Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-16
THE CRITIC.
Singular md Suggestive Interest in the
Twentieth Century-Looking Backward
in Review-Bellamy's Idens Touched
In Tha Gni- Of H., I'll Eta-


We ought to be able to recognize the twer
tieth century when it comes at last upon tn
scene. If we fail it will be either because W
have ourselves departed where centuries ceas
from troubling or else because there has bee
something wrong about the descriptions of il
At any rate there has been no lack of descriI
ton. The new century has already had 1t
picture taken by a good many enthusiastic an,
amateur photographers. We know precisel
how it will look; or ought to look. And as TO
writing, the most ambitious century coult
hardly desire to be written up at create
length or with more abundant generosity o
| adjectives. The twentieth century has hat
plenty of advance notices." Indeed, one i
reminded of what Max O'Rell thought was ont
of the oueerest incidents of his recent visit t.
| Jonathan and His Continent" when he wa
met, as he embarked at Liverpool, by mott
from the editor of 'The Critic" asking for tive
columns of his ''preconceived notions" O.
America.
1t is rather remarkable, when you come t.
think of it. Though, for that matter, every
thing in this world becomes remarkable and
notable when anybody does any genuine think
ing about it, it is not little singular and sug
gestive, this popular interest in the twentieth
| century. Whatever else it means it shows this
| that there is a widespread consciousness of two
significant elements in the century in which
we live to-day. There is an element OF wonder,
and there is an element of wrong in the exist
ing conditions. We are all looking ahead to
see the wonders emphasized and multiplied,
and to see the wrongs righted. The two most
interesting personages in our modern life are
the scientists and the socialists. We EXPECT a
a great deal from each of these companies of
progress. And this expectation makes us look
ahead into the darkness into which the world
is in few years to take a leap, and to wish
that some flash light could make it visible.
81
If there were no science and no socialism,
Mr.. Edward Bellamy would never have writ
ten Looking Backward. And so great null
titude of people would have missed reading a
good book. 1 bought a new copy day or two
ago-some absentminded borrower having
made way with my old one-and 1t was in
scribed on the title page as being one of the
ninety-first thousand. 1t has not equalled
even yet, the 100000 of "Mr. Barnes, of New
York; but, after the sense of literary discour-
agement which falls upon one at the sight of
such large number on such bundle of
bound trash, it is some comfort to fnd worthy
book selling at such rate.
Looking Backward is being translated,
The Nationalist tells us, into German. And
the prediction is hazarded that Bismarck will
read it with sensation of strong disgust.
Somebody else is putting it into French, and
quite STIR is anticipated in our sister re-
public Looking Backward" is, at least, max
ing quite stir here. And this evidences itself
in other ways than the testimony of the book
sellers ledgers. The Nationalist itself is
significant mark of the impression of the book.
The Nationalist is the organ of the Ma
tionalist clubs. In Boston. in New York in
Hartford. in Chicago, in California, in Mime
sofa, in Texas, are associations of men and
women reporting to this paper, meeting for
discussion of the best way to make the
twentieth century and the millennium come IN
together, and working along the lines sug-
gested by Looking Backward"
Mr.. Bellamy tells US in the opening article of
the first number, "How came to write Look
ing Backward. 1t is always interesting to
know how people come to do things, and es-
pecially when the things were worth doing.
Mr.. Bellamy had no idea of writing a serious
book when he began, he says. He had simply
set about composing "a mere literary fantasy,
fairy tale of social felicity" In the great out
of-doors of the future, with all the room he
wanted and no facts to bother and obstruct
him, he was proceeding to make the whole
world over. The date was the year 5000, and
the center of the universe was Asheville, N. c.
Somehow it happened in the construction of
the plot by one of those intellectual surprises
which begin by surprising the author, and for
which good name is inspiration-somehow
Mr.. Bellamy hit upon the word army" And
that revolutionized his whole idea. More and
more, as he worked that out the idea seemed
more practica BILE and more near. At last he
changed the date and narrowed the scene to
the United States, and wrote his book.
So
That, if you think over the splendid vision OF
Looking Backward" is the word at the CEN
ter. An industrial army, with an army's COM
bination OF aristocracy and democracy, with an |
army's union of effort and purpose, with the |
of the idea of shame or degrade |
ion about the doing of menial duty when one |
s assigned to it, with the possibilities in the |
way of every man for making the most of him. |
self, and yet always in subordination to the aim |
Ind pur pose of the army and for the good of |
.he whole-this is the solution which Looking |
offers to the problem of industrial |
liscontent.
The twent ieth century will be a fine time to
i've in, if it is at all like Mr.. Bellamy's picture
If it. In the first place we will all have money
enough to live on comfortably; and "com-
ortably" means not only bread and butter, but
books and pictures And as for the spending
u honey, snoPpins III tne niilehniuii WIN pe
even more interesting than it is now. There
will be Wanamaker's IN every ward. And
he clerks, we are told, though this is almost
90 good to be true, will not tell us what we
,ught to buy The clerks will all be Govern
nent off cials, and will be no more int terested
n the amount of our purchase than the man is
t the stamp window.
And we will have May Festival every hour
f every day, if we want it, by our telephone
with the central concert room of
ur ward, where the city has the best talent,
y relays, every hour Of the "a. The boy will
ring us the daily programme when he brings