首页 >出版文学> The Theory of the Leisure Class>第27章
  Undertheformerheadareemploymentsthathavetodowithownershiporacquisition;underthelatterhead,thosethathavetodowithworkmanshiporproduction。Aswasfoundinspeakingofthegrowthofinstitutions,sowithregardtoemployments。Theeconomicinterestsoftheleisureclasslieinthepecuniaryemployments;thoseoftheworkingclasseslieinbothclassesofemployments,butchieflyintheindustrial。Entrancetotheleisureclassliesthroughthepecuniaryemployments。
  Thesetwoclassesofemploymentdiffermateriallyinrespectoftheaptitudesrequiredforeach;andthetrainingwhichtheygivesimilarlyfollowstwodivergentlines。Thedisciplineofthepecuniaryemploymentsactstoconserveandtocultivatecertainofthepredatoryaptitudesandthepredatoryanimus。Itdoesthisbothbyeducatingthoseindividualsandclasseswhoareoccupiedwiththeseemploymentsandbyselectivelyrepressingandeliminatingthoseindividualsandlinesofdescentthatareunfitinthisrespect。Sofarasmen’shabitsofthoughtareshapedbythecompetitiveprocessofacquisitionandtenure;sofarastheireconomicfunctionsarecomprisedwithintherangeofownershipofwealthasconceivedintermsofexchangevalue,anditsmanagementandfinancieringthroughapermutationofvalues;
  sofartheirexperienceineconomiclifefavorsthesurvivalandaccentuationofthepredatorytemperamentandhabitsofthought。
  Underthemodern,peaceablesystem,itisofcoursethepeaceablerangeofpredatoryhabitsandaptitudesthatischieflyfosteredbyalifeofacquisition。Thatistosay,thepecuniaryemploymentsgiveproficiencyinthegenerallineofpracticescomprisedunderfraud,ratherthaninthosethatbelongunderthemorearchaicmethodofforcibleseizure。
  Thesepecuniaryemployments,tendingtoconservethepredatorytemperament,aretheemploymentswhichhavetodowithownership——theimmediatefunctionoftheleisureclassproper——andthesubsidiaryfunctionsconcernedwithacquisitionandaccumulation。Thesecovertheclassofpersonsandthatrangeofdutiesintheeconomicprocesswhichhavetodowiththeownershipofenterprisesengagedincompetitiveindustry;
  especiallythosefundamentallinesofeconomicmanagementwhichareclassedasfinancieringoperations。Tothesemaybeaddedthegreaterpartofmercantileoccupations。Intheirbestandclearestdevelopmentthesedutiesmakeuptheeconomicofficeofthe“captainofindustry。“Thecaptainofindustryisanastutemanratherthananingeniousone,andhiscaptaincyisapecuniaryratherthananindustrialcaptaincy。Suchadministrationofindustryasheexercisesiscommonlyofapermissivekind。Themechanicallyeffectivedetailsofproductionandofindustrialorganizationaredelegatedtosubordinatesofaless“practical“turnofmind——menwhoarepossessedofagiftforworkmanshipratherthanadministrativeability。Sofarasregardstheirtendencyinshapinghumannaturebyeducationandselection,thecommonrunofnon-economicemploymentsaretobeclassedwiththepecuniaryemployments。Sucharepoliticsandecclesiasticalandmilitaryemployments。
  Thepecuniaryemploymentshavealsothesanctionofreputabilityinamuchhigherdegreethantheindustrialemployments。Inthiswaytheleisure-classstandardsofgoodreputecomeintosustaintheprestigeofthoseaptitudesthatservetheinvidiouspurpose;andtheleisure-classschemeofdecorousliving,therefore,alsofurthersthesurvivalandcultureofthepredatorytraits。Employmentsfallintoahierarchicalgradationofreputability。Thosewhichhavetodoimmediatelywithownershiponalargescalearethemostreputableofeconomicemploymentsproper。Nexttotheseingoodreputecomethoseemploymentsthatareimmediatelysubservienttoownershipandfinanciering——suchasbankingandthelaw。
  Bankingemploymentsalsocarryasuggestionoflargeownership,andthisfactisdoubtlessaccountableforashareoftheprestigethatattachestothebusiness。Theprofessionofthelawdoesnotimplylargeownership;butsincenotaintofusefulness,forotherthanthecompetitivepurpose,attachestothelawyer’strade,itgradeshighintheconventionalscheme。
