The national income of a country is, on the whole, much less affected by a change of fashion than the separate incomes of its people. The same whim which lowers the value of one commodity increases the value of another; and what has ceased to be in fashion among the rich, becomes accessible, properly speaking, to the poorer classes of the community for the first time.[208-5] The want of varying his enjoyments is so peculiar to man, and so intimately connected with his capacity for progress, that it cannot in itself be blamed. But if this want be immoderately yielded to, if the well-to-do should despise every article which has not the charm of complete novelty, the advantages of the whole pattern-system, by means of which the preparation of a large number of articles from the same model at a relatively small cost, would be lost. Besides, fashion, which makes production in large quantities, for the satisfaction of wants that are variable and free, possible, frequently means even a large saving in the cost of production.[208-6] [Footnote 208-1: The consequences of this are very important to the character of French and German industry. (_Junghanns_, Fortschritte des Zollvereins, I, 28, 51, 58.) Rapidly as the Parisian fashions in dress make their way into the provinces, their fashions in the matter of the table are very slow to do so. (_Rocquefort_, Hist. de la Vie privée des Fr., I, 88 seq.)] [Footnote 208-2: _Sir W. Temple._ Observations on the U. Provinces, ch. 6.] [Footnote 208-3: As most persons adorn themselves for the sake of the opposite sex, this invariability is caused by the oriental separation of two sexes. Our manufacturers would largely increase their market, if they could succeed in civilizing the East in this respect. In Persia, shawls are frequently inherited through many generations, and even persons of distinction buy clothes which had been worn before. (_Polak_, Persien, I, 153.) In China, the Minister of Ceremonies rigidly provided what clothes should be worn by all classes and under severe penalties. (_Davis_, The Chinese, I, 352 seq.)] [Footnote 208-4: _Jaubert_, Voyage en Perse, 1821. While cities like Seleucia, Ctesiphon, Almadin, Kufa, and even Bagdad, were built from the ruins of Babylon.]