"end of the year we may all be better clothed and "better lodged. And if, instead of employing a man "I feed in making bricks, I employ him in fiddling "for me, the corn he eats is gone, and no part of his "manufacture remains to augment the wealth and "conveniences of the family: I shall therefore be the poorer for this fiddling man, unless the rest of my family work more or eat less to make up the de'ficiency he occasions." 66 CAROLINE. But the fiddler might perhaps be a hired musician, not a servant. MRS. B. The class of unproductive labourers is far from being confined to menial servants; it extends to all who are employed in services, whether by individuals or by the public: actors, singers, dancers, in a word all those who are maintained by the productive labour of others, are of this description. CAROLINE. Is it not to be regretted that these people cannot be compelled to adopt a more useful mode of employ ment. MRS. B. Far from it, for their services, though of an unproductive nature, are generally useful. Menial servants, for instance, by relieving the productive labourer of much necessary work, enable him to do more than he could otherwise accomplish. Thus a man engaged in the employment of a considerable capital can spend his time to greater advantage, both to himself and to the community, than in cleaning his own shoes and cooking his own dinner. CAROLINE. The use of servants is evidently attended with some of the benefits of the division of labour. MRS. B. You will probably be surprised to hear that many of the most valuable ranks of society are included in the class of unproductive labourers. The divine, the physician, the soldier, ministers of state, and magistrates, all render services to the community of this description. CAROLINE. Indeed! I little imagined that the class of unproductive labourers had been so respectable. And although their services are of an unproductive nature, they are, I think, in many instances, more valuable members of society than some of the productive labourers. A magistrate, who faithfully administers justice; a physician, who restores health; a clergyman, who teaches religion and morals; are certainly of more essential benefit to the community, than the confectioner or the perfumer, or indeed of any of the productive labourers whatever. MRS. B. No doubt they are. There is no greater stimulus to industry than security of property; justice is therefore essentially necessary to encourage productive labour; and the legislator and magistrate, though they do not immediately produce commodities, are as necessary to their production as the labours of the husbandman or artisan; and these different species of labour constitute one of the most useful branches of the division of labour. 278 CONVERSATION XVI. ON MONEY. -OF OF THE USE OF MONEY AS A MEDIUM OF EXCHANGE. MRS. B. IN our last conversation on capital lent, we talked of the interest of money; let us now proceed to examine the use of money itself. Without this general medium of exchange, civilisation could never have made any considerable progress; for as the subdivisions of labour increased, insuperable difficulties would be experienced in carrying on traffic by exchange. The butcher might want bread, at a time that the baker did not want meat; or they might each be desirous of exchanging their respective commodities, but these might not be of equal value. CAROLINE. It would be very difficult, I believe, at any time to make such reckonings exactly balance cach other. MRS. B. In order to avoid this inconvenience, it became necessary for every man to be provided with something which would be willingly taken at all times in exchange for goods. Hence arose that useful substitute of commodities, money, which, being exclusively appropriated to exchanges, every one was ready either to receive or to part with for that purpose. CAROLINE.. When the baker did not want meat he would take the butcher's money in exchange for his bread, because that money would enable him to obtain from others what he did want. MRS. B. Various commodities have been employed to answer the purpose of money. Mr. Salt, in his Travels in Abyssinia, informs us, that wedges of salt are used in that country for small currency, coined money being extremely scarce. A wedge of rock-salt, weighing between two and three pounds, was estimated at 1-30th of a dollar. CAROLINE. How extremely inconvenient such a bulky article must be as a substitute for money coined; the carriage of it to any distance would cost almost as much as the salt was worth. MRS. B. A commodity of this nature could be used for the in those countries only where very of money purpose |