300 MODERN ECONOMICS 



only of town but of country scenery. Some of us 

 are not moved by their importunity, may indeed 

 rfesent it. But their general seductiveness may be 

 inferred from the fact that it pays to spend so 

 lavishly upon them. Customers are tempted by 

 the attractive display of shop windows, by the 

 blandishments of salesmen and even by appeals 

 to the gambling spirit. In some measure these 

 efforts merely divert purchasers from one firm 

 to another. But they also draw into the vortex 

 of trade money that might otherwise be hoarded, 

 or spent in procuring, not things, but services. 



We must remember, however, that, failing the 

 security of property which is given by a strong 

 and trustworthy government, none of these 

 forces could have come into play. From an 

 economic standpoint one may easily comprehend 

 why the community is disposed to judge offences 

 against property more severely than brutal 

 assaults. They strike at the foundations of the 

 industrial fabric. We cannot, then, deny a high 

 industrial value to the State employees, whose 

 business it is to protect the community and to 

 preserve peace. So also with many other kinds 

 of professional service, and particularly with the 

 efforts of medical and sanitary experts. Health is 

 a necessary condition for effective labour. 



So far, we have been considering a nation's 

 production of wealth by efforts which are confined 

 within the limits of its own territory. These 

 efforts are, however, gradually yielding in im- 

 portance to commercial and financial transactions 

 with other nations, by which the wealth-streams 

 of particular countries are becoming merged into 

 a wealth-stream for the world as a whole. The 

 advantages that result are in some cases one- 



