leasant; or
else because it has grown into a pleasurable _habit_, as in the case with
what you may call mechanical work; and lastly (and most of our work is of
this kind) because there is conscious sensuous pleasure in the work
itself; it is done, that is, by artists."

"I see," said I. "Can you now tell me how you have come to this happy
condition? For, to speak plainly, this change from the conditions of the
older world seems to me far greater and more important than all the other
changes you have told me about as to crime, politics, property,
marriage."

"You are right there," said he. "Indeed, you may say rather that it is
this change which makes all the others possible. What is the object of
Revolution? Surely to make people happy. Revolution having brought its
foredoomed change about, how can you prevent the counter-revolution from
setting in except by making people happy? What! shall we expect peace
and stability from unhappiness? The gathering of grapes from thorns and
figs from thistles is a reasonable expectation compared with that! And
happiness without happy daily work is impossible."

"Most obviously true," said I: for I thought the old boy was preaching a
little. "But answer my question, as to how you gained this happiness."

"Briefly," said he, "by the absence of artificial coercion, and the
freedom for every man to do what he can do best, joined to the knowledge
of what productions of labour we really wanted. I must admit that this
knowledge we reached slowly and painfully."

"Go on," said I, "give me more detail; explain more fully. For this
subject interests me intensely."

"Yes, I will," said he; "but in order to do so I must weary you by
talking a little about the past. Contrast is necessary for this
explanation. Do you mind?"

"No, no," said I.

Said he, settling himself in his chair again for a long talk: "It is
clear from all that we hear and read, that in the last age of
civilisation men had got into a vicious circle in the matter of
production of wares. They had reached a wonderful facility of
production, and in order to make the most of that facility they had
gradually created (or allowed to grow, rather) a most elaborate system of
buying and selling, which has been called the World-Market; and that
World-Market, once set a-going, forced them to go on making more and more
of these wares, whether they needed them or not. So that while (of
course) they could not free the