Chapter 11

Then a soft, sweet strain of music was heard. It increased in volume until a thousand instruments seemed to blend into one melody. Suddenly, the vast assembly arose as one man and joined in a song of joy and thanksgiving.

"Guide--dear friend," whispered the king of Poland, "I am overcome, I cannot remain."

"I feel faint," said Remand, "I fear I shall perish."

"Come, then, we had better go," answered Paulus. "This is all we shall see at present. We shall now go into another room and wait the council's adjournment; then you will have an interview with one delegated to talk with you."

From the hallway they entered a smaller room, decorated with beautiful pictures and adorned with statuary. Books, newspapers and magazines were at hand, and when the visitors were tired of gazing, they sat down by a table.

They had not long to wait before word came that the king and his friends should enter another room close by. Paulus would wait for their return. The two found a venerable looking man awaiting them, who, upon their entrance, arose and said:

"Welcome, welcome, to the Lord's house. I may not call you king of Poland--there is but one King on this earth--but I will call you servants of the King, as we all are. Be seated.

"I am instructed to tell you that, as a whole, the King is pleased with the manner you are conducting your stewardship. The Spirit of our Lord moved upon you to take this journey to his capital, and you chose to come as you did. That is well enough. Tyrants do not enter this city, and your presence here is assurance to you that you are justified.

"It is well that you have disbanded your armies, and that your instruments of war have been made into plows and pruning hooks. Remember the law that the nation and kingdom that will not serve the Lord shall perish. The King grants to all His subjects their free agency in the matter of religion, forcing no one to obey the gospel law; still He is the King of the earth; it is His, and He made it, and has redeemed it; and He now wills that all nations shall come under one government organized by Him in righteousness. For a thousand years the earth must rest in peace; then comes the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

"And now, another thing. There have been some complaints from your country that the servants of the Lord who have been sent to preach the gospel to your people, have not had that perfect freedom which is desired. Please see to it that they are not molested while peaceably promulgating religious doctrines."

"I shall see to it," answered the king of Poland.

For some time they counseled together; then the two withdrew, and joined Paulus, who conducted them out into the city.

II.

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; * * * and a little child shall lead them. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."--_Isaiah 11:6-9._

The next day Paulus with his two visitors walked about the city. He described and explained the many deeply interesting scenes, and answered the numerous questions directed to him. The foreigners did not fail to note the wonderful advances made in the arts and sciences and their practical application to everyday affairs. They had thought their own country not behind in improvements, but here their own were far surpassed.

"We will ride out on the ether-line to one of our schools," remarked Paulus. "You will be pleased with the children."

"This is an improvement on electricity," said their director, as seated in an elegant car, they were carried through the city without noise or jostle. "This line is rather crude yet. I was reading in the newspaper the other day that some very important improvements were shortly to be made. You have noticed, ere this, our method of heating and lighting. Don't you think it is an advancement on the old way?"

"It certainly is, though we use some steam and considerable electricity yet in our country."

"I suppose so--but here we are."

Although nothing in the city was cramped or crowded for room, the place where they now alighted was planned on an unusually large scale. Immense buildings stood upon a large tract of land, planted with trees, grass, and flowers. Here were breathing room and playground. A number of streams of clear water flowed through the grounds, and small ponds were alive with fish and swimming birds. Fountains played, and statues of marble gleamed through the foliage.

"See, what is that?" exclaimed Remand, as he caught sight of a huge, shaggy beast lying under a tree.

"Just a brown bear," said Paulus. "We have some lions and few of the rarest animals on these grounds--but I am forgetting that these scenes must be strange to you. In Poland you have not wholly shaken off the old world and its way. It takes time of course."

"Well," replied Remand, "although the enmity between man and beast is nearly gone, we have not yet adopted bears and lions as pets for our children to play with."

"Well, we have, you perceive."

A bevy of children came dancing through the grounds. Beautiful children they were, full of life and gladness. They caught sight of bruin, stretched under the tree, and with a shout they stormed him. The animal saw them coming, and extending himself at full length on the ground, seemed to enjoy the children's tumbling over his shaggy sides. When they patted him on the head and stroked his nose, he licked their hands.

"We haven't reached quite that far," remarked the king.

"Neither do we behold such sights," added his companion, as he pointed to a tiger crouching on the grass, and gazing with no evil intention at a lamb quietly feeding by.

