THE ROOTS OF HONOUR - JOHN RUSKIN

 

THE ROOTS OF HONOUR      -  JOHN RUSKIN

     John Ruskin was one of the greatest thinkers and writers of the Victorian age. He produced works of lasting value on a variety of subjects such as art, music, education and literature. Ruskin’s works on art, social and political economy, literature and education are worthy of great consideration. Ruskin’s career as a social critic and reformer began formally in 1860 with the publication of his ‘Unto This Last’. The work ‘Unto This Last’ consists of four essays : i) The Roots of Honour  ii) The Veins of Wealth  iii) Qui Judicates  Terram iv) Ad Valorem. In these essays, Ruskin deals with the problem of wages, the relation of the employers and the labourers. He was a real Messiah of the working classes.

     In this essay ‘The Roots of Honour’ Ruskin wants to say that orthodox political economy ignores social affections, though these are essential and not accidental qualities. The political economy of writers like Mill, Malthus and Ricardo is full of delusions; these economists have said that man is motivated by self-interest only. The political economy which reduces man to covetuous self-interest appears to Ruskin a theory based on the negation of Soul.  He is perfectly right when he remarks that honour is the outcome of self-sacrifice. Without sacrifice no honour can be achieved. Merchants are fanned by self-interest and hence they ignore social affection. To them, monetary gain is the goal of life and thus they consider social affections as accidental and inconstant.

     The second point touched by the author is about the relationship between master and servant, Without co-operation between the master and his servants, no progress can be made. In an ideal society, interests of both the classes should be safeguarded. For example, the master should not pay his worker so low that he starves and remains sickly. The worker should not demand high wages when his master is economically unsound.

Ruskin recommends fixed wages for the labour class. When other types of workers, such as engineers, doctors and teachers have fixed wages, why should the workers remains unfixed? Fixed wages have merits. It would not throw the worker out of employment in competition.

Then Ruskin says that merchants must also learn their duty like the soldiers. Their duty is to produce the purest things and sell them at the cheapest rates. They should also see that men employed under them get their due wages. In a commercial crisis, they should behave like the captain of the ship. In other words, they should be rooted in honour like professional men.

Nevertheless, the essay heralds a prophetic note. The prophesies made by Ruskin have come to be true. His suggestions have a modern appeal.