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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



it might be better said that too much is crowded 

 out, for much that is taught disappears forever. 



"Voracious learning, often orerfed, 

 Digests not into sense its motley meal."' 



Without touching directly upon the question 

 how agriculture should be taught, I would, in con- 

 clusion, observe generally, that the youth who 

 pursues his studies little by little, who spreads 

 them over a greater number of years, who com- 

 mingles with the world, and judges of what he is 

 in most need, usually makes the smartest and 

 most practical man. A knowledge of the busy 

 outside world — a knowledge of its ignorance and 

 its learning — is all-important in education, as it 

 tends to make a person wise. Much book learn- 

 ing, without the wisdom or means for its applica- 

 tion, is too often characteristic of our young men. 

 Hence the sarcasm of Pope : 



"Some are bewildered in the maze of schools. 



And some made coxcombs, nature meant for fools." 



West Medford, Sept., 1862. D. w. L. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THOUGHTS ON ECONOMY. 



It is thought by many that unnecessary expen- 

 ditures are beneficial in causing the circulation of 

 capital, just as though the circulation of capital 

 without the production of economization of real 

 value, could be universally productive of the ele- 

 ments of wealth. 



Now a little reflection on some of the principles 

 involved in the science of political economy, shows 

 the fallacy of such reasoning. It is, indeed, true, 

 that such expenditures do often tend to enrich 

 certain individuals, but they just as surely tend to 

 impoverish others. Take, for illustration, the ar- 

 ticle of tobacco, from the importation of which the 

 British government alone derives an annual reve- 

 nue of $28,000,000 ! Now, it is admitted by all 

 that tobacco, as generally used, is of no benefit to 

 the consumer ; indeed, its uses are far overbal- 

 anced by its abuses, but overlooking this fact, we 

 see that, unlike food, it does not strengthen and 

 nourish the physical system ; neither, like clothing, 

 does it shelter our bodies from the inclemency of 

 the weather, nor like flowers, pictures and other 

 ornaments of similar nature, does it tend to refine 

 and elevate the mind and develop those spiritual 

 qualities which distinguish the soul of man from 

 the instinctive mind of the brute. In short, it 

 does the consumer no good whatever, and is, in 

 reality, a capital of the most unproductive kind, 

 while food, clothing, &c., are productive capital, 

 whatever benefit may be derived from their use. 



Suppose an agriculturist in America raises a 

 quantity of tobacco ; it then goes through the 

 hands of the tobacconists and one or more mer- 

 chants, each adding to the pecuniary — not the in- 

 trinsic — value of the weed, by which addition of 

 value each gets pay for the time, labor, &:c., which 

 he expends on it. The tobacco is then exported, 

 the net profits arising from its culture, and from 

 the time, labor, &c., expended on ij; by the tobac- 

 conist and merchant, being so much real gain to 

 the capital of the country. All time and labor 

 below the net profits, cannot be reckoned as a 

 dear gain, as they might have been applied with 

 equal advantage in some other department, and 

 are. in reality, so much cdpital pxnendcd in its 



production. The cost of transportation again in- 

 creases the price of the tobacco, and then the du- 

 ties imposed by the government, where it is im- 

 ported, raises the price still higher, and then, be- 

 fore reaching the consumer, the merchants, through 

 whose hands it goes, put on the "finishing touch." 

 That part of the price which forms the net profits 

 of the European merchant is not lost to the coun- 

 try v/heve the tobacco is consumed, although it is 

 lost to the consumer. Neither does the country 

 lose the duties collected from it as an import, for 

 government must impose taxes of some kind, for 

 its support ; but the consumer pays more than his 

 share of government expenses, provided he con- 

 sumes other taxable importations equally with the 

 nonconsumer of tobacco. The other portion of the 

 cost, however, is a dead loss both to the consumer 

 himself and the country where it is consumed, the 

 tobacco being no real equivalent for the money 

 thus expended. Not only to the consumer and the 

 country where they are consumed, are all kinds of 

 unproductive capital a dead loss, but also to the 

 world, — for the time, labor and capital expended 

 in their production might equally as well be ap- 

 plied to the production of such capital as would be 

 productive. Money, too, paid for unproductive 

 capital, might just as well be given to the persons 

 receiving it, without as Avith the intrinsically valu- 

 less remuneration. Or, as far as the economy of 

 the question is concerned, it might as well be 

 stolen in order to keep it in circulation. Tobacco, 

 however, is but a single item in the list of articles 

 composing the unproductive capital of the world, 

 and unhappily, America has done her full share 

 in their consumption. 



What a vast amount of money do we, even now, 

 spend simply for show. There is that one little 

 item of imported /?r>M'e7-sybr ladies' bonnets, to say 

 nothing of domestic ones ; their cost is greater than 

 that of railroad iron, and wounded soldiers often 

 suff^er for want of articles of comfort which such 

 money would help to bring them. In many towns 

 in New England, the consumption of tobacco, in 

 its various forms, exceeds the whole amount paid 

 for taxes on all kinds of property, while there is 

 scarcely a town whose appropriations for educa- 

 tional purposes equals this self-imposed tax ! 



Nothing can be considered unproductive capital 

 which tends to make men M-iser and better, and 

 to elevate humanity in the scale of progress and 

 civilization. Millions are spent annually in dress 

 to satisfy the requisitions of that tyrant of tyrants, 

 fashion, which are really needed in the same de- 

 partment to answer the demands of undepraved 

 taste, and to preserve the health and strength of 

 the physical system. 



The principles of political economy were former- 

 ly supposed to be involved only in the pecuniary 

 aff"airs of nations, and this idea is conveyed in the 

 definition which many economists have given to 

 the term, — but it is evident that those principles, 

 like all others, are of "universal application," 

 many of them going beyond mere pecuniary ques- 

 tions, and are applicable in any and every depart- 

 ment of life. Economy, combined with persever- 

 ance, energy and industry, is the great element of 

 success in every laudable undertaking, — a great 

 lever of almost illimitable power to raise humanity 

 to a higher scale of civilization. Economy of time 

 bears the standard of victory up the steep ascent 

 of the hill of knowlwltre. the few snare moments 



