"Yes--and no. All the main business is; the big assured steady things that our life depends on. But there is a free margin for individual initiative--and always will be. We are not so foolish as to cut off that supply. We have more inventors and idealists than ever; and plenty of chance for trial. You see the two hours a day which pays board, so to speak, leaves plenty of time to do other work; and if the new thing the man does is sufficiently valuable to enough people, he is free to do that alone. Like the little one-man papers I spoke of. If a man can find five thousand people who will pay a dollar a year to read what he says he's quite as likely to make his living that way." "Have you no competition at all?" "Plenty of it. All our young folks are racing and chasing to break the record; to do more work, better work, new work." "But not under the spur of necessity." "Why, yes they are. The most compelling necessity we know. They have to do it; it is in them and must come out." "But they are all sure of a living, aren't they?" "Yes, of course. Oh, I see! What you meant by necessity was hunger and cold. Bless you, John, poverty was no spur. It was a deadly anæsthetic." I looked my disagreement, and he went on: "You remember the hideous poverty and helplessness of the old days--did that 'spur' the population to do anything? Don't you see, John, that if poverty had been the splendid stimulus it used to be thought, there wouldn't have been any poverty? Some few exceptional persons triumphed in spite of it, but we shall never know the amount of world loss in the many who did not. "It was funny," he continued meditatively, "how we went on believing that in some mysterious way poverty 'strengthened character,' 'developed initiative,' 'stimulated industry,' and did all manner of fine things; and never tinned our eyes on the millions of people who lived and died in poverty with weakened characters, no initiative, a slow, enforced and hated industry. My word, John, what fools we were!" I was considering this Government Press he described. "How did you dispose of the newspapers you had?" "Just as we disposed of the saloons; drove them out of business by underselling them with better goods. The laws against lying helped too." "I don't see how you can stop people's lying." "We can't stop their lying in private, except by better social standards; but we can stop public lying, and we have. If a paper published a false statement anyone could bring a complaint; and the district attorney was obliged to prosecute. If a paper pleaded ignorance or misinformation it was let off with a fine and a reprimand the first time, a heavy fine the second time, and confiscation the third time; as being proved by their own admission incompetent to tell the truth! If it was shown to be an intentional falsehood they were put out of business at once."