- Otherwise, it
would be impossible to till the soil, to build, to fabricate, to
transport, to sell; however useful the work might be, it could not be
perfected, or even begun, without a preliminary outlay in money or in
kind. In every enterprise, the crop presupposes labor and seed corn.
If I want to dig a hole I am obliged to hire a pick and the arms to
wield it, or, in other terms, to make certain advances. But these
advances are made only on two conditions: first, that he who makes
them is able to make them, that is to say, that he is the possessor of
an available surplus; and next, being the owner of this surplus, that
he desires to make them, with this proviso that he may gain instead of
losing by the operation. - If I am wholly or partially ruined, if my
tenants and farmers do not pay their rent,[2] if my lands or goods do
not bring half their value in the market, if the net proceeds of my
possessions are threatened with confiscation or pillage, not only have
I fewer securities to dispose of, but, again, I become more and more
uneasy about the future; over and above my immediate consumption I
have to provide for a prospective consumption; I add to my reserve
stores especially of coin and provisions; I hold on to the remnant of
my securities for myself and those who belong to me; they are no
longer available and I can no longer make loans or enter upon my
enterprise.
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