 topics of conversation so common as those which relate to
these matters, and the young aspirants for guild leadership who can pass the
criticism of us old fellows are likely to be pretty well equipped. Recognizing
this fact, the nation entrusts to the honorary members of each guild the
election of its general, and I venture to claim that no previous form of society
could have developed a body of electors so ideally adapted to their office, as
regards absolute impartiality, knowledge of the special qualifications and
record of candidates, solicitude for the best result, and complete absence of
self-interest.
    Each of the ten lieutenant-generals or heads of departments is himself
elected from among the generals of the guilds grouped as a department, by vote
of the honorary members of the guilds thus grouped. Of course there is a
tendency on the part of each guild to vote for its own general, but no guild of
any group has nearly enough votes to elect a man not supported by most of the
others. I assure you that these elections are exceedingly lively.«
    »The President, I suppose, is selected from among the ten heads of the
great, departments,« I suggested.
    »Precisely, but the heads of departments are not eligible to the presidency
till they have been a certain number of years out of office. It is rarely that a
man passes through all the grades to the headship of a department much before he
is forty, and at the end of a five years' term he is usually forty-five. If
more, he still serves through his term, and if less, he is nevertheless
discharged from the industrial army at its termination. It would not do for him
to return to the ranks. The interval before he is a candidate for the presidency
is intended to give time for him to recognize fully that he has returned into
the general mass of the nation, and is identified with it rather than with the
industrial army. Moreover, it is expected that he will employ this period in
studying the general condition of the army, instead of that of the special group
of guilds of which he was the head. From among the former heads of departments
who may be eligible at the time, the President is elected by vote of all the men
of the nation who are not connected with the industrial army.«
    »The army is not allowed to vote for President?«
    »Certainly not. That would be perilous to its discipline, which it is the
business of the President to maintain as the representative of the nation at
large. His right hand for this purpose is the inspectorate
