s
a very small part of human welfare. It would not be enough for any human
society that every individual in it be fed, clothed, warmed and maintained
in reasonably long life. The highest uniformity of mere animal enjoyment
would not make a society worthy to be called human. Even uniformity of
wants far higher, with uniform supply for those wants, would give but
little organization and but little total welfare if that uniformity was
brought by curtailment of natural powers or by constraint that hinders
growth. The most natural fact among human beings, as in all the rest of
nature, is variety; and every conception of proper consumption of wealth
must involve this thought of variety of individuals in wants and powers
left free to grow. It is a purely false assumption that the ideal
community toward which all ought to strive is a community of equals in
either ability or capacity. That is the ideal community which gives to
every member of it opportunity to make most of himself; that is, to make
himself most useful, and able to enjoy the truest use of his powers.

Hence we find the tendency in every community, with reference to wealth as
to other individual forces, to recognize early and complete personal
responsibility. This personal responsibility makes the question of
consumption of wealth a question of morals as well as of wisdom. The whole
discussion here turns upon the wisdom or unwisdom of certain personal uses
or social uses of what the world has accumulated. We can ask what use of
wealth is prudent, what imprudent; then what social organization best
develops the wisdom which secures a prudent use of wealth; and finally,
how far and in what ways society can act as a unit in the place of
individuals. The machinery of government then becomes a part of every
person's welfare, and his relation to its maintenance by contribution of
his wealth is a part of prudent consumption. The economic question in
consumption, then, involves not so much what one can get from society as
what he can give to society, since his welfare comes largely through
organization in the use of accumulated wealth.

Chapter XXIV. Prudent Consumption.

_Prudent uses of wealth._--It has already been suggested that a proper use
of wealth looks always beyond the present. We accumulate, not only to
spend, but to spend in such a way as will give larger abilities in the
future. The name prudential consumption has been given to all that use of
wealth