list2-第15部分

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！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





such；　mere　individuals　do　not　concern　themselves　for　the　prosperity



of　future　generations　　they　deem　it　foolish　（as　Mr　Cooper　really



demonstrates　to　us）　to　make　certain　and　present　sacrifices　in　order



to　endeavour　to　obtain　a　benefit　which　is　as　yet　uncertain　and



lying　in　the　vast　field　of　the　future　（if　even　it　possess　any　value



at　all）；　they　care　but　little　for　the　continuance　of　the　nation　



they　would　expose　the　ships　of　their　merchants　to　become　the　prey



of　every　bold　pirate　　they　trouble　themselves　but　little　about



the　power；　the　honour；　or　the　glory　of　the　nation；　at　the　most　they



can　persuade　themselves　to　make　some　material　sacrifices　for　the



education　of　their　children；　and　to　give　them　the　opportunity　of



learning　a　trade；　provided　always　that　after　the　lapse　of　a　few



years　the　learners　are　placed　in　a　position　to　earn　their　own



bread。



　　　　Indeed；　according　to　the　prevailing　theory；　so　analogous　is



national　economy　to　private　economy　that　J。　B。　Say；　where



（exceptionally）　he　allows　that　internal　industry　may　be　protected



by　the　State；　makes　it　a　condition　of　so　doing；　that　every



probability　must　exist　that　after　the　lapse　of　a　few　years　it　will



attain　independence；　just　as　a　shoemaker's　apprentice　is　allowed



only　a　few　years'　time　in　order　to　perfect　himself　so　far　in　his



trade　as　to　do　without　parental　assistance。







NOTES：







1。　Wealth　of　Nations；　Book　IV。　chap。　ii。







2。　Lectures　on　Political　Economy；　by　Thomas　Cooper；　pp。　1；　15；　19；



117。







Chapter　15







Nationality　and　the　Economy　of　the　Nation







　　　　The　system　of　the　school　suffers；　as　we　have　already　shown　in



the　preceding　chapters；　from　three　main　defects：　firstly；　from



boundless　cosmopolitanism；　which　neither　recognises　the　principle



of　nationality；　nor　takes　into　consideration　the　satisfaction　of



its　interests；　secondly；　from　a　dead　materialism；　which　everywhere



regards　chiefly　the　mere　exchangeable　value　of　things　without



taking　into　consideration　the　mental　and　political；　the　present　and



the　future　interests；　and　the　productive　powers　of　the　nation；



thirdly；　from　a　disorganising　particularism　and　individualism；



which；　ignoring　the　nature　and　character　of　social　labour　and　the



operation　of　the　union　of　powers　in　their　higher　consequences；



considers　private　industry　only　as　it　would　develop　itself　under　a



state　of　free　interchange　with　society　（i。e。　with　the　whole　human



race）　were　that　race　not　divided　into　separate　national　societies。



　　　　Between　each　individual　and　entire　humanity；　however；　stands



THE　NATION；　with　its　special　language　and　literature；　with　its



peculiar　origin　and　history；　with　its　special　manners　and　customs；



laws　and　institutions；　with　the　claims　of　all　these　for　existence；



independence；　perfection；　and　continuance　for　the　future；　and　with



its　separate　territory；　a　society　which；　united　by　a　thousand　ties



of　mind　and　of　interests；　combines　itself　into　one　independent



whole；　which　recognises　the　law　of　right　for　and　within　itself；　and



in　its　united　character　is　still　opposed　to　other　societies　of　a



similar　kind　in　their　national　liberty；　and　consequently　can　only



under　the　existing　conditions　of　the　world　maintain　self…existence



and　independence　by　its　own　power　and　resources。　As　the　individual



chiefly　obtains　by　means　of　the　nation　and　in　the　nation　mental



culture；　power　of　production；　security；　and　prosperity；　so　is　the



civilisation　of　the　human　race　only　conceivable　and　possible　by



means　of　the　civilisation　and　development　of　the　individual



nations。



　　　　Meanwhile；　however；　an　infinite　difference　exists　in　the



condition　and　circumstances　of　the　various　nations：　we　observe



among　them　giants　and　dwarfs；　well…formed　bodies　and　cripples；



civilised；　half…civilised；　and　barbarous　nations；　but　in　all　of



them；　as　in　the　individual　human　being；　exists　the　impulse　of



self…preservation；　the　striving　for　improvement　which　is　implanted



by　nature。　It　is　the　task　of　politics　to　civilise　the　barbarous



nationalities；　to　make　the　small　and　weak　ones　great　and　strong；



but；　above　all；　to　secure　to　them　existence　and　continuance。　It　is



