representative of labor, which was performed, perhaps, a thousand years ago, in digging the metal from the mines, can, in no way, lessen the amount of labor at present required to support the human family.

DIRECTION OF LABOR.

It is not only important that labor should be equally distributed, but it is like a important, to the prosperity of every country, that it should be wisely directed; for it may happen that although every individual should contribute their just proportion of labor, yet, because of its unwise application, the community may not prosper. The worn out and exhausted condition of the old States of the Union, south of the Potomac, afford undeniable and convincing proof in support of this proposition; and, as far as we are acquainted with history, the same causes have produced like effects in every country which has pursued the policy of transporting their agricultural products in a raw condition, and have relied upon foreign countries for a considerable portion of their necessary comforts.

The effects of this policy are the same as those produced by the voluntary withdrawal of a portion of the community from useful employment. The intrinsic value of a commodity is in no way increased by transportation, but often diminished. A barrel of flour affords no more nutriment at Manchester, England, than in Missouri, where it is produced; nor will a yard of cloth manufactured at Manchester, make a larger or more comfortable garment in Missouri, than it would at the place of its production. Therefore, the labor and cost incident to the transportation of these articles, is so much withdrawn from the ranks of the producers, and necessarily tends to increase the burthen of labor.

We do not wish to be understood as proposing to dispense with the transportation and exchange of commodities; on the contrary, we hold that these exchanges are necessary to the advancement of civilization, and to the general distribution of human comfort. Our principal design is to show the importance of locating the producers and consumers, of every commodity, as near to each other as the nature of the case will admit. This we esteem the true policy of the people of every country; and upon its adoption, or rejection, will depend their ultimate prosperity.

The first, and perhaps the most important, consideration connected with this policy, is the preservation and proper application of the natural wealth of the country. This consists, mainly, of the soils, minerals, forests, and water courses; and if these should be improvidently destroyed, or suffered to lie unimproved, no artificial means can secure permanent prosperity.

The soil being the most important object of natural wealth, its preservation and improvement should ever be kept in view, and regarded as the leading principle in the policy of every country. But it is scarcely possible to preserve the soil— much less to improve it—in a country that exports its products in the form of raw material; for every article exported carries with it a portion of the productive properties of the soil, which never return; and to that extent lessens the

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natural wealth of the country. Besides this, none other than the principal staples can be profitably exported; and as these are generally great exhausters of the soil, a rotation of crops becomes necessary; and if not adopted, the land must lie idle to rest. From this cause, much of the land in staple-growing districts is thrown out of cultivation, and finally abandoned as worthless; for where there is no demand for the alternating crop, the cultivation of the staple is usually continued until the crop will no longer pay for the labor bestowed upon it. But if the manufacturer and artist were located near the agriculturalist, then there would be not only a better demand for the staples, but for the more bulky and perishable articles also. Root crops, grass, the produce of the orchard and garden, with many other articles, which are now of little or no value, would find a ready and profitable market; and thus the whole area of arable land would be cultivated, and made to produce a valuable crop every year. By thus increasing the variety of products, much employment would be found suitable for children and other weak hands, that are of little or no use in the production of the great staples.

The forest, also, which, in many parts of the country, is considered a disadvantage, rather than a benefit, would become a great source of wealth. The water power would likewise be appropriated to useful purposes; and even the rocks, which are now considered worse than useless, would, in many places, if not every where, in time, become sources of wealth. But what shall we say of the extensive coal fields of the Mississippi Valley? In these there slumbers a physical power surpassing the combined strength of the whole human race; nor is the political and moral power which these are calculated to impart, less important. But all these are of but little utility to a country which is merely agricultural; and more especially to those staple-growing districts which rely upon foreign consumers for a market, and upon foreign producers for clothing and other articles of comfort and convenience.

