178 THE DIVISION OF LABOUR 



to a particular industry is in an Indian village per- 

 formed by women or by men at odd intervals of leisure. 

 Thus the grinding of corn and spinning of thread are 

 in Indian villages almost universally performed at 

 home, though the former at least has been for cen- 

 turies a separate industry in Europe. 



The blacksmith and the carpenter follow industries 

 which are directly subsidiary to agriculture ; they 

 make and repair the ploughs, carts, and other simple 

 implements of Indian husbandry ; the potter supplies 

 domestic utensils, and the barber and washerman 

 perform services for the rural population which Indian 

 social habits have delegated to a particular class of the 

 community. There is nothing in their methods of 

 production which calls for particular comment ; it is 

 under the heading of Distribution rather than of 

 Production that the singularity of the Indian system 

 is to be found. The manner in which the services of 

 the artisans are paid brings out clearly their subordina- 

 tion to the staple industry, agriculture. The artisans 

 do not receive direct payment for each act of service, 

 but they are given at each harvest a specified measure 

 of grain as a remuneration for the services performed 

 throughout the year. 



The amounts vary according to local custom ; from 

 the head of each agriculturist family the blacksmith 

 and carpenter generally receive from 10 to 15 seers of 

 grain at each harvest ; the washerman, barber and 

 potter receive from 5 to 10 seers. A carpenter (assisted 

 at his trade by the males of his family) may have work 

 connected with from twenty-five to fifty ploughs, and 

 upon each of these he will receive 20 or 30 seers 

 annually (i.e., 10 or 15 at each harvest). When 

 he has no agricultural implements to make or repair 

 on behalf of his village masters, he does ordinary 

 carpenter's work, and receives cash payment for 

 each job. 



Mr. William Crooke gives the following excellent 



