list2-第4部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！





to　assume　such　disproportion；　or　to　attempt　to　prove　it　by



artificial　calculations　or　sophistical　arguments；　so　long　as　on　the



globe　a　mass　of　natural　forces　still　lies　inert　by　means　of　which



ten　times　or　perhaps　a　hundred　times　more　people　than　are　now



living　can　be　sustained。　It　is　mere　narrow…mindedness　to　consider



the　present　extent　of　the　productive　forces　as　the　test　of　how　many



persons　could　be　supported　on　a　given　area　of　land。　The　savage；　the



hunter；　and　the　fisherman；　according　to　his　own　calculation；　would



not　find　room　enough　for　one　million　persons；　the　shepherd　not　for



ten　millions；　the　raw　agriculturist　not　for　one　hundred　millions　on



the　whole　globe；　and　yet　two　hundred　millions　are　living　at　present



in　Europe　alone。　The　culture　of　the　potato　and　of　food…yielding



plants；　and　the　more　recent　improvements　made　in　agriculture



generally；　have　increased　tenfold　the　productive　powers　of　the



human　race　for　the　creation　of　the　means　of　subsistence。　In　the



Middle　Ages　the　yield　of　wheat　of　an　acre　of　land　in　England　was



fourfold；　to…day　it　is　ten　to　twenty　fold；　and　in　addition　to　that



five　times　more　land　is　cultivated。　In　many　European　countries　（the



soil　of　which　possesses　the　same　natural　fertility　as　that　of



England）　the　yield　at　present　does　not　exceed　fourfold。　Who　will



venture　to　set　further　limits　to　the　discoveries；　inventions；　and



improvements　of　the　human　race？　Agricultural　chemistry　is　still　in



its　infancy；　who　can　tell　that　to…morrow；　by　means　of　a　new



invention　or　discovery；　the　produce　of　the　soil　may　not　be



increased　five　or　ten　fold？　We　already　possess；　in　the　artesian



well；　the　means　of　converting　unfertile　wastes　into　rich　corn



fields；　and　what　unknown　forces　may　not　yet　be　hidden　in　the



interior　of　the　earth？　Let　us　merely　suppose　that　through　a　new



discovery　we　were　enabled　to　produce　heat　everywhere　very　cheaply



and　without　the　aid　of　the　fuels　at　present　known：　what　spaces　of



land　could　thus　be　utilised　for　cultivation；　and　in　what　an



incalculable　degree　w　ould　the　yield　of　a　given　area　of　land　be



increased？　If　Malthus'　doctrine　appears　to　us　in　its　tendency



narrow…minded；　it　is　also　in　the　methods　by　which　it　could　act　an



unnatural　one；　which　destroys　morality　and　power；　and　is　simply



horrible。　It　seeks　to　destroy　a　desire　which　nature　uses　as　the



most　active　means　for　inciting　men　to　exert　body　and　mind；　and　to



awaken　and　support　their　nobler　feelings　　a　desire　to　which



humanity　for　the　greater　part　owes　its　progress。　It　would　elevate



the　most　heartless　egotism　to　the　position　of　a　law；　it　requires　us



to　close　our　hearts　against　the　starving　man；　because　if　we　hand



him　food　and　drink；　another　might　starve　in　his　place　in　thirty



years'　time。　It　substitutes　cold　calculation　for　sympathy。　This



doctrine　tends　to　convert　the　hearts　of　men　into　stones。　But　what



could　be　finally　expected　of　a　nation　whose　citizens　should　carry



stones　instead　of　hearts　in　their　bosoms？　What　else　than　the　total



destruction　of　all　morality；　and　with　it　of　all　productive　forces；



and　therefore　of　all　the　wealth；　civilisation；　and　power　of　the



nation？



　　　　If　in　a　nation　the　population　increases　more　than　the



production　of　the　means　of　subsistence；　if　capital　accumulates　at



length　to　such　an　extent　as　no　longer　to　find　investment；　if



machinery　throws　a　number　of　operatives　out　of　work　and



manufactured　goods　accumulate　to　a　large　excess；　this　merely



proves；　that　nature　will　not　allow　industry；　civilisation；　wealth；



and　power　to　fall　exclusively　to　the　lot　of　a　single　nation；　or



that　a　large　portion　of　the　globe　suitable　for　cultivation　should



be　merely　inhabited　by　wild　animals；　and　that　the　largest　portion



of　the　human　race　should　remain　sunk　in　savagery；　ignorance；　and



poverty。



　　　　We　have　shown　into　what　errors　the　school　has　fallen　by　judging



the　productive　forces　of　the　human　race　from　a　political　point　of



view；　we　have　now　also　to　point　out　the　mistakes　which　it　has



committed　by　regarding　the　separate　interests　of　nations　from　a



cosmopolitical　point　of　view。



　　　　If　a　confederation　of　all　nations　existed　in　reality；　as　is　the



case　with　the　separate　states　constituting　the　Union　of　North



America；　the　excess　of　population；　talents；　skilled　abilities；　and



material　capital　would　flow　over　from　England　to　the　Continental



states；　in　a　similar　manner　to　that　in　which　it　travels　from　the



eastern　states　of　the　American　Union　to　the　western；　provided　that



in　the　Continental　states　the　same　security　for　persons　and



property；　the　same　constitution　and　general　laws　prevailed；　and



that　the　English　Government　was　made　subject　to　the　united　will　of



the　universal　confederation。　Under　these　suppositions　there　would



be　no　better　way　of　raising　all　these　countries　to　the　same　stage



of　wealth　and　cultivation　as　England　than　free　trade。　This　is　the



argument　of　the　school。　But　how　would　it　tally　with　the　actual



operation　of　free　trade　under　the　existing　conditions　of　the　world？



　　　　The　Britons　as　an　independent　and　separate　nation　would



henceforth　take　their　national　interest　as　the　sole　guide　of　their



policy。　The　Englishman；　from　predilection　for　his　language；　for　his



laws；　regulations；　and　habits；　would　whenever　it　was　possible



devote　his　powers　and　his　capital　to　develop　his　own　native



industry；　for　which　the　system　of　free　trade；　by　extending　the



market　for　English　manufactures　over　all　countries；　would　offer　him



sufficient　opportunity；　he　would　not　readily　take　a　fancy　to



establish　manufactures　in　France　or　Germany。　All　excess　of　capital



in　England　would　be　at　once　devoted　to　trading　with　foreign　parts



of　the　world。　If　the　Englishman　took　it　into　his　head　to　emigrate；



or　to　invest　his　capital　elsewhere　than　in　England；　he　would　as　he



now　does　prefer　those　more　distant　countries　where　he　would　find



already　existing　his　language；　his　laws；　and　regulations；　rather



than　the　benighted　countries　of　the　Continent。　All　England　would



thus　be　developed　into　one　immense　manufacturing　city。　Asia；



Africa；　and　Australia　would　be　civilised　by　England；　and　covered



with　new　states　modelled　after　the　English　fashion。　In　time　a　world



of　English　states　would　be　formed；　under　the　presidency　of　the



mother　state；　in　which　the　European　Continental　nations　would　be



lost　as　unimportant；　unproductive　races。　By　this　arrangement　it



would　fall　to　the　lot　of　France；　together　with　Spain　and　Portugal；



to　supply　this　English　world　with　the　choicest　wines；　and　to　drink



the　bad　ones　herself：　at　most　France　might　retain　the　manufacture



of　a　little　millinery。　German