MEANING OF SOCIALISM.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 March 1914, Page 2

MEANING OF SOCIALISM.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, .1 was pleased to see such a reasonable and tolerant letter in your columns as that of Mr JLtoche. 1 have pleasure in attempting to answer his question (and others equally genuine) on the true meaning of Socialism. Many people condemn Socialism, not because they have any definite argument against it, but chiefly because they are entirely ignorant of its meaning. Tn Xew Zealand, those -ame peyple honestly believe theSocial Democratic Party is an arrogant upstart evolved from the ■xireme wing of They either condemn it, or are contemptuous about it, or ignore it. They will not realise that it is but a branch of the world movement Tor the uplifting of the masses; and not merely the masses, but all '•hisses of the community, even including the wealthy. Tt has al•vays seemed ridiculous to me that people who are neither brilliant nor intellectual pretend to hold in •ontompt the great scientific, move•neni ,when it is embraced by such intellectual giants as G. Iv. Chesterton, IT. G. Wells, Sir Oliver Lodge, Bernard Shaw, the late Dr. A. I{. Wallace (the eminent ■.( ieutist). the Duchess of Warwick, the Bishop of Oxford, and so many others that [ could fill your paper; also, that the official article on political economy in the lalest Encyclopaedia Britannicn is written bv a pi'ominent Socialist : and, further. Hint the "bulk of the best present-day novelists and writers base their writings on the principles of Socialism. When I'acts like these are _ considered surely no reasonable thinking man :.r woman can" afford to dispise so lignified and far-reaching a movement ! Socialism is not merely a narrow political party. It is quite unlike Liberalism or Toryism, for these are only national, .ind differ in meaning in each ,-ountry they /exist in. But Socialism is international in character, and Socialists, no matter what nationality they are, have the same mission, and preach the same ■>ospel in every civilised country. Socialism, therefore, is essentially evolutionary--it lias evolvedfrom ■apitalism (and in the inevitable natural course of things will finally supplant it) just as capitalism ,ucceeded the feudal system. _ It :« a humanitarian movement, it is ; scientific movement, and it is Ihedutv of every reasonable man m ,t to Wnore it. but honestly to wk its "profound philosophy, and , );(vin , done thai, to " Yours, etc J.U.U.I.