e
chiefs of the ten great departments, or groups of allied trades. The
chiefs of these ten grand divisions of the industrial army may be
compared to your commanders of army corps, or lieutenant-generals, each
having from a dozen to a score of generals of separate guilds reporting
to him. Above these ten great officers, who form his council, is the
general-in-chief, who is the President of the United States.

"The general-in-chief of the industrial army must have passed through
all the grades below him, from the common laborers up. Let us see how
he rises. As I have told you, it is simply by the excellence of his
record as a worker that one rises through the grades of the privates
and becomes a candidate for a lieutenancy. Through the lieutenancies he
rises to the colonelcy, or superintendent's position, by appointment
from above, strictly limited to the candidates of the best records. The
general of the guild appoints to the ranks under him, but he himself is
not appointed, but chosen by suffrage."

"By suffrage!" I exclaimed. "Is not that ruinous to the discipline of
the guild, by tempting the candidates to intrigue for the support of
the workers under them?"

"So it would be, no doubt," replied Dr. Leete, "if the workers had any
suffrage to exercise, or anything to say about the choice. But they
have nothing. Just here comes in a peculiarity of our system. The
general of the guild is chosen from among the superintendents by vote
of the honorary members of the guild, that is, of those who have served
their time in the guild and received their discharge. As you know, at
the age of forty-five we are mustered out of the army of industry, and
have the residue of life for the pursuit of our own improvement or
recreation. Of course, however, the associations of our active lifetime
retain a powerful hold on us. The companionships we formed then remain
our companionships till the end of life. We always continue honorary
members of our former guilds, and retain the keenest and most jealous
interest in their welfare and repute in the hands of the following
generation. In the clubs maintained by the honorary members of the
several guilds, in which we meet socially, there are no topics of
conversation so common as those which relate to these matters, and the
young aspirants for guild leadership who can pass the criticism of us
old fellows are likely to be pretty well equipped. Recognizing this
fact, the nation entrusts to the h