QUEST FOR UTOPIA

Northern Advocate, 23 July 1938, Page 12

QUEST FOR UTOPIA

NEWS from Hobart suggests that there are still folk who can convince themselves that an escape from the cares and woes of civilised life can be found i’n an Arcadian existence on a desert island. History supplies countless parallels to the case of the Tasmanians who propose to found a Utopian colony in the Marquesas Group. The Utopians are always with us; and a refusal to be daunted by the failures of others seems to be one of their more obstinate qualities. It was Plato, in the fourth century before Christ, who produced, if not the first, the greatest, of the Utopias, “The Republic,” in which he outlined a scheme of government for the Perfect State, was the literary progenitor of the long series of Ideal Communities that has been periodically begotten down the centuries. The Republic, a City-State like Athens, was ruled by a governing class of Guardians, chosen for their moderation, justice and wisdom. They lived in barracks, eating and sleeping together, holding no private property,

and freely provided with all they needed by a subordinate class of husbandmen and artisans, who, in exchange for their services, obtained security. Equality existed between the sexes; and the offspring of hygienic mating, taken soon after birth from the parents, became complete wards of the State. With philosophy the chief intellectual as well as spiritual occupation, and fighting the sole practical accomplishment, the Guardians governed to a rigid moral code hr which justice was of the first importance, but toleration was decidedly limited—in f the best interests of the citizens. History, art, religion, music and the drama were all subordinated- to the austere general plan. Indeed, poets were totally excluded, since it . was demonstrable that verse and tftith were* totally incompatible. Th« Perfect State was a compelling vision to Plato: in “Critias” —another book —he describes the ideal commonwealth of Atlantis. Is this, like “The Republic,” a wholly imaginary place, or was it actually based on fact? We do not know, to this day.