This reliance upon foreign consumers for a demand, may be considered among the great evils of the present age; especially in the Valley of the Mississippi. In producing for foreign markets, we come in competition with the producers of every other part of the earth. Let us examine the true nature of this competition. Two bushels of wheat is produced in Missouri and transported to Liverpool. When it arrives there, the grower, supposing him still to be the owner, gives one bushel to pay for the transportation of the other. Thus giving away one half of the produce of his own labor for the privilege of competing with the wheat grower in England. Now if we assume that it requires the same amount of labor to produce a bushel of wheat in each country, and that the English farmer gives one half of his crop to the land owner, as rent, still he would be in a better condition than the Missouri farmer, who had given one half of his wheat to pay the transportation and other incidental charges: for rent, or the interest on the capital invested in land, must be paid in Missouri, in addition to the cost of transportation. Labor is also cheaper in England than here; which is also an

advantage in favor of the English farmer. Hence it will be perceived, that notwithstanding the cheapness and fertility of soil, combined with all the advantages of a cheap and free government, yet, owing to an absurd and defective system of political economy, labor in Missouri is no better rewarded than in England, where it is burthened with the support of a landed aristocracy and the most expensive government upon earth.

But we not only come in competition with the English farmer, but with all Europe; and especially with the northern part, where farm labor costs less than half the price paid for it in Missouri; and the cost of transportation thence to England is much less than from this country. We do not forget (for we desire to treat the subject fairly,) that, so far as the products of the Missouri farmer are consumed at home, he possesses an advantage over the foreign producer; but we consider this advantage more than counterbalanced by the increased price which he pays for clothing and articles of foreign manufacture. But there are other evils, arising from this reliance upon foreign markets, besides the loss of labor.

The foreign demand depends upon so many contingencies that it is impossible for the farmer in Missouri to form any reliable opinion in regard to the markets; and being often disappointed, he becomes discouraged, and produces less than he would if a reasonable calculation could be made in regard to the demand and the price of his produce. This uncertainty also has a tendency to encourage speculation and over-trading in both merchandize and produce, and gives rise to a spirit of restlessness and discontent throughout the land. Furthermore, it subjects us to the influence of the pecuniary revulsions which take place in foreign countries, which adds greatly to the contingencies and accidents incident to every branch of industry. These are evils which no foresight can guard against, and to which we must always be subject, so long as our present policy continues.

Nor is the commerce between the Mississippi Valley and the eastern States, in some respects, upon a footing more favorable to the west than that with Great Britain. Twenty cents per bushel may be assumed as the average price of corn in Missouri; and if a farmer here should desire to exchange corn for cotton cloth worth ten cents per yard, he would get two yards for one bushel of corn: while the farmer in Massachusetts would get seven yards of cloth, of the same quality, for the same quantity of corn-valuing the cloth at nine cents per yard, and the corn at sixty-three cents per bushel, which would be about the average price there of the two articles. And thus the farmer in Missouri gets only two-sevenths as much of every article of eastern manufacture, which he pays for in corn, as does the corn grower in Massachusetts. Indeed, if the articles should be heavy and bulky, the freight upon them would increase this ratio of cost to the Missouri farmer. It is, beyond question, owing to the proximity of the producers of corn and cotton cloth, that secures this advantage to the eastern farmer; for five bushels out of the seven of the Missouri corn goes to pay the carriers, commission merchants, and others, engaged in effecting the exchange. If the farmer desired to

exchange wheat for eastern manufactures, he would get, on an average, about half the quantity that the farmer in Massachusetts would get; while in the exchange of flour he would only lose about from twenty-five to thirty per cent. And here we have a striking illustration of the effects of manufacturing; for the simple process of manufacturing the wheat into flour, reduces the loss in the exchange of this article to about one half; and although this may not be a direct gain to the farmer, it is so much saved to the country, and inures to the general benefit and prosperity of all classes. Beef and pork, upon foot, may also be set down at about double the price in Massachusetts as in Missouri. But the difference is much less when packed in barrels; this is owing to the cost of packing, including the salt and the barrel.

