222 FROM A NEW ENGLAND HILLSIDE. 



all these things are business, and so long as 

 a man is engaged in any one of them, he is 

 popularly supposed to be a useful member 

 of society, while if he has &quot;retired,&quot; he 

 has ceased to be such, and has become 

 as it were simply as a &quot; fifth wheel to a 

 coach.&quot; 



Now, in the last analysis, nothing could 

 be more absurd than this. The only solid 

 basis which the idea rests upon, is just the 

 one which, practically, is wholly left out 

 of the account. That is, that in a social 

 world, each should do a portion of the 

 world s necessary work, and this according 

 to his ability to do it, and not necessarily 

 for pay, or because he needs the pay which 

 may be given for it. If the work which he 

 does is not a part of the work which helps 

 the world along, it is useless work, however 

 much he may be paid for it ; and if the 

 work is something which does help the world 

 along, even in the least degree, it is part of 

 the true world s work, even if it be any 

 thing but what is ordinarily called business, 

 .and even if the suggestion that it had a 

 money value would excite a shout of deris 

 ion from the thoughtless all over the land. 

 Indeed, it might belong in one of these 

 categories and yet be absolutely priceless. 



