The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest / The writings of philosophers, poets, novelists, social reformers, and others who have voiced the struggle against social injustice; selected from twenty-five languages; covering a period of five thousand years

by Unknown

New Worlds for Old

By H. G. Wells

(See page [519])

The Socialist holds that the community as a whole should be responsible, and every individual in the community, married or single, parent or childless, should be responsible, for the welfare and upbringing of every child born into that community. This responsibility may be delegated in whole or in part to parent, teacher, or other guardian—but it is not simply the right but the duty of the state—that is to say, of the organized power and intelligence of the community—to direct, to inquire, and to intervene in any default for the child’s welfare.