It is the intention of the inventive faculty, when it applies itself to the arts ministering to the necessaries, conveniences, or superfluities of life, -- to the wants of our nature that the subject we treat of considers, to increase the supplies which it is the aim of each to procure.If when it gains the ends it purposes, it really produces this increase, in doing so, it must render the labor of the members of the society in which it operates more effective, and enable them from the same outlay to produce greater returns, or from less outlay to produce the same returns.An improvement in the construction of a plough, enables the individuals employing that instrument to plough a greater quantity of land with the same cattle and labor, or an equal quantity of land with fewer cattle and less labor.The use of water as a power diminishes very greatly the labor necessary to perform the operations in which it is employed, and, therefore, from a less outlay, produces equal returns.Were the assumption correct, on which we have been all along proceeding, that instruments compare with each other by the physical effects they produce, and, that, in proportion as the same effects result from less outlay, or greater effects from the same outlay, the ratio of the capacity of the instrument to its cost will be increased, and it moved to an order of quicker return, then the successful exertions of the inventive faculty would always be effective, and every discovery, directly or indirectly, lead to real improvement.This, as we shall presently see, is not always the case, because many commodities are not estimated by their physical effects; but continuing for the present the assumption, which, for the sake of simplicity of exposition we have made, improvement, in this case, must carry the instruments improved by it to more speedily returning orders.
It is here also to be observed that, although any particular improvement, immediately, and at first, affects only the instruments improved, it very shortly diffuses itself over the whole range of instruments owned by the society.The successful efforts of the inventive faculty are not a gift to any particular artists, but to the whole community, and their benefits divided amongst its members.If an improvement, for instance, in the art of baking bread were effected, by which, with half the labor and fuel, equally good bread could be produced, it would not benefit the bakers exclusively, but would be felt equally over the whole society.The bakers would have a small additional profit, the whole society would have bread for the product of somewhat less labor, and all who consumed bread, that is, every member of the society, would from the same outlay have somewhat larger returns.
The whole series of instruments owned by the society would be somewhat more productive, would be carried to an order of quicker return.(86)In this manner, all improvements, by moving the whole stock of instruments belonging to any society, to more productive orders, increase proportionably its absolute capital and stock.Should a naturalist, in examining the nature of the surface, on the farm of an individual in a small agricultural society, make the discovery, that beneath it there was a quantity of plaster of Paris; and should the farmer, in consequence of his recommendation, sprinkling a little of this reduced to powder on some of his fields, find that it caused them to yield double returns, his farm or the lease he held of it, might in his eyes be doubly valuable, and he might demand in exchange, and perhaps receive two other farms of equal size in its place.Were it, however, found, that a stratum of this substance extended over the whole range of country possessed by the society, and was equally efficacious when applied to any portion of the surface, his farm would not be more valuable than other farms.The supply, however, for future wants, possessed by the whole society, would be largely increased, and the strength of their effective desire of accumulation remaining undiminished, their absolute capital would be proportionably augmented.But, as the whole stock of instruments remained the same, with the exception of the difference made, by the surface having been sprinkled with a quantity of this mineral powder, their amount, as measured by one another, would be the same as before.Some instruments might possibly exchange for a greater amount of instruments of another sort, than formerly, but this change could no more be considered an increase in the total value, than the fact of the latter instrument exchanging for a less amount, could be considered an indication of a diminution of the total exchangable value of the stock of the society.The relative capital and stock would thus remain unchanged.But, though this relative or exchangable value of the society's stock might remain unchanged, its absolute capital and stock would be increased.The reality of such increase is marked, in all similar eases, by at least three circumstances.
1.The members of the society possess, in general, a more abundant provision for future wants, the revenue of the whole society, and of each individual composing it, is increased.
2.The whole society, as a separate community, becomes more powerful, in relation to ether communities.It can support the burdens of war, and the expense of all negotiations and national contracts with foreign powers, with greater ease.It can also, without inconvenience, execute a greater number of useful works and undertakings.The imposts which the state levies for such purposes, in a society where the stock of instruments is wrought up to an order correspondent to the average effective desire of accumulation of its members, must almost always occasion some diminution of that stock.
