“Yes; I understand,” remarked Remand; “but in our country and time, as indeed, it has been in the past, many have tried plans of equality, but they have been more or less failures.  Why have you succeeded so well?”

“The chief cause for the past failures of the world in this industrial order lies in the supposition that unregenerated men, who have not obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ, and who are, therefore, full of weaknesses and sins incident to human nature without the power to overcome them—­I say the mistake lies in the supposition that such men can come together and establish a celestial order of things, an order wherein the heart must be purged from every selfish thought and desire.  No wonder that a building erected on such a poor foundation could not stand.  We have succeeded because we have begun right.  We have had faith in the Lord and His providences, have repented of our sins, have been born again of water and of the Spirit, and then we have tried to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.  We have done this pretty well, or we could never have succeeded in this work of equality that you see and admire.  People who do the things that you observe around you must have the Spirit of God in their hearts.  This celestial order is God’s order, and those who partake of its blessings must be in harmony with God’s mind and will.  High law cannot be obeyed and lived by inferior beings who are not willing to submit to the first principles of salvation and power.”

The three sat in quiet contemplation for a time.  Then the King said:  “Tell us about the wages of these workmen.  The proper adjustment of wages has always been a source of much trouble with us.”

“Yes, in the days when every man had to look out for himself and had no thought for his neighbor, it was a continual struggle to get as much as possible for one’s work and to give as little as possible for the work of another.  Such conditions were natural under a system of greed and selfishness, and they brought on much contention and trouble, which, happily are now ended.  In the beginning,” explained the speaker, “those who enter this order of equality are required to consecrate all their property to the Lord.  Then each is given a stewardship according to his needs and his ability to manage and to work.  Children have a claim upon their parents for support until they are of age, when they also are given a stewardship.”

“Are the wages equal to all?”

“No; and for the very good reason that the needs of all are not alike.  According to the old order, the superintendent of these works, for instance, would draw a salary of perhaps $5000.00 a year, while the men who do the manual labor would get less than a tenth of that sum.”

“True,” remarked Remand, “supply and demand regulates these things.  Superintendents are scarce, but common workmen are plentiful.”