Morris' ideal England there appears to be no central government, but merely an aggregation of communes or towns, each of which regulates its own affairs on a strictly democratic basis. This is a distinction which anarchists too commonly overlook, when they argue against the necessity of government. In the sense of a force to restrain and punish, governmental administration may no doubt be dispensed with in proportion as a better social system shall be introduced but in no degree will any degree of moral improvement lessen the necessity of a strictly economic administration for the directing of the productive and distributive machinery. This is in strong contrast with the theory of nationalism, which holds that no amount of moral excellence or good feeling on the part of a community will enable them to dispense with a great deal of system in order so to co-ordinate their efforts as to obtain the best economic results. That is to say, he believes that the present system of private capitalism once destroyed, voluntary co-operation, with little or no governmental administration, will be necessary to bring about the ideal social system.
Morris appears to belong to the school of anarchistic rather than to the state socialists. This dream business is very cleverly managed, though of course it is merely the contrivance for getting the author's social ideas in objective form. All the while he has a vague idea, just as one so often has in dreams, that he is dreaming, and it finally turns out that he was dreaming, and he awakes again much disgusted in this musty 19th century. Then follows the story of a week's wanderings among the friendly people by whom he finds himself surrounded, his experience naturally consisting largely of questions and answers born of his surprise at what he sees about him and the surprise of those about him at his surprise. On going forth he discovers that everything else is changed, and in fact that it is the England of the 20th century that he has awakened to. When he wakes he is surprised to find it summer, whereas it was winter when he went to bed. The tale is on this wise: After a heated discussion with his friends at the socialist league, the narrator goes home and to bed. His "News From Nowhere," just published in this country by Roberts Brothers, is a setting forth in the form of a clever fiction of his ideal of the good time coming, and is exceedingly well worth reading. Perhaps the most distinguished of the many converts which socialism in England has made from among the cultured class is William Morris, author of "The Earthly Paradise," and one of the greatest of living poets. Permission is granted to copy and/or distribute this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. Edward Bellamy 1891 "News from Nowhere" William Morris' idea of the good time comingĬopyleft: Edward Bellamy Internet Archive () 2002.
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