"You will in time," said Paulus. "The earth is being filled with the knowledge of God. Hate, envy, and destruction are fast disappearing, and you see the natural results: the wolf lying down with the lamb, and children playing with once savage beasts. In this way, Satan is being bound, and the whole earth will soon be released from his power."

They came to another group of children, gathered on the shore of a small lake, who were eagerly listening to a man in their midst.

"We will hear what the lesson is today," said Paulus, and they went up to the group. The instructor was holding up a flower which he had plucked from the margin of the water, and was illustrating some peculiarity of vegetable formation to the class.

"It is botany today," said Paulus. "I hoped that it would be his favorite theme."

"And what is that?"

"The improvements on these grounds are the work of his planning and supervision, and he delights to give lessons on earth and water formations. He often sets a class to digging trenches and waterways. He says that he learned all about such things when he went to school, meaning when he was on the earth before."

"Is he a resurrected being?" asked Remand in a low voice.

"He is," was the reply. "Many of our instructors are. You will understand without argument the advantages they have over others."

"Certainly, certainly."

"I see he is through with the recitation. Let us speak to him."

As they came up, the children recognized them with a smile and a salute, and the instructor said:

"Welcome, brothers, welcome, Brother Paulus."

"You are dismissed. Go to your next lesson," he said to the children, and they quietly walked away.

"Now," said he, "I have some leisure. Will you all come with me into the reading room? I have something to show you, Paulus, and it may interest our visitors."

"Need we no introduction?" asked the king, as they followed into a large building.

"Not at all. He knows who you are."

The reading room was a compartment beautifully adorned and furnished. It was filled with tables, chairs, bookracks, etc. Hundreds of children were there reading. Perfect order reigned, though no overseers or watchers were seen. The three followed the instructor into a smaller room, seemingly arranged for private use. Chairs were placed, and then he opened a newspaper which he spread on the table.

"Have you seen the last edition of today's paper?"

None of them had.

"Well, I found something here of more than usual interest. It seems that some workmen, excavating for a building, came across the ruins of a nineteenth century city. In a cavity in a stone they found some coins of that period, also a number of newspapers. It was a common practice in those days to imbed such things in the corner stones of buildings. Extracts from those papers are reproduced here, and they are of interest to the children of today in showing the condition of the world when under the influence of that fallen spirit who rebelled against God in the beginning. Let me read you a few extracts, principally headings only."

"'Yesterday this city was visited by a most destructive fire. One-half of the business part was swept away. Thousands of dollars of property were lost, and it is supposed that about fifty persons have perished in the flames.'

"'The great strike. Thousands of workmen out of employment. Children crying for bread. Mobs march through the streets, defying the police, and demolishing property. The governor calls out the state militia.'

"Here is another:

"'War! War! England, Germany, France, Russia and the United States are preparing!'

"Yes, you have read your histories. You know all about that. What do you think of this?"

"'Millions of the people's money have been expended by those in office to purchase votes. A set of corrupt political bosses rule the nation.'

"Still another:

"'A gang of tramps capture a train--'"

The reader did not finish, but laid the paper down and looked out of the open door. He did not speak for some time; then turning, said:

"Brothers, thank God that you live in the Millennium of the world. My heart grows sick when my mind reverts back to the scenes of long ago. I passed through some of them. I learned my lessons in a hard school; but God has been good to me. He has known me all along, and has given me just what I needed. Shall we visit the buildings? Shall we see the children who grow up without sin unto salvation? Come with me."

From room to room, from building to building, they went. Children, children, everywhere--bright, beautiful children. Oh, it was a grand sight! Hark! They sing--a thousand voices; and such music!

"Are there special visitors today?" asked Paulus.

"Yes; come let us go outside and see them."

They stepped out on to a portico where they could see the throng of children standing on a large lawn outside. They were singing a song of welcome, and through the trees could be seen three men approaching. The children made way for them, and they walked through towards the building.

"Look well at them as they pass," said the instructor; "you may recognize them."

They walked with the sprightliness of youth though their hair was white as snow. They smiled at the children as they passed.

"Two of the faces are familiar," remarked Remand, "but the third is strange. Surely, surely--"

"Surely you did not expect to see George Washington and Martin Luther in the flesh, walking and talking as other men?"

"Never."

"It is they."

"And the third?"

"The third is Socrates of old."

"What is their mission?"

"They are about to speak to the children. They have been at the school of the prophets all morning, and now they come from the high school yonder. You see what advantages today's students of history have."

"Has the knowledge of God exalted men to the society of resurrected beings?"

"Your senses do not deceive you," was the reply.

