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WILLIAM MORRIS
WILLIAM MORRIS: HIS
            THOUGHTS, THEORIES
            AND    OPINIONS UPON
 WORK IN A FACTORY.
 THROUGH THE COURTESY AND GOOD WILL
OF MR. J. SPARGO OF NEW YORK, THE
EDITORS OF THE CRAFTSMAN HAVE OB-
TAINED A VALUABLE LITERARY DOCUMENT,
THE EXISTENCE OF WHICH IS KNOWN TO
COMPARATIVELY FEW READERS. ITS ORIGIN
AND SIGNIFICANCE ARE EXPLAINED BY THE
FOLLOWING FACTS, ALSO FURNISHED BY
MR. SPARGO. ON JANUARY 19, 1894,
THERE WAS PUBLISHED IN      ENGLAND,
MAINLY THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF MR.
EDWARD CARPENTER, THE FIRST ISSUE OF
A WEEKLY SOCIALIST PAPER, "JUSTICE,"
WHICH STILL SURVIVES THE VICISSITUDES OF
THE STRUGGLE COMMON TO SUCH PAPERS.
THE EDITORS OF THE PAPER WERE WIL-
LIAM MORRIS, H. M. HYNDMAN AND J.
TAYLOR. IN ADDITION TO THE LEADING
EDITORIAL ARTICLE, WHICH BEARS THE
NAME OF ALL THREE, THE PAPER CON-
TAINED A SIGNED ARTICLE BY WILLIAM
MORRIS: HIS FRANKLY AVOWED SOCIALIST
WRITING. To THIS LITTLE JOURNAL, MOR-
RIS CONTRIBUTED A GREAT MANY ARTICLES
AND SOME OF HIS MOST CHARMING POEMS.
IN APRIL OF THAT SAME YEAR, THE FIRST
OF THE FOLLOWING PAPERS APPEARED. IN
AFTER YEARS, WHEN QUESTIONED, MORRIS
FREQUENTLY REFERRED TO THE PAPERS ON
WORK IN A FACTORY AS IT MIGHT BE, AS
HIS MOST DEFINITE AND EXPLICIT STATE-
MENT ON THE SUBJECT. BECAUSE OF THEIR
INTEREST AS THE OPINION OF THE GREAT
ARTIST CRAFTSMAN, THEY ARE HERE RE-
PRINTED. THEY POSSESS THE FERVOR
WHICH MADE ALL THE UTTERANCES OF
WILLIAM  MORRIS VITAL AND INSPIRING.
THEY ARE SATURATE WITH THE ROUGH
VIGOR OF THE ANGLO-SAXON AND THE
PRACTICAL SENSE OF THE ADVANCED ECON-
OMIST.
              WHY NOT?
A T a meeting of the Commons Pres-
      ervation Society, I heard it as-
      sumed by a clever speaker that our
great cities, London in particular, were
bound to go on increasing without any
limit, and those present accepted that as-
sumption complacently, as I think people
usually do. Now, under the present Capi-
talist system, it is difficult to see anything
which might stop the growth of these horri-
ble brick encampments; its tendency is
undoubtedly to depopulate the country and
small towns for the advantage of the great
commercial and manufacturing   centres;
but this evil, and it is a monstrous one, will
be no longer a necessary evil when we have
got rid of land monopoly, manufacturing
for the profit of individuals, and the stupid
waste of competitive distribution; and it
seems probable that the development of
electricity as a motive power will make it
easier to undo the evils brought upon us
by capitalist tyranny, when we regain our
senses and determine to live like human
beings; but even if it turns out that we
must still be dependent on coal and steam
for force, much could still be done toward
making life pleasant, if universal co-opera-
tion in manufacturing and distribution
were to take the place of our present com-
petitive anarchy. At the risk of being
considered dreamers therefore, it is impor-
tant for us to try to raise our ideals of the
pleasure of life; because one of the dangers
which the social revolution runs is that the
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