207 



charafter) which minifter to luxury, and are under the dominion of 

 vanity and caprice, though the latter may be produftive of greater pre- 

 fent profit, as, indeed, is moft commonly the cafe. Luxury is wholly 

 governed by fafliion : what it likes to-day it loathes to-morrow. 



Where the demand for any fabric is apt to vary ; the poor artifan 

 will often be deftitute of employment ; a circumllance, which is always 

 attended with the moft diftrefsful confequences to fociety. — Intempe- 

 rance — diffolute manners — robbery and other crimes, the progeny of a 

 fatal marriage between mifery and temptation, — formidable riots,— in fliort, 

 ail forms of ill, to which mingled idlenefs and defpair, relaxing every 

 mental faculty, can lead unhappy mortals. 



When a manufafture affords a regular and unfailing fource of em- 

 ployment ; it is not only favourable to public profperity, but alfo to 

 private morality. Continual, gains, however fmall, lead the manufac- 

 turer to views of accumulation ; and the accumulation of capital, in the 

 whole, is made up, by the feveral accumulations of individuals. Thus 

 is regular employment favourable to public profperity. With refpeft 

 to private morality, conftant induflry, with its attendant gain, will aft 

 as a correftive of manners, among the lower claffes. In them, the love 

 of gain, to a certain degree, being neceffary not only to their own 

 maintenance, but to the prefervation of a number of helplefs beings, 

 who look to them for fubfiftence, is not only in itfelf a virtue, but 

 leads to fobriety, temperance, and all the other negative virtues. 



On the contrary, where manufaftures are of a fluftuating and capri- 

 cious kind, like the idle and worthlefs confumers of them ; at one 

 time exhibiting a rapid fale and importunate demand, which can hardly 

 be fatisfied, by the utmoft exertions of the workman ; at another time, 

 languiihing, in almoft total negleft ; at one time producing a return of 

 profit, both to the maker and vender, infinitely furpaffing the juft pro- 

 portion of the firft coft of materials, and the labour beftowed on them ; 

 at another time unfaftiionabie, and defpifed, rejected in the market, a 

 fource of difappointment and defpair to the raiferable artifans, who took 



to 