"Now I must go," said the instructor. "Farewell, and peace be with you."

He went into the house again, the three following directly, but they saw nothing more of him.

III.

"Every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills * * * for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof."--_Psalms 50:10, 12_.

The King of Poland and his counselor lodged that night in the city. Early next morning, Paulus came again for them.

"What do you wish to see, today?" he asked.

"Take us to some or your workshops and mills," replied the King; "we would like to learn more of your social and industrial conditions, about which we have heard."

A car soon took them to a part of the city where the workshops were situated. The buildings were not great, black-looking structures with rows of small windows in the walls; but they were handsome, spacious buildings, resembling somewhat the finest of the public buildings with which the visitors were acquainted in their own country. Remand noted the absence of smoking chimneys, and inquired about them.

"We have done away with all that," explained Paulus. "Pure air is one of the essentials to life. One of the crudest imperfections of the past was the wilderness of smoking chimneys which belched forth their blackness and poison into the atmosphere. As you have noticed, our city is clean, and the air above us is as clear as that above forests or fields."

"I suppose you use electricity for light and power," remarked Remand; "but you need heat, too."

"We use electricity for heat also," was explained. "We get it direct from the earth, also have it generated by water power, both from falls and the waves of the sea, and transmitted to us. Some of these power stations are hundreds of miles away among the mountains, and by the sea. We have also learned to collect and conserve heat from the sun; so, you see, we are well supplied for all purposes. This building," said the instructor, pointing to the one in front of which they had stopped, "is a furniture factory. Would you like to see it in working operation?"

"Yes; very much," said the King.

They entered clean, well-lighted, airy rooms where beautiful machinery was being operated by well-dressed and happy-looking workmen. The visitors passed from section to section, noting, admiring, and asking questions.

"Whose factory is this?" asked Remand of the guide.

"You mean who has charge--who is the steward?" corrected Paulus.

"No; not exactly that. This magnificent plant must have an owner, either an individual or a corporation. I asked for the ownership of the property."

The guide looked strangely at his companions. Then he realized that these men had come from the parts of the earth where the celestial order had not yet been established. The old ideas of private property rights were still with them.

"My friends," he said, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. He is the only proprietor. How can weak, mortal man own any part of this earth! No, ownership is for a future time, a future state. Now we are only stewards over the Lord's possession."

"But someone must have charge here," said the king.

"Certainly. A master mechanic is steward over this factory, and he renders an account of all its doings to the Bishop, who is the Lord's representative. In this building, as you have seen, are many departments, and these are also stewardships, given to those in whose charge they are. Likewise, each workman has a stewardship for which he is responsible and accountable to the Lord."

They came to the wood-carving department where beautiful designs were being drawn and executed.

"Each man, as far as possible, does the kind of work best suited to his tastes and abilities. Here, for instance, those who are skilled carvers of wood find employment for their talent, and they turn out some fine articles of furniture. Of course, we have machines that stamp and carve wood; but the pleasure derived from the use of the skilled hand is not to be denied the well-trained mechanic and artist."

"I don't quite understand what you mean by stewardships," said Remand as they passed into a rest room.

"Let us sit down here," replied Paulus, "and I shall try to explain further. You must know that all this order, beauty, peace, and plenty has been attained by an observance of celestial law. And the celestial law as pertaining to temporal things is that no man shall have more than is required for his and his family's support. In this respect all men are equal according to their needs. In olden times, this law was called the order of Enoch, because we are informed that Enoch and his city attained to a high degree of righteousness through its observance. Later it was called the United Order. It has been revealed to and tried by men in various periods of the earth's history, but never has it had such a chance to redeem the world as it is having now. According to this law, no man can accumulate unto himself the wealth created by the work of others, as was the case in former times with us, and still prevails to some extent among other nations. All surplus which a worker accumulates beyond his needs is turned into the general storehouse of the Lord. Thus each man becomes equal in temporal things as well as in spiritual things. There is no rich or poor: each man obtains what he requires, and no more."

"What is the extent of this surplus?" asked the King. "Is it large?"

"Yes; because of the nearly perfect condition of our industrial system, a great amount of wealth flows into the general storehouse. You will understand, of course, that all public institutions receive their support from this fund, so that the old order of taxes is done away with. You have noticed our beautiful city. You have not seen palaces of the rich and hovels of the poor, but you have seen magnificent public buildings, parks, and thoroughfares. These institutions that are for all alike have been built and are sustained by the surplus; and this city does not represent all of what the people of the Lord are doing. The Lord's work is being extended throughout this land and to lands beyond the sea. Not the least of our duties is the building of temples and the performing of the work for our dead in them. So you see, we have need of much wealth to carry on our work."

