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The Healing of Nations and the Hidden Sources of Their Strife by Edward Carpenter
page 99 of 164 (60%)
instance, it should happen that the whole production of cutlery, as
between Germany and England, were secured by Germany, and the whole
production of cloth were secured by England, so that the _whole_ of
these products on each side had to be exchanged, then doubtless there
would be great jubilation--talk of the immense growth of oversea trade
in both countries, the wonderful increase of exports and imports, the
great prosperity, and so forth; but really and obviously it would only
mean the jubilation and the prosperity of the merchants, the brokers,
the railway and shipping companies of both lands. There would be an
increase in _their_ riches (and an increase in the number of their
employees). It would mean more merchant palaces in Park Lane, bigger
dividends on the shares of transport companies; but after that the
general position of the manual workers in both trades, the numbers
employed, and their rates of wages would be much as before. Prices also,
as regards the general Public, would be but little altered. It is only
because this great trading, manufacturing, and commercial class has
amassed such enormous wealth and influence, and is able to command the
Press, and social position, and votes and representation on public
bodies and in both Houses of Parliament, that it succeeds in impressing
the nation generally with the idea that _its_ welfare is the welfare of
the whole people, and its prosperity the advantage of every citizen. And
it is in this very fact that its great moral and social danger to the
community lies.

It must not be thought (but I believe I have said this before) that in
making out that the commercial classes are largely to blame for modern
wars I mean to say that the present war, and many previous ones, have
been _directly_ instigated by commercial folk. It is rather that the
atmosphere of commercial competition and rivalry automatically leads up
to military rivalries and collisions, which often at the last moment
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