troublous times to the blissful state in which we now find you."

"The transition was exceedingly slow; it seemed, in fact, impossible that
such a change could ever be effected. But it began with the establishment
of universal peace, which was demanded by the growing spirit of brotherly
love, and assisted by commercial reciprocity and a world language.
Gradually national boundaries were found to be only an annoyance, and in
time--a long time, of course--we became one nation and finally no nation.
For now no one exercises any authority over his neighbors, since the need
for all artificial distinctions has long since passed away."

"Then," said I, "you have no doubt lost all fear and anxiety over the
conflicting interests of capital and labor."

"Yes," replied Thorwald, "for we have no such distinctions in society as
rich and poor, workingmen and capitalists. We all work as we please, but
there is so little to do that no one is burdened, and one cannot be richer
than another because all the material bounties of nature and art are
common to all, being as free as the air. I suppose, as this seems to be
strange talk to you, that you cannot realize what it is to belong to a
society where everyone considers the interests of his neighbor as much as
his own. You will find when you reach that point that most of your
troubles will be gone, as ours are."

"Our troubles!" said the doctor. "Many of our troubles, to be sure, arise
from our passions and appetites--in other words, from our selfishness--and
these will no doubt disappear when we reach that blessed state of which
you have spoken, a condition prayed for and dimly expected by many of our
race. But other troubles of ours come from sickness and severe toil, from
accidents, famines, and the convulsions of nature. How, for example, can