WCP4648

[1]

Parkstone, Dorset.

April 4th. 1899

My dear Grant Allen¹

When I read Mrs. H. Ward’s² "Marcella",³ a few years back, & saw how thoroughly she had got up the arguments of the Socialists & how in all discussions she made Marcella have the best of it, I said to myself, now at last we shall have a Socialist in a novel who does something worthy, & does not turn out a fool or a fiasco! But alas! When the opportunity came, Marcella did no more than apply the usual plaisters & palliatives of the parliamentary [2] philistine.

Now, I have been reading your "At Market Value"⁴ — which I enjoyed very much as a story, and also admired the character of the self-sacrificing hero — who I am glad to see you made to recognise that he had not acted heroically at all, but had wickedly thrown away a great opportunity of doing good by his self-sacrifice.

Now why did you (who know so much better) follow the weak example of Mrs. H. [3] Ward? Is it impossible that a sensible socialist should inherit wealth, and do something with it worthy of his creed? Surely it would not be difficult to make his struggles & troubles and efforts to do good both successful & interesting. I have been led to write this by reading Craig’s⁵ "Ralahine"⁶ — perhaps the most interesting & successful experiment in Cooperation & Socialism ever tried, but narrated in such a confused and discursive way as to be [4] puzzling to most readers.

Now why do not you write a novel of an enthusiastic Socialist — the outcast of his family — who yet inherits a great landed estate — & uses it to teach cooperation, land-nationalisation & socialism? He might try many methods. Lord Carrington’s⁷ plan of giving small plots or farms to all who wants them then gradually bringing them to cooperate, or real socialistic cooperation as at Ralahine — and also one or more of Mr. Howard’s⁸ "Garden Cities"⁹ — in which the municipality gradually takes over all public work, & then absorbs all private manufacture, resulting in a Socialistic City! I admit it would be difficult to make this generally interesting, but I think you could do it.

With best wishes | yours very faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]