In　1544；　Francis　I。　establishes　a　compulsory　tax　in　behalf　of　the　poor。　　In　1566　and　1586；　the　same　principle　is　applied　to　the　whole　kingdom。

〃Under　Louis　XIV。；　forty　thousand　paupers　infested　the　capital　＇as　many　in　proportion　as　to…day＇。　　Mendicity　was　punished　severely。　　In　1740；　the　Parliament　of　Paris　re…establishes　within　its　own　jurisdiction　the　compulsory　assessment。

〃The　Constituent　Assembly；　frightened　at　the　extent　of　the　evil　and　the　difficulty　of　curing　it；　ordains　the　_statu　quo_。

〃The　Convention　proclaims　assistance　of　the　poor　to　be　a　NATIONAL　DEBT。　　Its　law　remains　unexecuted。

〃Napoleon　also　wishes　to　remedy　the　evil：　his　idea　is　imprisonment。　　‘In　that　way；'　said　he；　‘I　shall　protect　the　rich　from　the　importunity　of　beggars；　and　shall　relieve　them　of　the　disgusting　sight　of　abject　poverty。'〃