  Thelawyerisexclusivelyoccupiedwiththedetailsofpredatoryfraud,eitherinachievingorincheckmatingchicanery,andsuccessintheprofessionisthereforeacceptedasmarkingalargeendowmentofthatbarbarianastutenesswhichhasalwayscommandedmen’srespectandfear。Mercantilepursuitsareonlyhalf-wayreputable,unlesstheyinvolvealargeelementofownershipandasmallelementofusefulness。Theygradehighorlowsomewhatinproportionastheyservethehigherorthelowerneeds;sothatthebusinessofretailingthevulgarnecessariesoflifedescendstothelevelofthehandicraftsandfactorylabor。Manuallabor,oreventheworkofdirectingmechanicalprocesses,isofcourseonaprecariousfootingasregardsrespectability。Aqualificationisnecessaryasregardsthedisciplinegivenbythepecuniaryemployments。Asthescaleofindustrialenterprisegrowslarger,pecuniarymanagementcomestobearlessofthecharacterofchicaneryandshrewdcompetitionindetail。Thatistosay,foranever-increasingproportionofthepersonswhocomeincontactwiththisphaseofeconomiclife,businessreducesitselftoaroutineinwhichthereislessimmediatesuggestionofoverreachingorexploitingacompetitor。
  Theconsequentexemptionfrompredatoryhabitsextendschieflytosubordinatesemployedinbusiness。Thedutiesofownershipandadministrationarevirtuallyuntouchedbythisqualification。
  Thecaseisdifferentasregardsthoseindividualsorclasseswhoareimmediatelyoccupiedwiththetechniqueandmanualoperationsofproduction。Theirdailylifeisnotinthesamedegreeacourseofhabituationtotheemulativeandinvidiousmotivesandmaneuversofthepecuniarysideofindustry。TheyareconsistentlyheldtotheapprehensionandcoOrdinationofmechanicalfactsandsequences,andtotheirappreciationandutilizationforthepurposesofhumanlife。Sofarasconcernsthisportionofthepopulation,theeducativeandselectiveactionoftheindustrialprocesswithwhichtheyareimmediatelyincontactactstoadapttheirhabitsofthoughttothenon-invidiouspurposesofthecollectivelife。Forthem,therefore,ithastenstheobsolescenceofthedistinctivelypredatoryaptitudesandpropensitiescarriedoverbyheredityandtraditionfromthebarbarianpastoftherace。
  Theeducativeactionoftheeconomiclifeofthecommunity,therefore,isnotofauniformkindthroughoutallitsmanifestations。Thatrangeofeconomicactivitieswhichisconcernedimmediatelywithpecuniarycompetitionhasatendencytoconservecertainpredatorytraits;whilethoseindusstrialoccupationswhichhavetodoimmediatelywiththeproductionofgoodshaveinthemainthecontrarytendency。Butwithregardtothelatterclassofemploymentsitistobenoticedinqualificationthatthepersonsengagedinthemarenearlyalltosomeextentalsoconcernedwithmattersofpecuniarycompetitionas,forinstance,inthecompetitivefixingofwagesandsalaries,inthepurchaseofgoodsforconsumption,etc。。
  Thereforethedistinctionheremadebetweenclassesofemploymentsisbynomeansahardandfastdistinctionbetweenclassesofpersons。
  Theemploymentsoftheleisureclassesinmodernindustryaresuchastokeepalivecertainofthepredatoryhabitsandaptitudes。Sofarasthemembersofthoseclassestakepartintheindustrialprocess,theirtrainingtendstoconserveinthemthebarbariantemperament。Butthereissomethingtobesaidontheotherside。Individualssoplacedastobeexemptfromstrainmaysurviveandtransmittheircharacteristicseveniftheydifferwidelyfromtheaverageofthespeciesbothinphysiqueandinspiritualmake-up。thechancesforasurvivalandtransmissionofatavistictraitsaregreatestinthoseclassesthataremostshelteredfromthestressofcircumstances。Theleisureclassisinsomedegreeshelteredfromthestressoftheindustrialsituation,andshould,therefore,affordanexceptionallygreatproportionofreversionstothepeaceableorsavagetemperament。Itshouldbepossibleforsuchaberrantoratavisticindividualstounfoldtheirlifeactivityonante-predatorylineswithoutsufferingaspromptarepressionOreliminationasinthelowerwalksoflife。
