﻿10 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Miscellaneous. 
  

  

  perhaps, 
  in 
  buying 
  food 
  for 
  himself. 
  The 
  community 
  is 
  not 
  benefited 
  

   by 
  tlie 
  transaction 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  tlie 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  actor. 
  In 
  that 
  case 
  the 
  

   customer 
  acquires 
  a 
  seat 
  at 
  the 
  theatre, 
  giving 
  to 
  the 
  actor 
  a 
  similar 
  piece 
  

   of 
  metal, 
  with 
  which 
  he, 
  like 
  the 
  tailor, 
  buys 
  food. 
  Here, 
  also, 
  the 
  com- 
  

   munity 
  is 
  not 
  benefited 
  ; 
  in 
  both 
  cases 
  the 
  customer 
  alone 
  gets 
  the 
  benefit 
  ; 
  

   he 
  acquires 
  and 
  applies 
  to 
  his 
  own 
  use 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  other 
  people's 
  labour. 
  

  

  A 
  coat 
  is 
  not 
  worn 
  out 
  by 
  one 
  use, 
  and 
  will 
  last 
  some 
  months 
  or 
  years 
  ; 
  

   but 
  if 
  the 
  customer 
  had, 
  instead 
  of 
  a 
  coat, 
  taken 
  a 
  beef-steak 
  and 
  a 
  bottle 
  of 
  

   wine, 
  there 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  "no 
  article 
  of 
  wealth 
  left 
  for 
  his 
  indemnifica- 
  

   tion," 
  precisely 
  as 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  if 
  he 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  theatre. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  stated 
  in 
  Book 
  I., 
  chap, 
  iii., 
  sec. 
  3, 
  that 
  "it 
  is 
  essential 
  to 
  the 
  idea 
  

   of 
  wealth 
  to 
  be 
  susceptible 
  of 
  accumulation 
  ; 
  things 
  which 
  cannot, 
  after 
  

   being 
  produced, 
  be 
  kept 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  before 
  being 
  used, 
  are 
  never, 
  I 
  think, 
  

   regarded 
  as 
  wealth, 
  since, 
  however 
  much 
  of 
  them 
  be 
  produced 
  and 
  enjoyed, 
  

   the 
  person 
  benefited 
  by 
  them 
  is 
  no 
  richer, 
  is 
  nowise 
  improved 
  in 
  circum- 
  

   stances." 
  This 
  limitation 
  of 
  the 
  meaning 
  of 
  wealth 
  would 
  exclude 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  articles 
  used 
  as 
  food. 
  Grain, 
  vegetables, 
  live 
  stock, 
  are 
  not 
  food 
  ; 
  they 
  

   are 
  only 
  the 
  materials 
  of 
  which 
  food 
  is 
  made. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  cooked 
  

   and 
  served 
  for 
  use 
  they 
  become 
  food, 
  but 
  are 
  no 
  longer 
  susceptible 
  of 
  

   accumulation. 
  

  

  To 
  test 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  definition 
  we 
  may 
  take 
  some 
  examples 
  : 
  A 
  

   painter 
  is 
  a 
  producer 
  of 
  wealth, 
  as 
  he, 
  with 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  the 
  canvas-maker, 
  

   produces 
  commodities 
  susceptible 
  of 
  accumulation. 
  A 
  poet, 
  unless 
  his 
  

   works 
  are 
  printed, 
  is 
  an 
  unproductive 
  labourer 
  ; 
  so 
  is 
  a 
  musician. 
  It 
  

   will, 
  I 
  think, 
  be 
  readily 
  conceded, 
  that 
  any 
  classification 
  is 
  faulty 
  which 
  

   separates 
  works 
  so 
  allied 
  in 
  general 
  character 
  as 
  the 
  productions 
  of 
  poets, 
  

   painters, 
  and 
  musicians. 
  An 
  actor 
  is 
  emphatically 
  an 
  unproductive 
  work- 
  

   man, 
  and 
  is 
  always 
  quoted 
  as 
  the 
  example 
  of 
  the 
  class; 
  the 
  dramatic 
  author 
  

   is 
  also 
  a 
  non-producer 
  ; 
  the 
  theatre-builder 
  is, 
  however, 
  a 
  producer, 
  because 
  

   his 
  work 
  " 
  can 
  be 
  kept 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  before 
  being 
  used." 
  These 
  three 
  are, 
  

   however, 
  fellow-labourers, 
  the 
  finished 
  product 
  of 
  their 
  combined 
  labour 
  

   being 
  an 
  acted 
  play 
  : 
  why 
  should 
  they 
  be^ 
  differently 
  classed 
  ? 
  If 
  the 
  actor 
  

   does 
  not 
  produce 
  wealth, 
  the 
  mason 
  and 
  carpenter 
  who 
  build 
  the 
  workshop 
  

   in 
  which 
  his 
  work 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  must 
  be 
  also 
  employed 
  in 
  producing 
  some- 
  

   thing 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  wealth. 
  The 
  physician 
  is 
  a 
  non-producer; 
  but 
  his 
  

   fellow-labourers, 
  the 
  druggist, 
  instrument 
  maker, 
  hospital 
  builders, 
  etc., 
  

   are 
  all 
  producers 
  ; 
  the 
  labour 
  of 
  all 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  the 
  work 
  which 
  they 
  

   perform 
  in 
  common, 
  and, 
  in 
  any 
  classification, 
  they 
  should 
  all 
  go 
  together. 
  

   The 
  public 
  shiger 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  a 
  non-productive 
  labourer, 
  but 
  if, 
  as 
  seems 
  

   likely, 
  the 
  phonograph 
  is 
  ever 
  so 
  perfected 
  that 
  sounds 
  may 
  be 
  stored 
  up 
  

  

  