Page:Alexander Jonas - Reporter and Socialist (1885).djvu/64

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myself the right of prescribing how the society of the future will arrange these matters, yet I believe that you will concede to me the following points without any further dispute: It will be easy to find a system according to which to employ teachers, physicians, etc., to fully remunerate them for their services to society, and to leave them sufficient time for study and recreation besides attending to their regular public duties. So the representatives of creative genius, poets, artists, sculptors, scientists will find their places within our new social system; they will be rewarded for their labors in receiving appointments for the highest places at the great public institutions of art and science (as has been done to-day in the cases of men like Draper, Agassiz, Marsh, Arago, Virchow, Du Bois Reymond, Cornelius, Lessing (the painter), Max Mueller and others), or in any other form. Indeed, if even these men would have to sell their talent, the results of their talent respectively, upon the open market of life, as they are doing to-day—where would they fare better, ask you? In a society of the present day, composed at nine-tenths of rough, uneducated, ignorant, poor and overburdened people, or in our new society of well-educated, intelligent, wealthy and comfortable citizens, who in the average know something about art and science and have plenty of leisure time to occupy themselves with elevating and pleasant contemplation and study?

There can be but one answer to this question—the one in the affirmative. Within the course of time intellectual occupation in general will undergo unavoidable changes. For, as the hours of labor for the production of material things will be more and more reduced according to the progress made in the application of labor-saving machinery, it will become a necessary supplement to every intellectually creative activity which in itself andinits results is a reward to the individual performing it.

As to this state of affairs the "English Social-Democratic Federation," says in its proclamation of January, 1885, viz.: "In such a society as this which we propose, while all men would live untormented by anxiety for their livelihood, while no one could advance himself by pushing back his neighbor, there would be plenty of room for emulation; for those who had any special capacity would have leisure and opportunity to de-