the　task　of　national　economy　to　accomplish　the　economical



development　of　the　nation；　and　to　prepare　it　for　admission　into　the



universal　society　of　the　future。



　　　　A　nation　in　its　normal　state　possesses　one　common　language　and



literature；　a　territory　endowed　with　manifold　natural　resources；



extensive；　and　with　convenient　frontiers　and　a　numerous　population。



Agriculture；　manufactures；　commerce；　and　navigation　must　be　all



developed　in　it　proportionately。　arts　and　sciences；　educational



establishments；　and　universal；　cultivation　must　stand　in　it　on　an



equal　footing　with　material　production。　Its　constitution；　laws；　and



institutions　must　afford　to　those　who　belong　to　it　a　high　degree　of



security　and　liberty；　and　must　promote　religion；　morality；　and



prosperity；　in　a　word；　must　have　the　well…being　of　its　citizens　as



their　object。　It　must　possess　sufficient　power　on　land　and　at　sea



to　defend　its　independence　and　to　protect　its　foreign　commerce。　It



will　possess　the　power　of　beneficially　affecting　the　civilisation



of　less　advanced　nations；　and　by　means　of　its　own　surplus



population　and　of　their　mental　and　material　capital　to　found



colonies　and　beget　new　nations。



　　　　A　large　population；　and　an　extensive　territory　endowed　with



manifold　national　resources；　are　essential　requirements　of　the



normal　nationality；　they　are　the　fundamental　conditions　of　mental



cultivation　as　well　as　of　material　development　and　political　power。



A　nation　restricted　in　the　number　of　its　population　and　in



territory；　especially　if　it　has　a　separate　language；　can　only



possess　a　crippled　literature；　crippled　institutions　for　promoting



art　and　science。　A　small　State　can　never　bring　to　complete



perfection　within　its　territory　the　various　branches　of　production。



In　it　all　protection　becomes　mere　private　monopoly。　Only　through



alliances　with　more　powerful　nations；　by　partly　sacrificing　the



advantages　of　nationality；　and　by　excessive　energy；　can　it　maintain



with　difficulty　its　independence。



　　　　A　nation　which　possesses　no　coasts；　mercantile　marine；　or　naval



power；　or　has　not　under　its　dominion　and　control　the　mouths　of　its



rivers；　is　in　its　foreign　commerce　dependent　on　other　countries；　it



can　neither　establish　colonies　of　its　own　nor　form　new　nations；　all



surplus　population；　mental　and　material　means；　which　flows　from



such　a　nation　to　uncultivated　countries；　is　lost　to　its　own



literature；　civilisation　and　industry；　and　goes　to　the　benefit　of



other　nationalities。



　　　　A　nation　not　bounded　by　seas　and　chains　of　mountains　lies　open



to　the　attacks　of　foreign　nations；　and　can　only　by　great



sacrifices；　and　in　any　case　only　very　imperfectly；　establish　and



maintain　a　separate　tariff　system　of　its　own。



　　　　Territorial　deficiencies　of　the　nation　can　be　remedied　either



by　means　of　hereditary　succession；　as　in　the　case　of　England　and



Scotland；　or　by　purchase；　as　in　the　case　of　Florida　and　Louisiana；



or　by　conquests；　as　in　the　case　of　Great　Britain　and　Ireland。



　　　　In　modern　times　a　fourth　means　has　been　adopted；　which　leads　to



this　object　in　a　manner　much　more　in　accordance　with　justice　and



with　the　prosperity　of　nations　than　conquest；　and　which　is　not　so



dependent　on　accidents　as　hereditary　succession；　namely；　the　union



of　the　interests　of　various　States　by　means　of　free　conventions。



　　　　By　its　Zollverein；　the　German　nation　first　obtained　one　of　the



most　important　attributes　of　its　nationality。　But　this　measure



cannot　be　considered　complete　so　long　as　it　does　not　extend　over



the　whole　coast；　from　the　mouth　of　the　Rhine　to　the　frontier　of



Poland；　including　Holland　and　Denmark。　A　natural　consequence　of



this　union　must　be　the　admission　of　both　these　countries　into　the



German　Bund；　and　consequently　into　the　German　nationality；　whereby



the　latter　will　at　once　obtain　what　it　is　now　in　need　of；　namely；



fisheries　and　naval　power；　maritime　commerce　and　colonies。　Besides；



both　these　nations　belong；　as　respects　their　descent　and　whole



character；　to　the　German　nationality。　The　burden　of　debt　with　which



they　are　oppressed　is　merely　a　consequence　of　their　unnatural



endeavours　to　maintain　themselves　as　independent　nationalities；　and



it　is　in　the　nature　of　things　that　this　evil　should　rise　to　a　point



when　it　will　become　intolerable　to　those　two　nations