Story for children—The Three Gardens (1949)

A Short Story from the December 1949 issue of the Socialist Standard

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, there lived a young man called Albert. He was just like other young men, except that he couldn’t help feeling puzzled. Every morning he awoke and thought. “Perhaps to-day I shall find out why the world is so topsy-turvy,” but every night he had to say to himself. “Well. May-be to-morrow . .  ,"And so it went on for many months.

The things that puzzled him would take far too long to tell, for there were so many of them, but when Albert tried to explain to his friends he used to say. “Do you remember when you were at school there was a poem that went 

'The world is so full of a number of things,

I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.'

Well the world is full of all the things that anyone could possibly want, but we aren't as happy as kings. Some of the people I meet are worried because they can’t get work. Some are tired and ill, because they need a holiday and can’t have one. Some want adventure and others security, some want to buy and others to sell. Wherever I go it seems that everything is in a dreadful muddle, but I can’t see how to put it right.” Poor Albert! It was no wonder that he felt puzzled.

Then one day he heard of a wise man who knew the answer. Naturally he set off straight away. It was a long way to go, but that didn’t deter him. He walked, and walked, and sometimes he managed to hitch-hike, and at last he arrived, very impatient to hear the wonderful secret.

But the wise man was in no hurry. First he gave him food and wine and made sure he had all he needed and had quite recovered from his journey, and then he invited him to see his three gardens. This wasn’t at all what Albert wanted, but as he was a guest he agreed to take an evening stroll with his host, hoping that when he returned they would discuss his problems.

So together they went across the lawn, and through an arch in the close box hedge into a large garden. Albert could see that it was well designed, but it was far from being well kept. The flower beds needed weeding, hedges trimming, and lawns cutting. The pools were green with slime and plants straggled over the rocks. Without a word they passed into the second garden, and here to Albert’s surprise was another of exactly the same design. But this was more like a city park—quite neat and trim.

Then they entered the third garden. Imagine! Here was the same garden again, but what a difference! Bird song filled the air. Flowers bloomed in gay profusion. Trees spread their shady branches. Fishes darted in the sunlit pools, and hanging over the rocks were carpets of every hue; and as they trod the winding paths the air was filled with the fragrance of sweet herbs. It was a garden that Albert felt he would never wish to leave.

Returning to the house the wise man said, “I will now explain something about my gardens that I know is puzzling you. You are wondering why my three gardens are the same and yet so different The first is tended by my slaves. They do as little as they dare. The second, by my paid servants, who do what 1 pay them for, but no more. The third, which I could see delighted you, my friends and I look after. We do it for each other to enjoy, so that we may all have the greatest possible amount of pleasure from it. The world you live in is like my gardens. Until each person in it works for the good of all it will always be a disappointing place to live in.” They walked back thoughtfully. Albert had the answer to his problem at last.

This is an analogy, and analogies mustn’t be stretched too far. The world is not really a garden, and is much more complicated than any garden could be. Nor could all our problems be solved by people being unselfish and helpful. But when people get together to make a world for all to share in—when their knowledge and skill is used for the benefit of all—then they will make a world like the wise man’s third garden. It will be a joy to live in.

A hundred years ago a wise man, who really lived, said about this world we are working to build, “From each, according to his abilities; to each, according to his needs.” This is what we want when we say we are organising to establish Socialism. When you grow up will you help?

K. D.