The Roots Of Honour from Unto This Last by John Ruskin - Notes

The Roots Of Honour from Unto This Last

by John Ruskin

Political Economy:

1.     We have a false belief about this relationship between politics and economics.

2.     We are curious about it but it is worthless.

3.     We may have affection among us but this does not influence the collective action we perform which is decided by politics and economics jointly.

The claims of Economists:

1.     An economist says that social affection is accidental but desire of wealth is constant. So the latter should be focused.

2.     An object remains the same in different conditions but a man changes in different conditions.

3.     Science shows the structure of man's body but political economy shows how man can form the structure to build economy.

4.     Political economy has to deal with the relationship between the employer and the employees. But when there is a crisis, it is helpless.

5.     Disputes arise only when there is scarcity.

6.     Interests of Master and labourers are sometimes alike and sometimes not. A master may not want to give low wages when he can pay high. A labourer may not demand high wages when his master cannot pay that much.

7.     God made men follow the rules which are based on justice and not based on circumstances.

8.     Most men know what is just and what is unjust and also that justice leads to the best consequences.

9.     This justice can be practised by affection which should be there between the master and the labourer.

Example of Master and Servant:

1.     Instances of domestic servants and their masters explain best.

2.     The masters buy servants for their full time work and they extract work in that manner. These are the rights which a master has. They ought to give food, though very little and bad, they do give. They ought to give them shelter, though of low condition, they do give. In this sense, there is no violation of justice. The servant can seek another master if he finds he gives a better wage and treatment. This is the right which a servant has.

3.     The doctors of political economy say that this mode of extracting work from the servants will benefit the community which in turn will benefit the servants.

4.     The writer says that this mode will not work out. This may be proper for machines but not for human beings. Machines have a mechanical potential for work but human beings have a soul in them. Machines are driven by fuels but the soul of human beings is convinced by affection.

5.     A master should direct the servants and with affection to obtain the best outcome. Lack in either of them will result in a poor outcome.

6.     The servant should work wholeheartedly.

7.     This may not work sometimes because if the master is very kind the servant will take advantage and become ungrateful and if the master is not kind the servant will become revengeful.

8.     The Master should show affection to his servant not for the sake of extracting work but for the reason that he deserves. If this is the reason, the servant will work properly unasked. Otherwise, it will not work out.

9.     An example of the relationship between an army officer and his army men is also considerable.

10.  An army officer also needs to show affection towards his army men otherwise, though they may obey him, he will fail to instill in them the necessary spirit to fight in wars and as a result will lose in the battle field.

11.  Standardisation of the rate of wages irrespective of labour demand and job security with constant number of servants should be regulated.

12.  As a labourer is auctioned, the prime minister is not auctioned. A Bishop's diocese is not sold on the lowest contract. Nobody negotiates with the physician for the fees he demands.

13.  Labourers' wages are regulated by demand. But the best result can be obtained by invariable standard wages.

14.  One may think how can a good worker and a bad worker be paid equally. Just as there are different sermons by different clergymen, just as there are different opinions with different physicians, there will be indeed different labourers of different calibres. Just as clergymen and physicians are paid standardly irrespective of their differences, labourers must also be paid standardly in the same manner.

15.  We therefore choose a good clergyman or a physician for ourselves and leave the rest. Similarly, we can choose a good worker to work for us and pay him well. We should leave the bad worker without employing. If we employ some worker, we should pay him equally with others, otherwise, we should not at all employ him.

16.  Equality of wages and constant numbers of workmen should be ensured.

17.  The writer says that he understands the nature of extensively wavering demands but the master should try to overcome such challenges rather than putting the life of the labourers at stake.

18.  Rather than fixing wages based on days of work, they should be fixed based on the amount required for the livelihood of the labour. A labour may be called for a work only three days a week and another may be called six days a week. If they are going to be paid equally for a day, it will not suffice the former one.

19.  A master should ensure a secure business without giving in to high gains in less time and spend in gambling. Similarly, a labourer should ensure a regular work without giving in to high wages working less days and spend in drinking the other days. A master can check both himself and his labourers in this aspect.

20.  Implementing these ideas may be difficult but it should work. And all easy steps are not always rewarding.

21.  A soldier kills people but a merchant provides people. Philosophically, the former should be less respected than the latter but it is actually done the other way round and is right.

22.  A soldier does not just kill people but he dies for the sake of the state. This is self sacrifice and we respect him for this reason.

23.  A lawyer in a judge's seat keeps justice before his interests. This is self sacrifice and we respect him for this reason.

24.  A physician gives his patients medicine when he can give poison for a bribe. This is self sacrifice and we respect him for this reason.

25.  A clergyman does service. This is self sacrifice and we respect him for this reason.

26.  A merchant's mind is also with similar ideas but there is some other reason for people to respect more those people other than the merchants.

The Nature of Merchants:

1.     The reason for the merchants to be less respected when compared to other human personalities is that their motive of providing people is not self sacrifice but selfishness.

2.     In this selfishness, they even cheat people. They should understand the modern political economy which explains about true commerce and true merchants. True commerce is when it is understood that providing things to people is more important than giving service. True merchant is when he does business with a sense of duty and accepts ups and downs in it for the cause of duty.

3.     Men who act swiftly in their early ages are often misguided. Many teach but few learn.

4.     People are not informed about the true functions of a merchant in comparison with other personalities.

5.     Five great intellectual professions are the following:

-The Soldier's profession is to defend it.

-The Pastor's, to teach it.

-The Physician's, to keep it in health.

-The Lawyer's, to enforce justice in it.

-The Merchant's, to provide for it.

6.     And the duty of all these men is, on due occasion, to die, for it.

"On due occasion," namely—

-The Soldier, rather than leave his post in battle.

-The Physician, rather than leave his post in plague.

-The Pastor, rather than teach Falsehood.

-The Lawyer, rather than countenance Injustice.

-The Merchant—What is his " due occasion " of death?

It is the main question for the merchant, as for all of us. For, truly, the man who does not know when to die, does not know how to live.

The Duty of the Merchant:

1.     To a pastor, a physician and a merchant, money should just be a necessity but service to people should be the objective. So, a merchant should provide the best quality and at a cheap rate.

2.     Along with providing the customers, a merchant should also consider his labourers.

3.     A merchant should be faithful in his dealings and should provide things with purity. He must be ready to face losses in business.

4.     A youth if employed in a company should be taken care as his son by his master.

5.     A captain of a ship should treat his subordinates as he would treat his sons. This is political economy.

6.     Like a captain who saves himself last in case of a wreck, a merchant should save his labourers in case of a loss in business.

7.     All these doctrines are practically good. The present doctrines lead to national destruction.