The old pathetic story of Midas, whose wish—granted by the gods—that everything he touched should turn to gold, seems vaguely symbolic of this eager desire to turn living, initiating individuals into subservient parts of a social Whole. It is possible to have a prayer too completely answered, as poor Midas found, when his best cook’s masterpieces became hard yellow metal under his teeth, till he starved amidst fabulous riches; while his heart was finally broken when his little daughter, running in to bid him good morning, was changed into a priceless golden statue. Like Midas, our reformers are short-sighted. Their eyes are so fixed on the Golden Age that they want to bring about for humanity, that they forget that they may be killing humanity in the process—the very spring and life-essence of the human material which they—meddling little amateur deities—are trying so hard to make after their own image. Our philanthropists will find when too late, that they have turned all that is living into hard, precious, valueless gold—the gold of a mechanical social order—if the gods are cruel enough to grant their foolish prayers! I do not say that the day of awakening would never come. To China and Japan for instance, it _has_ at last come—through _outside_ not internal causes, be it noted. But think of the spell-bound, horrible ages of night-mare-ridden sleep that went before! Once upon a time in old Japan, a man was not allowed to give his grandchild a doll measuring more than certain carefully prescribed dimensions. The paternal Powers deemed moderation in dolls to be desirable, and so curbed undue enthusiasm in grandparents by solemn legislative measures. It is claimed by its admirers that the system (whose nature we can gauge from this instance) worked admirably. Probably it did. So does a regularly-wound clock.