contrary, there was absolutely no violence. The great
corporations had taught an entirely new set of ideas. The people had
seen syndicates handling revenues; greater than those of states, and
directing the labours of hundreds of thousands of men with an efficiency
unattainable in smaller operations. It had come to be recognised as an
axiom that the larger the business the simpler the principles that can
be applied to it; that, as the machine is truer than the hand, so the
system, which in a great concern does the work of the master's eye, in a
small business turns out more accurate results. Thus, thanks to the
corporations themselves, when it was proposed that the nation should
assume their functions, the suggestion implied nothing that seemed
impracticable."

"In my day," said I, "it was considered that the proper functions of
government, strictly speaking, were limited to keeping the peace and
defending the people against the public enemy."

"And, in heaven's name, who are the public enemies?" exclaimed Dr.
Leete. "Are they France, England, Germany? or Hunger, Cold, Nakedness?
In your day governments were accustomed, on the slightest international
misunderstanding, to seize upon the bodies of citizens and deliver them
over by hundreds of thousands to death and mutilation, wasting their
treasures the while like water; and all this oftenest for no imaginable
profit to the victims. We have no wars now, and our governments no war
powers; but in order to protect every citizen against hunger, cold, and
nakedness, and provide for all his physical and mental needs, the
function is assumed of directing his industry for a term of years. Not
even for the best ends would men now allow their governments such
powers as were then used for the most maleficent."

"Leaving comparisons aside," I said, "the demagoguery and corruption of
our public men would have been considered, in my day, insuperable
objections to government assuming charge of the national industries."

"No doubt you were right," rejoined Dr. Leete; "but all that is changed.
We have no parties or politicians."

"Human nature itself must have changed very much."

"Not at all; but the conditions of human life have changed, and with
them the motives of human action. The organisation of society with you
was such that officials were under a constant temptation to misuse their
power for the private profit of themselves or others. Now society is so
constituted that ther