i6 



socialist regime? asks M. Richter in his 

 book so poor in ideas but which reaches the 

 grotesque when he supposes that in the name 

 of social equality the " great Chancellor " of 

 the socialist society will be forced, before 

 giving his attention to public affairs, to black 

 his boots and mend his clothes ! Really, if 

 the opponents of socialism had only argu- 

 ments of this kind, discussion would be 

 useless. 



But all would wish to perform the least 

 fatiguing and most pleasant work, says 

 another with more apparent seriousness. 



I would reply that this is equivalent to 

 demanding to-day a decree thus conceived: 

 " Henceforth all men shall be born painters 

 or surgeons." 



But it is precisely these anthropological 

 varieties of temperament and character that 

 will secure, without its being necessary to 

 have recourse to a monkish regulation (another 

 baseless objection to socialism), this distribu- 

 tion of different intellectual and manual 

 labours. 



Propose to a peasant of moderate intelli- 

 gence to devote himself to the study of 

 anatomy or the penal code, or inversely tell 

 the person whose brain is more developed 

 than his muscles to dig the ground instead of 

 observing with the microscope. They' will 

 each prefer the work for which they feel they 

 have the most ability. 



When society is organised under a collec- 

 tivist regime the change of trade or profession 



