IV CAPITAL THE MOTHER OF LABOUR 179 



shoes, but by that expended from the time of his 

 birth, up to the time that he earned wages that 

 would keep him alive. 



" Progress and Poverty " continues : 



As my labour goes on, value is steadily added until, when my 

 labour results in the finished shoes, I have my capital plus the 

 difference in value between the material and the shoes. In 

 obtaining this additional value my wages how is capital, at 

 any time, drawn upon ? (p. 34). 



In return we may inquire, how can any one 

 propound such a question? Capital is drawn 

 upon all the time. Not only when the shoes are 

 commenced, but while they are being made, and 

 until they are either used by the shoemaker him 

 self or are purchased by somebody else ; that is, 

 exchanged for a portion of another man's capital. 

 In fact (supposing that the shoemaker does not 

 want shoes himself), it is the existence of vital 

 capital in the possession of another person and the 

 willingness of that person to part with more or 

 less of it in exchange for the shoes it is these 

 two conditions, alone, which prevent the shoe 

 maker from having consumed his capital unpro- 

 ductively, just as much as if he had spent his 

 time in chopping up the leather into minute 

 fragments. 



Thus, the examination of the very case selected 

 by the advocate of the doctrine that labour be 

 stowed upon manufacture, without any interven 

 tion of capital, can produce wages, proves to be a 



