Page:Alexander Jonas - Reporter and Socialist (1885).djvu/65

 velop it, instead of being, as they now are, crushed into uniformity and stupidity by the necessity for haste and ceaseless dull work; the scientist, the artist, the man of letters would no longer have to sell himself at auction for the pleasure of the idle and incapable, but sure of his livelihood, not driven to earn special profits by the exercise of his talents, would be able to devote himself deliberately to science and the arts, and satisfy all the requirements of his genius; nor can we doubt that under these happier conditions the number of people able and willing to exercise special talents for the good of the community would much increase, so that the destruction of the so-called individualist system would result in a prodigious development of individuality."

And then, it would seem to me that in the communistic society the liberty of the individual would be less restrained than in any other social organization ever in existence heretofore?

Undoubtedly it would. Only imagine the situation as it would really be: Everybody is given a chance to make his or her living, according to taste and choice in any industrial, agricultural or commercial pursuit; and all the facilities and opportunities to make that choice and to successfully work in any branch of business and trade would be guaranteed by the institutions of that society of the future. Every one may avail himself, or herself, of these facilities and opportunities according to the respective individual's own free will and pleasure. There will be no compulsion of any kind except that of the laws of reason and individual disposition, the latter to be restrained only so far as is necessary to avoid the violation of the rights of others, or of society as a whole. This is true liberty, and the sole freedom really agreeing with the organization of the nature of mankind.

I might ask a great many questions more; the subject is really interesting me a good deal. For instance: will there be any taxes in your society, and how are the tax-payers to be assessed; what will be the position of woman, and how about the family question which, it seems, the public at large does not very well understand