THE BLARNEY OF BEN MACHREE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 924, 17 September 1910, Page 10

THE BLARNEY OF BEN MACHREE.

Sir,—Allow 1110 to, tender a.'few words of advice, to 13on ' MachreeV your corre■spondent of Saturndy last. / Te.t I submit ■he will find them of littlo. value unless he first learns to think clearly bud argue logically. That he is unable to do so at present, can-be, easily si>en by, his -let■tcr,-. /which., is composed ,of a heap of and- ii'confused siring of: assertions.- To reply 16- it - all would take/up more space than it would be fair to expect Tee Dominion to concede, but one'of/hls ao-catlcd arguments will lw sufficient to show .the character of the .rest.-.. As. 0110 acquainted, with- Milwaukee, he ieUs -' us the Socialists there because / the population is .'mostly comprised 0/ ignorant- dupes, who would fall an easy prey 'to' Socialist agitators.; 13eer ■and -whisky (ho says).fplay an-important part at. election , times; ' Now, 1 what can. we . draw, from this?; Simply that Anti-' Socialista. have 'taken advantago, of' these dupes, and the. unwarranted assumption of'"Sen Machres" that Socialists 'are now in' because .they employed the same ' methods,' '• Any ' Socialist will tell him that gullibility and viciousness amongst the, poor ls:;the .greatest etuf.ibling-block' to tho ; movement, I,and. the d<«pair of the leaders. Again, ho, denounces the Socials istfor- /attacking "religion.. But we do not...attack' religion;, wo denounce tho prostitution^'-of religion, and;.that wo ore justified is borne' oiit".. by an. article iu .this v morning's :: (Tuesday's). l .Dominion. The.fiftv. Mr. Chappie, in ronomioin!; his obligations to the Church,!.says: "Tho Church is; reeking'lrith intellectual dis-'honesty./;-'A minister-.can believe in what ■he./iikee, :bo , long /as. lie ki^ps, his. mouth shut.",-;", /,/";/' V,'.--' 'f; " /.

The: cry "of materialism, as applied to Socialism is deliberate ;'misreprfcsentatipii. Thero rero Atheists before. Socialists, und to-day modern-society is based upon raiiK materialism, although Boclnllsm Moms' u long .way, Hof P.ulpit,,; press,., and. Parliament arc saturatcu.Tritli.it.. The' social password is not r.^yhat.Vi^.'your"',religion ? What. is I, your-/ideal? • 'but 'What■ have you got;, and :.What'"is your position, in life? : Not'Chriit, but-Mammon,' is Lord of. all/: "Ben -'Machine l ' himself testifiesto -that. He : .spreads .an odoui 1 of .sanctity around Carnegie'.and Hoclcefeller,'floats a halo"-round - their - , heads, and., sets , theiri in the stained-glass: windows of. moneyed .saintship. The. poor we- have ( always with us; everybody 13; contented; God is in his'Heavenj all'i well -with the-world. These are the. sentiments of one living 'inia - 'fool's paradise;,„ therefore '\i.t' is necessary': iibnieono 'should 'kick 'hiw,-'and letiliim-feel there's such'.a thing as pain ■In the • world. He should be taken a 'Kip 1 'through •; a slum 'to see whaf poverty means;, through.,' a .lunatic... asylum to taste! of horror.i- L a>workhouse.?and imprison. :to loarn ; ;'6fi r degradKtion He" i,tfillj. tfi?n :begin . toivjnndwfetand?. the taeaijing'-.'of' these lines. (Spirit ; aii'tlvls- found as often 111. a gaol as" oa-the iJiillsi?'- will ,let'-:in ia flood flight, agiftitors . give- iup. : .thejrv- com-, ideal -ana tontempt. iCan'{it:','B6 .said"ol the. Socialist' that lie. is fighting ,iii a popular' causjP;' Friend s '.'Machrce" read .the words of 1 .Carlyle, EusTiih,: o:nd those 'high-soule'd?Socia]ists, Morris. .Blatchfordi- Lasalle,'. and Kingsley.''. Then study Marx and ■ other scientitic v - ; S6cialists. jTou-V.will then l have 'a knowledge 6f ithe}driving' force, behind, tho movement that .is : filling.;courts and conn'' cil 'chambers- withValarm, and the' disinherited .with .':h'dpe.Theii ': come and tell' us' what-you .Know,' about' Socialism. —I am; etc., r - N - - - G.C. AVcUington,-, ■ i'-.am. under- no' delusion as to tho attitude of' The. Dominion to--wards. Socialism,: 1: yet.'feel sure .you will grant- me space/in-,your: oolumns for. a 1 reply-; to" viiwi 'Maekreo's"-; remarks ! on Milwaukee: and appearing 411 issue. . .' Though he claims some kno'wledgiy'of Milwaukee, his remarks indicate onlyr-sueh a knowledge , bp^'Kaj.ne4;Vf ro .m;' a. glance at.-the map; otherwise- he.iwoiild not'conclude -that. ihe.'.Socialistfvictory thero;-was tho result, 'of poverty,-drink,-and ignorance.'- It'is. true, there is a''strong foreign element' there, German ,'.predominating; but ■ that fact does: Hot" tend ito support his ! statement, that, thp. VPB'l'W, are .poor and -ignorant. Quite, the contrary, most i»f' theviPi'kere ,in' r thiitaregiott own their, house* imd are. a' law-abiding and respect-, able class of -citizen. ~..1-.. ; . - :

