This pamphlet contains the text of a lecture delivered to the Hammersmith Branch of the Socialist Democratic Federation at Kelmscott House on November 30th, 1884. Its ideas and beliefs continue to be relevant today.
William Morris (1834–1896) was a textile designer, novelist, poet, translator and socialist. He was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, and he played a significant role in the early Socialist movement in Britain. Morris trained as an architect, then turned his hand to interior design. He published poetry and novels. In 1877 Morris founded the Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings, and in the 1880s he embraced Marxism and became a revolutionary socialist activist, first with the Socialist Democratic Federation, then founding the Socialist League in 1884.