  Somethingofthesortseemstobetrueinfact。thereis,forinstance,anappreciableproportionoftheupperclasseswhoseinclinationsleadthemintophilanthropicwork,andthereisaconsiderablebodyofsentimentintheclassgoingtosupporteffortsofreformandamelioration,Andmuchofthisphilanthropicandreformatoryeffort,moreover,bearsthemarksofthatamiable“cleverness“andincoherencethatischaracteristicoftheprimitivesavage。Butitmaystillbedoubtfulwhetherthesefactsareevidenceofalargerproportionofreversionsinthehigherthaninthelowerstrata,Evenifthesameinclinationswerepresentintheimpecuniousclasses,itwouldnotaseasilyfindexpressionthere;sincethoseclasseslackthemeansandthetimeandenergytogiveeffecttotheirinclinationsinthisrespect。Theprimafacieevidenceofthefactscanscarcelygounquestioned。
  Infurtherqualificationitistobenotedthattheleisureclassoftodayisrecruitedfromthosewhohavebeensuccessfulinapecuniaryway,andwho,therefore,arepresumablyendowedwithmorethananevencomplementofthepredatorytraits。
  Entranceintotheleisureclassliesthroughthepecuniaryemployments,andtheseemployments,byselectionandadaptation,acttoadmittotheupperlevelsonlythoselinesofdescentthatarepecuniarilyfittosurviveunderthepredatorytest。Andsosoonasacaseofreversiontonon-predatoryhumannatureshowsitselfontheseupperlevels,itiscommonlyweededoutandthrownbacktothelowerpecuniarylevels。Inordertoholditsplaceintheclass,astockmusthavethepecuniarytemperament;
  otherwiseitsfortunewouldhedissipatedanditwouldpresentlylosecaste。Instancesofthiskindaresufficientlyfrequent。
  Theconstituencyoftheleisureclassiskeptupbyacontinualselectiveprocess,wherebytheindividualsandlinesofdescentthatareeminentlyfittedforanaggressivepecuniarycompetitionarewithdrawfromthelowerclasses。Inordertoreachtheupperlevelstheaspirantmusthave,notonlyafairaveragecomplementofthepecuniaryaptitudes,buthemusthavethesegiftsinsuchaneminentdegreeastoovercomeverymaterialdifficultiesthatstandinthewayofhisascent。
  Barringaccidents,thenouveauxarriv衢醩areapickedbody。
  Thisprocessofselectiveadmissionhas,ofcourse,alwaysbeengoingon;eversincethefashionofpecuniaryemulationsetin——whichismuchthesameassaying,eversincetheinstitutionofaleisureclasswasfirstinstalled。Buttheprecisegroundofselectionhasnotalwaysbeenthesame,andtheselectiveprocesshasthereforenotalwaysgiventhesameresults。Intheearlybarbarian,orpredatorystageproper,thetestoffitnesswasprowess,inthenaivesenseoftheword。togainentrancetotheclass,thecandidatehadtohegiftedwithclannishness,massiveness,ferocity,unscrupulousness,andtenacityofpurpose。thesewerethequalitiesthatcountedtowardtheaccumulationandcontinuedtenureofwealth。theeconomicbasisoftheleisureclass,thenaslater,wasthepossessionofwealth;hutthemethodsofaccumulatingwealth,andthegiftsrequiredforholdingit,havechangedinsomedegreesincetheearlydaysofthepredatoryculture。Inconsequenceoftheselectiveprocessthedominanttraitsoftheearlybarbarianleisureclasswereboldaggression,analertsenseofstatus,andafreeresorttofraud。themembersoftheclassheldtheirplacebytenureofprowess。Inthelaterbarbarianculturesocietyattainedsettledmethodsofacquisitionandpossessionunderthequasi-peaceableregimeofstatus。Simpleaggressionandunrestrainedviolenceingreatmeasuregaveplacetoshrewdpracticeandchicanery,asthebestapprovedmethodofaccumulatingwealth。Adifferentrangeofaptitudesandpropensitieswouldthenbeconservedintheleisureclass。
  Masterfulaggression,andthecorrelativemassiveness,togetherwitharuthlesslyconsistentsenseofstatus,wouldstillcountamongthemostsplendidtraitsoftheclass。Thesehaveremainedinourtraditionsasthetypical“aristocraticvirtues。“Butwiththesewereassociatedanincreasingcomplementofthelessobtrusivepecuniaryvirtues;suchasprovidence,prudence,andchicanery。Astimehasgoneon,andthemodernpeaceablestageofpecuniaryculturehasbeenapproached,thelast-namedrangeofaptitudesandhabitshasgainedinrelativeeffectivenessforpecuniaryends,andtheyhavecountedforrelativelymoreintheselectiveprocessunderwhichadmissionisgainedandplaceisheldintheleisureclass。