the goods to be exchanged are relatively few, this may work very well,
but in modern industry barter would be inexpedient, if not impossible.
The farmer who had a surplus of cattle and desired a piano might have
great difficulty in finding a man who had a surplus piano and who also
desired cattle. Even though the farmer liked the piano in question,
and even though the owner of the piano were pleased with the farmer's
cattle, it might be impossible to measure the value of the piano in
units of cattle.

80. NATURE AND FUNCTION OF MONEY.--To facilitate exchange civilized
peoples make an extensive use of money. Money may be defined as
anything that passes freely from hand to hand as a medium of
exchange. [Footnote: The terms "money" and "capital" are often used
interchangeably. Strictly speaking, however, money is a form of
capital. Moreover, it is only _one_ form of capital] In modern times
gold, silver, nickel, and copper coins have been the most familiar
forms, though paper currency is also an important form of money. There
is nothing mysterious about money: it is simply a means of
facilitating exchange by saving time and by guaranteeing accuracy in
measuring the relative values of commodities.

Let us see how money actually aids in the exchange, say, of cattle and
pianos. The farmer disposes of his cattle to a middleman, receiving in
return money, the authenticity of which is guaranteed by the
government's stamp upon its face. There is no difficulty in making
change, for money can be so minutely divided as to measure the value
of an article rather exactly. The farmer does not fear that he could
not use the money received for the cattle, for money is generally
accepted in exchange for any commodity. The farmer now offers the
money to the piano-owner, who is probably a middleman. Again the fact