THROUGHOUT THE AGES utopian dreamers, impractical and
often fantastic in their altruistic efforts, have nevertheless
fought in the vanguard of social progress. They are charged
with a divine unrest which is not satisfied until they have settled
upon a prospect of the ideal world. Critics of their generation and
of the ways of men, they envision a society purged of the evils they
abhor. Their utopias know no poverty, pain, or persecution; the
foundation pillars of their imagined societies are peace, plenty, and
complete happiness. These perfect communities remain, of course,
a beautiful dream. Yet their ardent creators frequently have succeeded far better than they knew, since in stirring the imagination
of many thousands they have initiated movements for reform which
in time have brought at least a good part of their utopias down to
earth. "The Utopian dreamers of social justice," William James
remarked, "are . . . analogous to the saint's belief in an existent
kingdom of heaven. They help to break the edge of the general
reign of hardness, and are slow leavens of a better order." Anatole France, a keen critic of human foibles, was even more positive in
his estimate: "Out of generous dreams come beneficial realities. Utopia is the principle of all progress and the essay into a better
future."

Most utopians have started from the belief that man is naturally
good and that a favorable environment is bound to bring him to
a condition of perfection. Their chief task therefore has been the

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