Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-11

NO. he replied. what do we want with
SHOPS and stores? The state feeds us
and dresses US. cuts our corns and buries
US, what could we do with shopsr'
! began to feel tired with our walk
sald: Can we go in anywhere and have
III he said: "A drink What's a.drink?'
we nave half pint Of cocoa with our din
ner. DO You mean that?"
ter to b mot deei equal to explaining the mat
yer 70 MIN. and he evidently would not have
Understood me If / had; SO 1 said.
yes; L meant that"
Ne passed very fine-looking man a little
Iuither on, and / noticed that he only had
one arm. 1 had noticed two or three ratb-
et pis-Iooking men with only one arm in
lne course OF the morning, and IL struck me
guide. ~ W my
He said: Yes; when a man is ,nucb oho,,.
the average size and strength. we emf one
Oh ms legs or arms off, so as to make things
more equal; We lop him down a bit, as il
were Nature You see is somewhat hehind
the times; but we do what we can 10 NJ
her straight" " put
said: Il suppose you can't abolish ber,,
ell, not altogether" he replied. 1--WE
only wish we could But" he added a,,ar7
ward with pardonable pride. we've done a
good deal" ~ q
How about an exceptionally clever man.
What do you do with him?"
well, We are not much troubled in tbat
way now" he answered I'VE have NOT
come across anything dangerous in the
shape OF brain power for some very CON-
siderable time now. When we do we per-
form surgical operation upon the head.
which softens the brain down to the aver
age level"
Il have sometimes thought" unused the
old gentleman. that it was pity we could
not level up some times instead of ALWAYS
leveling down; but of course. that is i'm
possible"
said: do you think it right OF YOU 70
cut these people up and tone them down
in this manner"
He said: "Of course 1t is right"
You seem very cock-sure about the mat
right?'
because IL is done by the majority"
How does that make it right?' / asked.
"a majority can do no wrong" he an
swered.
oh; is that what the people who are
''They!' he replied. evidently astonished
at the question. "Oh. they are In the minor
ity, YOU know"
Yes; but even the minority has a right 10
its arms and legs and heads, hasn't it?"
"A minority has no rights, he answered.
said: It's just as well to belong to the
majority: II you're thinking of living here.
He said: Yes; most OF our people do.
They seem to think IL more convenient"
/ was finding the town somewhat unin-
teresting, and 1 asked IL we could not 20
out into the country for change.
My guide said: oh, yes. certainly" but
did not think should care much for It.
'Oh! but it used to be SO beautiful In the
country" / urged, before / went to bed.
There were great green trees, and grassy.
wind-waved meadows, and little rose-decked
cottages, and"
"Oh, we've changed all that" interrupted
the old gentleman; 1T is all one huge
market garden now. divided by roads and
canals cut at right angles to each other,
N n han In
whatever We have abolished beauty: II in
terfered with our equality. 1t was not fair
that some people should live among lovely
scenery and others upon barren moors. So
We nave made 1t all pretty much alike ey-
erywhere now, ana no place can lord IT
over another"
Can a man emigrate into any other
country" / asked: 'it doesn't matter what
country-any other country would do"
"Oh, yes, II he likes" replied my compan-
ion; but why should he? All lands are
exactly the same. The whole world is all
one people now-one language, one law, one
life"
rs there no variety, no change any
where?" / asked. What do YOU do for
pleasure. for recreation? Are there any
theaters?'
NO" responded my guide. I'VE had to
abolish theaters. The histronic temperament
seemed utterly unable to accept the princi-
Piles of equality. Each actor thought him.
self the best actor in the world, and SUPER
Tor. in fact. to most other people altogether.
L don't know whether it was the same In
your day?"
Exactly the same" I answered, but
we did not take any notice of it,
"Ah! We did," he replied, land, in conse-
quence, shut the theaters up. Besides our
White Ribbon Vigilance Society said that
all places of amusement were vicious ana
degrading: and being an energetic and
stout-winded band they soon won the ma
Jority over to their views; and SO all amuse-
ments are prohibited now"
] said: Are You allowed TO read books 2''
Well" he answered. there are not many
such perfect lives. and there being no wrong
or sorrow, or joy, or hope or love- or grief
in the world, and everything being so regu-
lar and so proper, there is really nothing
much to write about-except, OF course the
Destiny Of Humanity
''True"' / said. Il see that But what of
the old works. the classics? You had Shake
speare. and Scott, and Thackeray, and there
were one or Two little things OF my own that
were not half bad. What have you done
with all those?'
''Oh. We have burned all those old works. IS
he said. They were full OF the old wrong
wien men were merely slaves and beasts OF
burden"
He said all the old paintings and SCULPTURES
had been likewise destroyed, partly for that
same reason and partly because they We're
considered improper by the White ribbon
Vigilance Society, which was a great power
now; while all new art and literature were
forbidden, as such things tended to under
mine the principles OF equality. They made
men think, and the men that thought grew
cleverer than those that did not want 10
think: and those that did not want to think
naturally objected to this. and being in
the majority, objected to some purpose
He said that, from like considerations
there were no sports or games permitted
Sports and games caused competition and
competition led to inequality.
/ said: How long do your citizens work
each day."
Three hours" he answered; after that
all the remainder of the day belongs to our
selves"
All! that is just what was coming to-
L remarked. Now, what do you do with
yourselves during those other twenty-one
hours?'
'Oh, We rest"
What! for the whole twenty-one hours ?''
We'll, rest and think and talk"
What do you think and talk about?"
oh! Oh, about how wretched life must
have been in the old times. and about how
happy We are now, and-and-oh, and the
Destiny of Humanityr'
Don't You ever get sick Of the Destiny of
Humanity
No. not much
And what do You understand by Il?
What is the Destiny Of Humanity. do YOU
Think"
'Oh!-why toto go on being like we are
now, only more so-everybody more equal.
and more things done by electricity, and
everybody to have two votes instead of one,
and
Thank you. That will do. Is there any,
thing else that you think OF? Have you got