tremendous leakage of human power into honest
production, the beneficial results of this change being: shorter work
hours, increased education, refinement, comfort, and security for
everybody, and the extermination of selfishness and crime.

"United labor merely utilized the various forces of nature, to produce
and distribute all the necessities of life for the general welfare of
mankind, by the most intelligent, humane, and unselfish methods."

"But," said I, as Arletta paused for a moment, "was it not a very
difficult matter to make all men give their best efforts to the State
when there was no incentive for personal gain other than that which
everybody else received, and did not those who were capable of
accomplishing more work than others, complain of the benefits given
those with less ability and not so industriously inclined as
themselves?"

"Those same questions were asked and answered over five thousand years
ago," replied Arletta, "and were subsequently proved to be fallacies. If
a man's highest aim in life is to foolishly pile up worldly products for
his own piggish satisfaction, then he is really on no higher plane than
the swine; for the rich accumulate wealth like the hog does filth, for
what, they know not. It requires far more ability to build a strong
moral character and a kindly feeling for others, than it does to
accumulate a mountain of produce. The Sagemen, with their splendid
intellects, would gladly have worked themselves to death for the public
good had not the State restricted the working hours and required each
person to give proper care and attention to himself as well as to the
public.

"Immediately after discarding the old system of individual accumulation,
the Sagemen passed a law that all persons refusing to do their portion
of work for the public should be considered insane, and put into asylums
until such time as they regained their proper senses. No work, no
freedom, the statute said. But even in the beginning there was very
little use for these asylums, and within two generations they became
obsolete for the want of inmates. The vast majority of human beings are
anxious to appear in the best possible light in the eyes of their
contemporaries and are swayed either forward or backward by the
sentiment of others. If public opinion says to the individual: you are
held equally responsible with everybody else for the general welfare and
conditions of your country, and if you show a lack