﻿WELLINGTON 
  PHILOSOPHICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  

  

  First 
  Meeting. 
  ISth 
  July, 
  1878. 
  

  

  A. 
  K. 
  Newman, 
  M.B., 
  Vice-president, 
  in 
  the 
  chair. 
  

  

  New 
  3Iembeys.—D. 
  Chmie, 
  C. 
  E. 
  Macldin, 
  T. 
  W. 
  Kirk, 
  T. 
  King, 
  E. 
  P. 
  

   Field, 
  Herbert 
  Eawson. 
  

  

  Attention 
  was 
  called 
  to 
  several 
  additions 
  to 
  the 
  Museum 
  and 
  library, 
  wliioli 
  were 
  

   placed 
  on 
  the 
  table 
  for 
  the 
  inspection 
  of 
  members. 
  

  

  1. 
  "On 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  Terms 
  used 
  in 
  Pohtical 
  Economy," 
  by 
  John 
  Car- 
  

   ruthers, 
  M. 
  Inst. 
  C.E. 
  [Transactions, 
  p. 
  3.) 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Maxwell 
  said 
  that 
  as 
  regards 
  Mill's 
  definition 
  of 
  wealth, 
  that 
  " 
  it 
  is 
  anything 
  

   useful 
  or 
  agreeable 
  which 
  possesses 
  exchangeable 
  value," 
  he 
  concurred 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Car- 
  

   ruthers 
  that 
  the 
  word 
  "exchange" 
  should 
  be 
  omitted, 
  because 
  if 
  we 
  regard 
  the 
  community 
  

   in 
  the 
  world 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  since 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  one 
  without 
  the 
  world 
  with 
  whom 
  this 
  com- 
  

   munity 
  can 
  exchange 
  its 
  possessions, 
  it 
  would 
  follow 
  from 
  Mill's 
  definition 
  that 
  the 
  

   community 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  possesses 
  no 
  wealth, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  manifestly 
  absurd. 
  Eegarding 
  

   the 
  divisions 
  proposed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Carruthers 
  of 
  wealth 
  into 
  direct 
  wealth 
  and 
  implements, 
  

   he 
  did 
  not 
  think 
  a 
  distinct 
  line 
  of 
  demarcation 
  can 
  be 
  drawn. 
  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  define 
  

   the 
  point 
  at 
  which 
  bread, 
  for 
  instance, 
  may 
  be 
  described 
  as 
  useful 
  for 
  its 
  own 
  sake, 
  

   although 
  bread 
  is 
  stated 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  article 
  which 
  is 
  direct 
  wealth 
  ; 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  com- 
  

   binations 
  of 
  circumstances 
  and 
  things 
  which 
  go 
  to 
  produce 
  bread, 
  from 
  the 
  plough 
  to 
  the 
  

   process 
  of 
  digestion, 
  are 
  so 
  involved 
  that 
  it 
  seems 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  state 
  at 
  what 
  

   particular 
  period 
  the 
  bread 
  is 
  useful 
  or 
  not 
  useful 
  for 
  its 
  own 
  sake. 
  A 
  chair 
  maybe 
  direct 
  

   wealth 
  while 
  occupied 
  for 
  rest, 
  while 
  if 
  its 
  use 
  be 
  made 
  subservient 
  to 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  

   listening 
  it 
  becomes 
  an 
  implement. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Martin 
  Chapman 
  considered 
  that 
  the 
  controversy 
  was 
  principally 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   ambiguity 
  of 
  our 
  common 
  language. 
  Few 
  people 
  know 
  how 
  ambiguous 
  our 
  ordinary 
  

   language 
  is. 
  Lawyers 
  know 
  it, 
  and 
  are 
  always 
  trying 
  to 
  guard 
  against 
  it, 
  with 
  very 
  

   indifferent 
  success. 
  That 
  this 
  does 
  not 
  cause 
  trouble 
  is 
  principally 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   we 
  usually 
  converse 
  with 
  persons 
  whose 
  minds 
  have 
  been 
  trained 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  somewhat 
  

   similar 
  to 
  our 
  own. 
  "When 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  case 
  trouble 
  ensues, 
  as, 
  for 
  instance, 
  when 
  a 
  

   soldier 
  and 
  a 
  sailor 
  converse 
  they 
  soon 
  think 
  each 
  other 
  fools, 
  because 
  one 
  talks 
  pipeclay, 
  

   the 
  other 
  pitch. 
  The 
  present 
  difference 
  may 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  similar 
  reason, 
  viz., 
  that 
  the 
  

   critic 
  and 
  the 
  criticized 
  do 
  not 
  look 
  at 
  the 
  matter 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  standpoint. 
  This 
  

   indefiniteness 
  appeared 
  in 
  the 
  paper 
  ; 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  appear 
  at 
  all 
  clearly 
  what 
  Mr. 
  Carruthers 
  

   meant 
  by 
  a 
  " 
  man 
  ;" 
  was 
  it 
  the 
  individual, 
  the 
  family, 
  community, 
  or 
  all 
  mankind, 
  

   because 
  to 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  a 
  different 
  test 
  would 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  applied 
  ? 
  The 
  stone 
  which 
  a 
  

   lunatic 
  thinks 
  will 
  transmute 
  gold 
  cannot 
  be 
  called 
  wealth 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  possession 
  gives 
  him 
  

   comfort. 
  So 
  the 
  torpedoes 
  used 
  by 
  a 
  conquering 
  nation 
  to 
  enslave 
  its 
  neighbours 
  increase 
  

   the 
  happiness 
  of 
  one 
  nation, 
  but 
  probably 
  not 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  -world 
  ; 
  yet 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  

  

  