Mandeville's Fable of the Bees [pp. 168-175]

FABLE OF THE BEES.
173
of the results of that industry, as rent, or the condition on which
they shall live and subsist on the soil, still, leave their tenants
far better situated than idle, improvident savages, who have to
pay nothing for the usof the soil. History informs us, that the
ancient Britons lived on acorns, although lands were cheap and
abundant. Had lands been closely monopolized, they would not
have been permitted to gather acorns, but compelled for aliving
to cultivate the land, paying a high rent. Thus compelled to labor, and thus exploited of a large part of the results of their labor, they would have become civilized and provident, and muchbetter off than idle, barbarous, acorn-eaters. The very paupers
of England suffer much less hunger and other wants, than the
ancient Britons, or than any savages and barbarians. A large
portion of the population of Corsica lives on chestnuts, and is
but semi-civilized. Some one suggested that the chestnut trees
should be felled. Proudhomn, properly replies; "it would make
them private property."
Exploitationr, or profit making, has often been likened to
slavery, in its efforts on the exploited class, and by some writers confounded with slavery. There is nothing in a name. So
long as the exploited classes are benefited, exploitation, whether
it beget slaveWy or not, is a virtue not a vice. If a species of
dishonesty, in the abstract sense of the term, it is practically,
and in the proper sense, no dishonesty, until it degenerates into
excess, and then it becomes cheating, over-reaching, or swindling, and is destitute of both private and public well-being. - Its
practice within moderate bounds is entirely consistent with the
Golden Rule of Scripture. None of us in after life would com plain of that exploitation which in early life compelled us to
studious, industrious, economical habits, and enabled us thereby,
despite its taxation, to acquire wealth or independence. Prac tising it for such purposes, "we are but doing as we would be
done by."
rThat ideal, abstract honesty, which consists in exchanging
equal amounts of labor for each other, and'allowing no rents or
interest for capital, because capital does not labor, and is non->
productive,-is wholly impracticable, and if practicable would be
a vice instead of a virtue, because it would banish industry,
skill, provident habits, wealth and accumulation, and beget idle ness, improvidence, ignorance, barbarism, frequent famines, and
terrible crimes. Yet it is the disregard of this ideal, excessive,
abstract honesty, which Mandeville considers one of the private
vices, that are " public benefits."
The tendency of liberty and political equality is to beget ex cess of trade, speculation and competition, and consequent excess
of exploitation. The whole weight of this exploitation is ulti