.ThD . roport ' of.' the. vSan,'. '.Francisco "Chronicle".; and tho .remarks .thereon ure ■ wholly, itt ;.vnriuiicewith'' thosb^of; Mayor Siedol, of Milwaukee, r to; a-representative of a iipiirSoci'iliat liingaiiiiß, the "Jlin'fr 'teonth 'Century'.;.';'.-, He;-says,?.inter ' alia; that' "Milwaukee-is; a.'convinced Socialist, city;, it :will never .go back to tho old Republican or Democratic ranks. .'• It- has reached all .classes,: wo, have been, at it ■ these, twonty-su ywira, 'I'ear.' after, yeai we •: dislribnted Spcialii.t : lilei'iiture. Printei-i> J ink' is- far .m'ore convincing than mwtlngs; or publiis. shaking. ' - In • this way.:;wo reaflh" thousands:-, Vim/never .attend a public meeting.-It is--not a: pro-, letavlat.vote-'-pove'rty ilid' not-uiako Milwaukee. a' Socialist:, city.; Appointments to .city clerks' office and public offices .are made regardless of Civil Service laws." His remarks generally "go to prove that .thero haj beoii ii« (lacking to,make rouiu for the brotkurliooil, slaunchi supporters, htc., as' has been -,alleged, aild.. wliioli 1/) such 'a ,peculiar, .'featuro of the old regime.: '' ■

On Socialism : and intellect, "Ben Machree" misquotes—unconsciously, I think--a local -writer to (he press. Tho (uintemio should ..load: "The of the working class and the really ■ intellectual of all classes are Socialists." Strictly, there is no intellectual class, or, shall 1 siiy, no one class holds a monopoly of it, .for intellect ..is a. republic. What is intellect? "It is. breadth of comprehension,'and this Implies gentleness and love. The man whose scope oi thought takes in the whole created world, and apprehends man's placo in nature, cannot hn eruol to Ills follows " Intellect, if it in selfish, is wisely selfish. It perceives .that such a shocking abomination as : our present condition cannot endure. True intellect is broad, far-siglited, wideranged; merciful, • just. • It is not the poofs, tho philosophers, the philanthropists, the historians, the ' sages, . tho scholars, the really intellectual of any nation, who own the great '.fortunes. No; but: there is a sub-section, of tho brain called "cunning"—it has nothing to do with olovation of mind. It is the. trait of. foxes, monkeys, crows, rats, and : other vermin. "Ben Machree" is inclined to judge of a man's intellect by his coinmnrcial and financial standing, but if he will study Socialist literature ho will find that sub-section plays a very 'important part in the make up of his heroes.