It may be assumed, as a fair proposition, that one half of the value of all the exports from Missouri is paid for transporting them to market, and in the difference of price between the cost here of the manufactured articles which we consume, and their cost at the place of production. But this is only a part of the loss; for we have endeavored to show that the exportation of the raw material is not only destructive to the land, but that if the consumers were nearer to the producers, the latter would find a profitable market for many articles which might be raised at little cost, without lessening the amount of the larger staples.

We have endeavored to analyze the subject and to state it fairly; and we respectfully invite our agricultural readers to examine the matter for themselves; and we think that they will conclude with us, that there is, perhaps, no other country, where every individual is free to choose his employment, in which labor is so unwisely or unprofitably directed as in the western portion of the Mississippi Valley.

ART. II-MORAL ECONOMY.

Having noticed the necessity of exercise, as the means of insuring a healthful condition of man's physical nature—and also the importance of its application to useful purposes — we now propose to consider labor as a moral institution.

The Creator, in his benevolence, has associated pleasure with the performance of every office necessary either to the support and comfort of our individual exAlternate exercise and rest- the grateistence or to the perpetuation of the race. ful flavor of food-sexual love-and parental affection-were ordained as incentives to human action; and may be regarded as rewards of obedience to the laws of our physical nature. So, likewise, every act of obedience to the Divine will, and every social action which imparts benefits to others, give rise to emotions of pleasure; and these being assimilated with our moral nature, remain a permanent source of gratification. And he who neglects to enrich his heart with

the comforts which flow from a sense of obedience to the laws of his being, or with the pleasurable emotions which arise from social actions, must not only remain a stranger to moral happiness, but also suffer the penalties annexed to disobedience.

We have endeavored to show, that by the economy of man's nature, his existence in a civilized state can only be sustained by labor and knowledge combined; therefore, had labor been attended with no other reward than the gratification of the senses, the condition of man would have been infinitely worse than that of any other created being. But the Divine Word, which declared that " Inthe sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread," redeemed man from this hard condition. This added a moral duty to the physical necessity; and although the burthen was not increased, man thereby became the recipient of the rewards attendant upon labor as a moral institution. How benevolent and sublimely beautiful appear the designs of the Creator, when thus considered! Yet man, not perceiving the moral obligation, nor appreciating the rewards of obedience, looks alone to the physical necessity, and esteems labor a curse imposed upon his race. And until this fatal delusion shall be removed, he must continue to labor under the law of physical necessity, or from a morbid desire to accumulate wealth; and civilization, as ever heretofore, will be doomed to rise and fall like the waves of a troubled ocean.

Owing to the blindness and ignorance of man, in regard to the means of promoting his own happiness, he is prone to look upon labor as a condition degrading to his nature; and endeavors to escape from it by any method which his imagination can devise. As well might we expect that a galley slave would be scrupulous in regard to the manner of escaping from the toils of the oar, as to expect that one who perceives no moral reward associated with labor, should be quite conscientious in selecting the mode of escape from a condition which he esteems not less hard and degrading. Void of gratitude to his Maker, and feeling no sympathy for his fellow-man, he submits to the dominion of self love; and disregarding all social observances and moral obligations, he goes forth prepared for deeds of desperation, and resolves to imitate the rich and privileged orders in appropriating the labors of others to his own use. Hence the knave, clothed in falsehood and deception, like the fabled Proteus, assumes every form and guise. Is he a dealer in small wares, he pratices upon the ignorant and the credulous with false representations of value, with false weights and measures, and ingeniously conceals the defects of his commodities. A merchant, he is a speculator, cunning in the art of raising and depressing the markets by concealment and false intelligence. A mechanic, he is unfaithful and unjust to his employer, and working up to the letter of his contract: to secure the enforcement of his demand, he disregards the moral part of the obligation, and rejoices in the fraud. A physician, he is ignorant of the science, and of all the virtues which adorn the profession; and, eager for his fee, he boldly exhibits his nostrums, reckless of their