"Yes; I understand," remarked Remand; "but in our country and time, as indeed, it has been in the past, many have tried plans of equality, but they have been more or less failures. Why have you succeeded so well?"

"The chief cause for the past failures of the world in this industrial order lies in the supposition that unregenerated men, who have not obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ, and who are, therefore, full of weaknesses and sins incident to human nature without the power to overcome them--I say the mistake lies in the supposition that such men can come together and establish a celestial order of things, an order wherein the heart must be purged from every selfish thought and desire. No wonder that a building erected on such a poor foundation could not stand. We have succeeded because we have begun right. We have had faith in the Lord and His providences, have repented of our sins, have been born again of water and of the Spirit, and then we have tried to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. We have done this pretty well, or we could never have succeeded in this work of equality that you see and admire. People who do the things that you observe around you must have the Spirit of God in their hearts. This celestial order is God's order, and those who partake of its blessings must be in harmony with God's mind and will. High law cannot be obeyed and lived by inferior beings who are not willing to submit to the first principles of salvation and power."

The three sat in quiet contemplation for a time. Then the King said: "Tell us about the wages of these workmen. The proper adjustment of wages has always been a source of much trouble with us."

"Yes, in the days when every man had to look out for himself and had no thought for his neighbor, it was a continual struggle to get as much as possible for one's work and to give as little as possible for the work of another. Such conditions were natural under a system of greed and selfishness, and they brought on much contention and trouble, which, happily are now ended. In the beginning," explained the speaker, "those who enter this order of equality are required to consecrate all their property to the Lord. Then each is given a stewardship according to his needs and his ability to manage and to work. Children have a claim upon their parents for support until they are of age, when they also are given a stewardship."

"Are the wages equal to all?"

"No; and for the very good reason that the needs of all are not alike. According to the old order, the superintendent of these works, for instance, would draw a salary of perhaps $5000.00 a year, while the men who do the manual labor would get less than a tenth of that sum."

"True," remarked Remand, "supply and demand regulates these things. Superintendents are scarce, but common workmen are plentiful."

"But, my dear friend, we have no common workmen. It is just as important that a table should be put together properly, and that it be well finished as that there should be a superintendent of the works. No man in our industrial system can say to another, 'I have no need of thee.' Each is important, each has his place, each supports the other. The polisher or the sawyer, therefore, should have his needs supplied, and so should the overseer--but no more. What would he do with more, anyway? Tell me."

"Why, why," replied Remand, "He could save it, put it in the bank, invest it."

Paulus smiled. "What good would hoarded wealth be to a man whose needs are all provided for as long as he lives, as also his children after him. We have but one bank here--the Lord's storehouse, and all profits derived from investments are there deposited. But speaking again of wages, I happen to know that the superintendent of this factory is a man with a wife only to support, and they are very simple in their tastes. The wood-carver whom we spoke of has a large family of children. His needs are greater than the superintendent's, therefore he receives more for his portion. That is just, is it not?"

"Yes," replied Remand, "the theory seems to be all right but its application, among us at least, would bring endless complications to be adjusted."

"Perhaps so," replied Paulus. "We are not perfect, even here. While we are in mortality, we have weaknesses to contend with; but you must remember that we look on every man as a brother and a friend, and as I have stated, we have the spirit of the Master to help us. When this help proves insufficient by reason of our own failure to do the right, and in our weakness we are unjust or overbearing, or oppressive, then there is the Lord Himself whose throne is with us. He balances again the scales of justice, and metes out to every man his just deserts."

Paulus arose, and the others followed him reverently out into the park-like space surrounding the factory. They walked slowly along the paths as they talked.

"The argument usually urged against all orders of equality," remarked Remand, "is that it takes away man's incentive to work."

"Have you seen any idle men in or about Zion?" asked the guide.

They acknowledged that they had not.

"The new order has not taken away incentives to work; it has simply changed the incentive from a low order to a higher. We can not afford to work for money as an end. Wealth, with us, is simply a means to an end, and that is the bringing to pass of saving righteousness to the race, individually and collectively. Wealth is not created to be used for personal aggrandizement; and, in fact, its power to work mischief is taken away when all men have what they need of it. The attainment of worldly wealth was at one time the standard of success. It was, indeed, a low standard."

"What is your standard?" asked the king.