s-meat in a siege. But the cultured Socialist, quite at his
ease, by no means in a siege, talks about communal kitchens as if they
were the same kind of thing as communal laundries. This shows at the
start that he misunderstands human nature. It is as different as three
men singing the same chorus from three men playing three tunes on the
same piano.

*****

III. THE DREADFUL DUTY OF GUDGE

In the quarrel earlier alluded to between the energetic Progressive and
the obstinate Conservative (or, to talk a tenderer language, between
Hudge and Gudge), the state of cross-purposes is at the present moment
acute. The Tory says he wants to preserve family life in Cindertown;
the Socialist very reasonably points out to him that in Cindertown
at present there isn't any family life to preserve. But Hudge, the
Socialist, in his turn, is highly vague and mysterious about whether he
would preserve the family life if there were any; or whether he will try
to restore it where it has disappeared. It is all very confusing. The
Tory sometimes talks as if he wanted to tighten the domestic bonds that
do not exist; the Socialist as if he wanted to loosen the bonds that do
not bind anybody. The question we all want to ask of both of them is
the original ideal question, "Do you want to keep the family at all?" If
Hudge, the Socialist, does want the family he must be prepared for the
natural restraints, distinctions and divisions of labor in the family.
He must brace himself up to bear the idea of the woman having a
preference for the private house and a man for the public house. He must
manage to endure somehow the idea of a woman being womanly, which does
not mean soft and yielding, but handy, thrifty, rather hard, and very
humorous. He must confront without a quiver the notion of a child who
shall be childish, that is, full of energy, but without an idea of
independence; fundamentally as eager for authority as for information
and butter-scotch. If a man, a woman and a child live together any more
in free and sovereign households, these ancient relations will recur;
and Hudge must put up with it. He can only avoid it by destroying the
family, driving both sexes into sexless hives and hordes, and bringing
up all children as the children of the state--like Oliver Twist. But if
these stern words must be addressed to Hudge, neither shall Gudge escape
a somewhat severe admonition. For the plain truth to be told pretty
sharply to the Tory i