What is Socialism ?

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 30, 4 August 1894, Page 4

What is Socialism ?

TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAB. Sik, — I have read the interesting debate, which you are good enough to open your columns to, on this subject. I trust 1 shall not bfi accused of wishing to rush into print. What is Socialism ? It is a question often asked, and likely to be asked more frequently, for the per?«n> who profess it are making a great noise in the world. Mr Bentley says that Mr Goodbehere is imbued with the false , idea that Socialism is synonymous with Communism, JNihilisiu, etc. Animals are endowed with an instinct of coming 1 danger, and of many other things by their Creator, flan has also the same instinct. socialism is connected in most minds with the ' isms' 1 have mentioned, and I thiuk very truly too, as 1 shall endeavour to show from the one instance the worid has seen of the truits of Socialism. With your permission, I will quote some extracts from the actual writings of Socialists. According to them the affairs of the world have been mismanaged during these 6000 years, therefore ' the tiroes are out of joint.' Ido not say that your So- I cialist correspondents will uphold the ■ six a rticl p s of creed that I am about Ito copy from Mr < JweQ and «th°rs, W they show to what length the principles of change may lead them. There is a very good proverb of Soloman's—" My son, f«-or thou the Lord j and tbe king and meddle not with those that are given to change, I—We are »equired to give up belief in the biblp. 2— To deny the existence of a future state altogether, for heaven and bell are formed and invented by priests to impose on the credulity of mankind. 3— To shut up our churchos, tor it is impossible to train men to became rational in j their fe'Hn&s until all such forms cease. 4 — Community of sexes. s— No useless private property, etc. 6 — Society should not be composed, as at present, of single families, but of communities. Mr Owen at New Lanark tried this experiment with 2500 people, and only engaged the very best characters, but the commune failed, because, says a Socialist writer, Mr Owen lost some hundreds of pounds annually through the peculrtions of his people. Socialism has also been tried on a large scale, in fact there were no restrictions, for the whole country of France was under the control of those who were going to inaugurate a new reign upon earth of liberty, equality and fraternity. Now the French commenced in the same way as the modern school —in the name of universal philanthropy, brotherly love, hat rod o! tyranny, and also about following the dictates of nature and the rights of men, etc. Tbe whole country was modellfd to the Dew regime, for they overturned the existing government, shut up the churches, abolished the law uf marriage and the ri»hts of private propprty ; in fact just the same as f he six articles of Mr Owen 'I he victims ol this revolution were upwards of one million — nobles, priests and peasants were aU alike killed — showing that it was not a crusade against the nobles only, for there were 15,000 of ml rior rank who suffered, as against 2400 oi nobles and priests That noble Frenchman might well say: "Oh 1 Liberty, Liberty, what crimes are com- , nutted in thy name." Read the newspapers now — Nihilish plots, Anarchist outrages, labor strikes and intimidations, all iti the name of liberty ; tbe perusal makes us thankful that we live under the flag of old England. We are the most law-abiding people in the universe, for we feel that our laws are made and put in force by and for the people. The democracy of England is so free that the fancied equality and fraternity of Socialists could not well be more so. I have often noticed the loyal expressions given vent to in leading articles an I extracts in your paper, and I trust to see more of them, that your readers may know the advantage of living under the stable laws of England, and ' not hanker after any visionary ideas of change which may end as the first experiment did, not in a reign of peace and goodwill, but in a " Reign of (error." Human nature is ju^t the same at the end of this century s it was at the end of the last, the labor riots in America have shown us that. lam imbued with the belief that Socialism is a bud -a pretty bud — but thar. it opens out and ripens into a deadly fruit. I am, etc., F. W. Wiiidley. Ashurst, July 30, 1894.