Upsidonia

is tram, and started to

in their pockets, and the women, although they wore fine clothes, had a very ungraceful bearing. The most expensively dressed were t

th some beautiful lace on her gown and enormous ostrich feathers in her hat, walked in the gutter by my side, and said in the hoarse whine

t young Perry told her to be off, or he'd give her in charge. She slunk away to where a carriage wi

rry. "It is because we have old clothes on. There ar

I asked him. "I want to do the th

cheap," he said. "But, of course, you can get what you want. D

"I should like to have qu

ngly. "I only hope you won't regret it wh

er it costs me I am prepared to carry it t

hen, if you want to do the thing thoroughly, later on you can go to a

in my mind as yet how the question of payment would work out, bu

e first article shown me, which was a ready-made flannel sui

ecret mark on the label,

ce. "We're not paupers, you know

ceptionally badly for that class of goods;

pounds," said Perry, and I c

ice," I said. "I

see you bestowed upon. He'll have

way to him. These people are always open to a bargain, although they profess to sell dear. Why, that suit w

ive credit

he said, with a laugh. "I shouldn't trust them too far,

"I think I'll get a lot of things. What wo

ank you for pretty heartily. The business lost only ten per cent last year, and it used to lose

nd everything I could possibly want for some time to come, I was in debt to the Stores for something considerably over a hundred pounds. But under the circumstances that did not trouble me, and I dete

left the rest to be forwa

oint me out any people of note whom we might meet, and

ough, a cousin of my

was a good-looking woman, and held herself well. She was dressed in a print gown, and wore a hat of pl

ugh a leader of

y poor. Lord Rumborough is a greengrocer in a fair way of

Lord Potter, belonged to it, but it was largely recruited from amongst those who were nobodies by birth and had not infrequently risen from the o

ung man in an old but well-cut serg

he great newspaper proprietor. He has m

ion amongst the workers. He started a weekly paper which few people could read, and lost a good deal of money over it. Using this as a stepping-stone, he started other papers, each more unreadable than the last. He developed a positive genius for discovering wh

at he has. His daily paper has by far the smallest circulation of any in Upsidonia. People r

d. "What is i

there are fewer of them than of any class. The odd thing is that nobody ever seems to have realised before what a great field for newspaper enterprise there is amon

rned men are amongs

Aren't

m fairly poo

t justice to itself if it is hampered by the distractions of wealth, or clogged by luxury. For that reas

after it," I said. "We don't like to let our l

ng that our upper classes lack, it is humility. I suppose, though, that all your peo

there are some who seem to p

I rather gather from things that you have let fall

ess. We are charita

y to relieve a rich man o

umber of people amongst us

ntry must be a Utopia. Do you see that man over there?

ld his head high, and gazed around him as he walked for admirin

n which he was to play a lord, out of revenge for some slight, and he went on to th

ed us, "that in Upsidonia the chief things that are desired

of course, poverty in itself isn't one of the best things; it is only a means to an end. Still, we are none of us perfect, and I don't deny that

dy desire it for

s I have," he said, "you would not ask that question. To be at the mercy of you

ople can amuse themselves. They needn't be

me with cricket and golf and lawn-tennis, and when the game is finish

make them

sidonian race to think of. We can't aff

an really dislikes exercising his body and amusing his mi

o look forward to a life of it-! Besides, he

affor

ts are very rich-at an early age, and the desire for healthy exercise soon leaves him. Why, after a day of

ing money, if you really set out to do it! In my countr

r country cost more than the poor ones

ore. They cost

u, or people will think you are romancing. Everything here that is worth having is cheap, and

learn in the

r earn; although, of course, they would not put it in that way. There was a good deal of grumbling when the last government permitted science to be taught in the public schools. It was felt that

e of their wealth by building hospitals, or

they do that? Only the poor can endow research-by relieving su

itals, or picture galleri

use the party that was lately elected to bring about profusion has turned out more economical than the party it defeated. No; it is the overplus of wealth that make

be wasted, or merely hoarded. Don'

ernment auditors would b

uld the

and the auditors are quite sharp enou

wasted if it keeps a large class of people in idle luxury, when the st

shness of human nature. As long as the poor hav

getting rid of the overplus of wealth in any way they please? It wou

omething-something useful to mankind. If you knew that a considerable proportion of what you produced would be thrown away, why you might just as well wor

it seems to do here, and the overplus of other things becomes a burden to a large pro

that enough. In your happy country, where the upper classes, from what you tell me, act

all see for yourself. Here we are at Magnolia Hall; a