第 2 节
作者:翱翔1981      更新:2021-02-19 18:34      字数:9322
  market value of his labour; by requiring as much as he will give。
  This is the politico…economical view of the case; according
  to the doctors of that science; who assert that by this procedure
  the greatest average of work will be obtained from the servant;
  and therefore the greatest benefit to the community; and through
  the community; by reversion; to the servant himself。
  That; however; is not so。 It would be so if the servant were
  an engine of which the motive power was steam; magnetism;
  gravitation; or any other agent of calculable force。 But he
  being; on the contrary; an engine whose motive power is a Soul;
  the force of this very peculiar agent; as an unknown quantity;
  enters into all the political economist's equations; without his
  knowledge; and falsifies every one of their results。 The largest
  quantity of work will not be done by this curious engine for pay;
  or under pressure; or by help of any kind of fuel which may be
  supplied by the caldron。 It will be done only when the motive
  force; that is to say; the will or spirit of the creature; is
  brought to its greatest strength by its own proper fuel: namely;
  by the affections。
  It may indeed happen; and does happen often; that if the
  master is a man of sense ad energy; a large quantity of material
  work may be done under mechanical pressure; enforced by strong
  will and guided by wise method; also it may happen; and does
  happen often; that if the master is indolent and weak (however
  good…natured); a very small quantity of work; and that bad; may
  be produced by the servant's undirected strength; and
  contemptuous gratitude。 But the universal law of the matter is
  that; assuming any given quantity of energy and sense in master
  and servant; the greatest material result obtainable by them will
  be; not through antagonism to each other; but through affection
  for each other; and that if the master; instead of endeavouring
  to get as much work as possible from the servant; seeks rather to
  render his appointed and necessary work beneficial to him; and to
  forward his interests in all just and wholesome ways; the real
  amount of work ultimately done; or of good rendered; by the
  person so cared for; will indeed be the greatest possible。
  Observe; I say; 〃of good rendered;〃 for a servant's work is
  not necessarily or always the best thing he can give his master。
  But good of all kinds; whether in material service; in protective
  watchfulness of his master's interest and credit; or in joyful
  readiness to seize unexpected and irregular occasions of help。
  Nor is this one whit less generally true because indulgence
  will be frequently abused; and kindness met with ingratitude。 For
  the servant who; gently treated; is ungrateful; treated ungently;
  will be revengeful; and the man who is dishonest to a liberal
  master will be injurious to an unjust one。
  In any case; and with any person; this unselfish treatment
  will produce the most effective return。 Observe; I am here
  considering the affections wholly as a motive power; not at all
  as things in themselves desirable or noble; or in any other way
  abstractedly good。 I look at them simply as an anomalous force;
  rendering every one of the ordinary political economist's
  calculations nugatory; while; even if he desired to introduce
  this new element into his estimates; he has no power of dealing
  with it; for the affections only become a true motive power when
  they ignore every other motive and condition of political
  economy。 Treat the servant kindly; with the idea of turning his
  gratitude to account; and you will get; as you deserve; no
  gratitude; nor any value for your kindness; but treat him kindly
  without any economical purpose; and all economical purposes will
  be answered; in this; as in all other matters; whosoever will
  save his life shall lose it; whoso loses it shall find it。(1*)
  The next clearest and simplest example of relation between
  master and operative is that which exists between the commander
  of a regiment and his men。
  Supposing the officer only desires to apply the rules of
  discipline so as; with least trouble to himself; to make the
  regiment most effective; he will not be able; by any rules or
  administration of rules; on this selfish principle; to develop
  the full strength of his subordinates。 If a man of sense and
  firmness; he may; as in the former instance; produce a better
  result than would be obtained by the irregular kindness of a weak
  officer; but let the sense and firmness be the same in both
  cases; and assuredly the officer who has the most direct personal
  relations with his men; the most care for their interests; and
  the most value for their lives; will develop their effective
  strength; through their affection for his own person; and trust
  in his character; to a degree wholly unattainable by other means。
  This law applies still more stringently as the numbers concerned
  are larger: a charge may often be successful; though the men
  dislike their officers; a battle has rarely been won; unless they
  loved their general。
  Passing from these simple examples to the more complicated
  relations existing between a manufacturer and his workmen; we are
  met first by certain curious difficulties; resulting; apparently;
  from a harder and colder state of moral elements。 It is easy to
  imagine an enthusiastic affection existing among soldiers for the
  colonel。 Not so easy to imagine an enthusiastic affection among
  cotton…spinners for the proprietor of the mill。 A body of men
  associated for purposes of robbery (as a Highland clan in ancient
  times) shall be animated by perfect affection; and every member
  of it be ready to lay down his life for the life of his chief。
  But a band of men associated for purposes of legal production and
  accumulation is usually animated; it appears; by no such
  emotions; and none of them are in any wise willing to give his
  life for the life of his chief。 Not only are we met by this
  apparent anomaly; in moral matters; but by others connected with
  it; in administration of system。 For a servant or a soldier is
  engaged at a definite rate of wages; for a definite period; but a
  workman at a rate of wages variable according to the demand for
  labour; and with the risk of being at any time thrown out of his
  situation by chances of trade。 Now; as; under these
  contingencies; no action of the affections can take place; but
  only an explosive action of disaffections; two points offer
  themselves for consideration in the matter。
  The first  How far the rate of wages may be so regulated as
  not to vary with the demand for labour。
  The second  How far it is possible that bodies of workmen
  may be engaged and maintained at such fixed rate of wages
  (whatever the state of trade may be); without enlarging or
  diminishing their number; so as to give them permanent interest
  in the establishment with which they are connected; like that of
  the domestic servants in an old family; or an esprit de corps;
  like that of the soldiers in a crack regiment。
  The first question is; I say; how far it may be possible to
  fix the rate of wages; irrespectively of the demand for labour。
  Perhaps one of the most curious facts in the history of human
  error is the denial by the common political economist of the
  possibility of thus regulating wages; while; for all the
  important; and much of the unimportant; labour; on the earth;
  wages are already so regulated。
  We do not sell our prime…ministership by Dutch auction; nor;
  on the decease of a bishop; whatever may be the general
  advantages of simony; do we (yet) offer his diocese to the
  clergyman who will take the episcopacy at the lowest contract。 We
  (with exquisite sagacity of political economy!) do indeed sell
  commissions; but not openly; generalships: sick; we do not
  inquire for a physician who takes less than a guinea; litigious;
  we never think of reducing six…and…eight…pence to
  four…and…sixpence; caught in a shower; we do not canvass the
  cabmen; to find one who values his driving at less than sixpence
  a mile。
  It is true that in all these cases there is; and in every
  conceivable case there must be; ultimate reference to the
  presumed difficulty of the work; or number of candidates for the
  office。 If it were thought that the labour necessary to make a
  good physician would be gone through by a sufficient number of
  students with the prospect of only hal