and needful, that it is to be wished it were oftener deemed part of the
business of those who direct their assaults against ancient prejudices,
--that of seeing that no scattered particles of important truth are
buried and lost in the ruins of exploded error. Every prejudice, which
has long and extensively prevailed among the educated and intelligent,
must certainly be borne out by some strong appearance of evidence; and
when it is found that the evidence does not prove the received
conclusion, it is of the highest importance to see what it does prove.
If this be thought not worth inquiring into, an error conformable to
appearances is often merely exchanged for an error contrary to
appearances; while, even if the result be truth, it is paradoxical
truth, and will have difficulty in obtaining credence while the false
appearances remain.

Let us therefore inquire into the nature of the appearances, which gave
rise to the belief that a great demand, a brisk circulation, a rapid
consumption (three equivalent expressions), are a cause of national
prosperity.

If every man produced for himself, or with his capital employed others
to produce, everything which he required, customers and their wants
would be a matter of profound indifference to him. He would be rich, if
he had produced and stored up a large supply of the articles which he
was likely to require; and poor, if he had stored up none at all, or not
enough to last until he could produce more.

The case, however, is different after the separation of employments. In
civilized society, a single producer confines himself to the production
of one commodity, or a small number of commodities; and his affluence
depends, not solely upon the quantity of his commodity which he has