"But that is not the
way things fall out. The man would be supported in idleness, probably,
till he got another job, by his union, which would take the matter up."
"But I thought that our friend did not employ union labor," returned the
Altrurian.
I found all this very uncomfortable, and tried to turn the talk back to a
point that I felt curious about: "But in Altruria, if the literary class
is not exempt from the rule of manual labor, where do they find time and
strength to write?"
"Why, you must realize that our manual labor is never engrossing or
exhausting. It is no more than is necessary to keep the body in health. I
do not see how you remain well here, you people of sedentary occupations."
"Oh, we all take some sort of exercise. We walk several hours a day, or we
row, or we ride a bicycle, or a horse, or we fence."
"But to us," returned the Altrurian, with a growing frankness which
nothing but the sweetness of his manner would have excused, "exercise for
exercise would appear stupid. The barren expenditure of force that began
and ended in itself, and produced nothing, we should--if you will excuse
my saying so--look upon as childish, if not insane or immoral.
Pages:
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94