In Utopia, as in Plato's Republic, all things are held in common, for the public good cannot
flourish where there is private property, and without communism there can be no equality. More,
in the dialogue, objects that communism would make men idle, and destroy respect for
magistrates; to this Raphael replies that no one would say this who had lived in Utopia.
There are in Utopia fifty-four towns, all on the same plan, except that one is the capital. All the
streets are twenty feet broad, and all the private houses are exactly alike, with one door onto the
street and one onto the garden. There are no locks on the doors, and every one may enter any
house. The roofs are flat. Every tenth year people change houses--apparently to prevent any
feeling of ownership. In the country, there are farms, each containing not fewer than forty persons,
including two bondmen; each farm is under the rule of a master and mistress, who are old and
wise. The chickens are not hatched by hens, but in incubators (which did not exist in More's time).
All are dressed alike, except that there is a difference between the dress of men and women, and
of married and unmarried. The fashions never change, and no difference is made between summer
and winter clothing. At work, leather or skins are worn; a suit will last seven years. When they
stop work, they throw a woollen cloak over their working clothes. All these cloaks are alike, and
are the natural colour of wool. Each family makes its own clothes.
Everybody--men and women alike--works six hours a day, three before dinner and three after. All
go to bed at eight, and sleep eight hours. In the early morning there are lectures, to which
multitudes go, although they are not compulsory. After supper an hour is devoted to play. Six
hours' work is enough, because there are no idlers and there is no useless work; with us, it is said,
women, priests, rich people, servants, and beggars, mostly do nothing useful, and owing to the
existence of the rich much labour is spent in producing unnecessary luxuries; all this is avoided in
Utopia. Sometimes, it is found that there is a surplus, and the magistrates proclaim a shorter
working day for a time.
Some men are elected to become men of learning, and are exempted from other work while they
are found satisfactory. All who are concerned with government are chosen from the learned. The
government is a representative democracy, with a system of indirect election;