"I see what you mean,"I said."But--what do you mean?"
"Simply that hired houses,such as most of us live in,shall all be furnished houses,and that the landlord shall own every stick in them,and every appliance down to the last spoon and ultimate towel.There must be no compromise,by which the tenant agrees to provide his own linen and silver;that would neutralize the effect I intend by the expropriation of the personal proprietor,if that says what I mean.It must be in the lease,with severe penalties against the tenant in case of violation,that the landlord into furnish everything in perfect order when the tenant comes in,and is to put everything in perfect order when the tenant goes out,and the tenant is not to touch anything,to clean it,or dust it,or roll it up in moth-balls and put it away in chests.
All is to be so sacredly and inalienably the property of the landlord that it shall constitute a kind of trespass if the tenant attempts to close the house for the summer or to open it for the winter in the usual way that houses are now closed and opened.Otherwise my scheme would be measurably vitiated."
