31 MAY 1873, Page 13

PRODUCTIVE AND UNPRODUCTIVE LABOUR.

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—I agree with your criticism that a preacher may, in pursuit of his calling, indirectly promote the production of material wealth ; still his success in his vocation and the value of his teach- ing cannot be measured by the degree in which it is directly or indirectly productive of "utilities fixed and embodied in material objects." On the other hand, the value of the labour of a school- master in a reformatory filled with little street Arabs can be to a very large extent measured by its indirect industrial results. I therefore think it correct to call the labour of a preacher unpro- ductive of wealth, and the labour of the master of a reformatory school indirectly productive. It is not the business of the preacher to promote the production of wealth ; his business is to make Peter a better man, and Mary a better woman. If he does this, he suc- ceeds, even though the result be the reverse of productive of wealth. Peter, for example, may leave his nets and become a missionary ; Mary may cease to be cumbered with much serving, in order to devote herself to spiritual work.

Allow me to repeat that there is no disrespect to preachers in saying that their labour is not productive of wealth, or in consider- ing the economic result of their labour together with that of states- men, public readers, and actors. If preachers think they are con- temptuously treated by being mentioned in the same line with professions containing such persons as Mr. Gladstone, Mrs. Kemble, and Mine. Nillson, their amour propre must be morbidly developed. They can surely have nothing to do with the Teacher of whom it was said, "This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them."

I am sorry I expressed myself so obscurely as to lead you to say that, in my opinion, preaching is valuable on account of its pleasant sound, or that preaching ministers to amusement. These are the very last things I should say of preachers and preaching —I am,

Sir, &c., MILLICENT GARRETT FAWCETT.

[It is not true that preachers were mentioned by Mrs. Fawcett "in the same line" with statesmen. Statesmen are spoken of separately, and we can only repeat what we said last week, that the practical effect of Mrs. Fawcett's definition was to impress boys with the idea that she intends to sneer at preachers.—En. Spectator.]