That Socialism is not confined to tho working class is seen by the fact that there arc nicmliers of tho British nobility, and men holding some of the highest administrative positions under the Crown who are avowed Socialists, and have for many years done brilliant work mi'behalf of the cause. To realise that Socialism, intellect, arid the working ola-ss are not strangers, wo have only to look at Germany, the land of tho educated proletariat, to find the most scientific and best-organised body of- Socialists In the world. A nation of,.readers and thinkers; its army is honey-combed with Socialism,' the spirit .of -which, .permeates th'o nation; its literature:is .everywhere. So important- a.-part do-the*.Socialists nlay.in the politics of /.tho empire that thev constitute the best .guarantee against a European, waiv ..keeping., u,-wholesome check, on' that bellicose person and hero by proxy, the Kaiser.

"Ben" asks somo questions'which bring up memories of tho loii" past, but as they aro ;bona-fide, X will, if you will kindly permit mo, endeavour to deal with them as concisely and as comprehensively.. as the circumstances will allow, and in tho same spirit. He asks: "If the Socialists believe in the brother-, hood of man, why do they attack religion and denounce the capitalist?" I do not know of. Socialists, as Socialists, attacking religion. Socialism is a question of. ethics and economics, and the sinccr.e and sensible Socialist i k«r [)s. to tho question. Same, kind of Socialist has not much time for dunouncing the capitalist, who is but tlie creature of the system which, lie is out to abolish., The Socialist believes in the brotherhood of man, but all the caiat about it comes from the other side. ' Socialists do not propose to confiscate wealth, but to Sociajise the means of producing it, and to distribute it on. a Scientific and equitable basis. Socialism will not abolish private property. On the contrary, there will bo more private property and true individualism than is possible', for tho majority of mankind to-day.. After , all, the que's/. tion is simple.,-/ Shall.: Kbte means of pro',, during and distributing what is essen-. tial to the comfort aijd. happiness/of the whole community be held by a small section of the community or' by the whole of the community? Think it out "Ben." "Bon" breaks off here to draw on his imagination, .a pretty. jpicture .of ■ the, illuminated cities and oontented citizens of capitalism, 1 - and theft, .with great, dexterity.proceeds topaint a very lugubrious picture of society at a standstill under Socialism, where, the spirit of enterprise is dead naid monotony reigns supreme. The oft-shelved unemployed problem is thrust on to the shoulders of Satafa,. the people are in dull despair, their only in- , sentive i» to ,'io nocL'ba, theii onl> amusement to watch th-6 stationary attitude of the wheels of progress, and listen to the silent clangof; the machine. _If that picture be true, then I shall .'join the first ahti-Socialist league formed in Wellington. He says there is a gentleman in the community who is likely to upset the calculations; >of tho Socialists, the; man who won't work. 'Now, speaking with some experience of the world and with due respect to the orthodox, I have, come to the 'conclusion; that this centleman js a very neai relation to Mrs. Arris. . It is not work that men try to avoid, but .the unfair, and unpleasant conditions attached to it. Given proper conditions, [, do not think any healthy person would • refuse to work. 'Under Socialism, with the incentive to m.<ike profit out of men's, labour gone; wort would be moro pleasant and congenial, less hazardous and less arduous, and will be only such as is necessary' to ,keep't the mental and physical, organism in health. Therefore Socialism by providing.;Eor the man. who will work provides for thie manwwhso s won't work. It .will deal with, the criminal-by abolishing thfe chief. cause; of crime. "Finally,, he. asks: "What shall we do with tho lunatics?" .- Send .t'hem '.to - look for, the man who' won't: work. With apology for i the' Jshjth' of: the l«tter,Trlrara, etc.;; P. BROWNE. ,/Koro-Koro. -. . ' .