ABSTRACT
Not long past, there was published a book, of an ugliness so gross and a vulgarity so pestilent, that it deserved the bonfire and the hangman, the fate ofno worse books in a bygone age. The book has been bought by tens of thousands, and by hundreds of thousands, in England and America; clubs and societies have been called after its author's name. That book is Looking Backward. It purported to give us an insight into the perfected society of the future; and what we saw was a nightmare spectacleofmachinery dominating the world. Yet, despite the ugly and the vulgar features of Mr. Bellamy's dream, it was easy to sympathise with his intention: that modern society is far from perfect, that competition can be most cruel, that our conditions of life are restless and mean, few will deny. Whether the preaching of Socialism or of Communism be a happier solution of our difficulties, than a strong faith in the virtues of patience, of courage, and of time, is another question. Weare all agreed, that the existing state of the world is not over pleasant.
