Even to manual labourers a properly developed mind is as essential as a well-developed body; and there can be no doubt that he who contributes in any manner to improve either the physical or intellectual condition of the people takes no unimportant part in assisting the nation's wealth. Much labour, therefore, which at first sight may seem unproductive, will appear, on further consideration, to exert an indirect influence upon the production of wealth. Popular notions attach a certain stigma to unproductive labour. No doubt, waste of any kind is to be deplored; but we should not be too prone to regret that so much labour is devoted to provide the pleasures of life, for the happiness of a nation may be in some degree estimated by the time and labour which can be spared for enjoyment: even the labour of those who provide these enjoyments is not altogether unproductive: a man will work with more vigour and efficiency if his mind can be diverted from the routine toil of life.
Definition of productive labour.From these remarks we are able to deduce a precise definition of productive labour. The definition which is now usually accepted, is as follows:—'Productive labour is that which produces utilities fixed and embodied in material objects.' According to this definition, the labour of the teacher is unproductive from whose instruction a mechanic acquires his skill. And yet the skill of our workmen ought to be classed as wealth, because the loss of this skill would diminish the wealth of the nation, as much as if she were deprived of a great amount of material wealth. If, however, the skill of the labourer is classified as wealth, we strain the use of the word 'wealth' beyond its usual acceptation; because wealth is always popularly conceived to be something material. We will therefore adopt the following definition:—Productive labour is that which either directly or indirectly produces utilities fixed and embodied in material objects. According to this definition, the labour of the teacher who imparts skill to the mechanic is productive, for by this skill wealth is created—or, in other words, utilities are embodied in material objects, and therefore the labourTen Tears of National Growth, by Mr. M. G. Mulhall, Contemporary Review, Dec. 1886; Statistical Abstract 1905 and publications of the United Kingdom Alliance.]
