Thegreaterprevalenceofdissipationamongprintersthanamongtheaverageofworkmenisaccordinglyattributable，atleastinsomemeasure，tothegreatereaseofmovementandthemoretransientcharacterofacquaintanceandhumancontactinthistrade。ButthesubstantialgroundofthishighrequirementindissipationisinthelastanalysisnootherthanthatsamepropensityforamanifestationofdominanceandpecuniarydecencywhichmakestheFrenchpeasant-proprietorparsimoniousandfrugal，andinducestheAmericanmillionairetofoundcolleges，hospitalsandmuseums。Ifthecanonofconspicuousconsumptionwerenotoffsettoaconsiderableextentbyotherfeaturesofhumannature，alientoit，anysavingshouldlogicallybeimpossibleforapopulationsituatedastheartisanandlaboringclassesofthecitiesareatpresent，howeverhightheirwagesortheirincomemightbe。
Butthereareotherstandardsofreputeandother，moreorlessimperative，canonsofconduct，besideswealthanditsmanifestation，andsomeofthesecomeintoaccentuateortoqualifythebroad，fundamentalcanonofconspicuouswaste。Underthesimpletestofeffectivenessforadvertising，weshouldexpecttofindleisureandtheconspicuousconsumptionofgoodsdividingthefieldofpecuniaryemulationprettyevenlybetweenthemattheoutset。Leisuremightthenbeexpectedgraduallytoyieldgroundandtendtoobsolescenceastheeconomicdevelopmentgoesforward，andthecommunityincreasesinsize；whiletheconspicuousconsumptionofgoodsshouldgraduallygaininimportance，bothabsolutelyandrelatively，untilithadabsorbedalltheavailableproduct，leavingnothingoverbeyondabarelivelihood。Buttheactualcourseofdevelopmenthasbeensomewhatdifferentfromthisidealscheme。Leisureheldthefirstplaceatthestart，andcametoholdarankverymuchabovewastefulconsumptionofgoods，bothasadirectexponentofwealthandasanelementinthestandardofdecency，duringthequasi-peaceableculture。Fromthatpointonward，consumptionhasgainedground，until，atpresent，itunquestionablyholdstheprimacy，thoughitisstillfarfromabsorbingtheentiremarginofproductionabovethesubsistenceminimum。
Theearlyascendencyofleisureasameansofreputabilityistraceabletothearchaicdistinctionbetweennobleandignobleemployments。Leisureishonorableandbecomesimperativepartlybecauseitshowsexemptionfromignoblelabor。Thearchaicdifferentiationintonobleandignobleclassesisbasedonaninvidiousdistinctionbetweenemploymentsashonorificordebasing；andthistraditionaldistinctiongrowsintoanimperativecanonofdecencyduringtheearlyquasi-peaceablestage。Itsascendencyisfurtheredbythefactthatleisureisstillfullyaseffectiveanevidenceofwealthasconsumption。
Indeed，soeffectiveisitintherelativelysmallandstablehumanenvironmenttowhichtheindividualisexposedatthatculturalstage，that，withtheaidofthearchaictraditionwhichdeprecatesallproductivelabor，itgivesrisetoalargeimpecuniousleisureclass，anditeventendstolimittheproductionofthecommunity’sindustrytothesubsistenceminimum。Thisextremeinhibitionofindustryisavoidedbecauseslavelabor，workingunderacompulsionmorevigorousthanthatofreputability，isforcedtoturnoutaproductinexcessofthesubsistenceminimumoftheworkingclass。Thesubsequentrelativedeclineintheuseofconspicuousleisureasabasisofreputeisduepartlytoanincreasingrelativeeffectivenessofconsumptionasanevidenceofwealth；butinpartitistraceabletoanotherforce，alien，andinsomedegreeantagonistic，totheusageofconspicuouswaste。
Thisalienfactoristheinstinctofworkmanship。Othercircumstancespermitting，thatinstinctdisposesmentolookwithfavoruponproductiveefficiencyandonwhateverisofhumanuse。