The Ideal State 307 



people who otherwise would lead happy and profitable 

 lives. In all probability the State would find total 

 prohibition a necessary procedure at this imperfect 

 stage of man's ethical evolution. 



The white slave traffic to be stringently and relent- 

 lessly supervised until prostitution is abolished. 



All women, for a certain number, say three years, 

 to take their share of such work as domestic service ; 

 as daughters of households this would be nothing more 

 than their simple duty ; the nursing of children comes 

 under the same category. All men similarly to take 

 their share of what are called the more menial occupa- 

 tions, such as work on drains and other trades necessary 

 to the accomplishment of a perfect sanitation. It is 

 well for men and women to have practical knowledge 

 of every department of work and method, and par- 

 ticularly everything pertaining to the wise conduct of 

 a household. This could not but be beneficial to the 

 individual and to society. 



The system of punishment for criminal offences to be 

 revised and altered. The soul of man is essentially 

 "good"; it has become attracted to its opposite 

 through the force of a bad environment upon the husk 

 of the soul — the "carnal mesh" — the "muddy 

 vesture of decay." Therefore we must effectually 

 change the environment, and especially in prison, 

 where the defaulter should only be detained until, with 

 safety to himself and others, he can be restored to the 

 society of his fellows. At present we do all we can to 

 make him the enemy of society, and confirm this by 

 our attitude when he returns to it. We must endeavour 

 to remove the evils of his previous bad environment, 

 to shed the spirit of love into his soul, and reawaken 

 the true self — the Divine element, immanent and ever 

 awaiting the light from the Eternal to arouse its 

 dormant energies. Therefore, in future, until all crime 



