W.E.A.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 April 1923, Page 4

W.E.A.

si TIIK HISTORICAL AXI) CRITICAL BASKS OF SOCIAITS.M, y I lie u~iial weekly lecture in Economics ■ I whs i'ivon to the local W.F.A. class by the Tutor, Mr 11. fiekshaw, .M.A.. on ■j Tuesday evening Inst in the Education Jpi Board Room. The subject of the lecHture wars “The Critical and Historical bases of Socialism.” * B | “The causes of the development ol , 3 ; Socialist theories.” said Mr Belshaw. *| ! “must he sought in the material condial i lions created by the Industrial Rcvulu- ■ J i linn. The slowly dissolving framework Jg j of medieval life was suddenly broken " 9 ! by the mighty blows of the steam eni j j giue and the power loom. With it disH| ajipeared like a dream the ancient lia- ■ I its o! .social union and personal al"3 lection, which had lingered on in the Si ( rpiiet hollies v. here master and ap] reny l ice w orked side by side at the loom jggj and large. Industry was dragged from nra ; the imi ages to factories and cities. ; and tin -(niggle tor wealth withered -p--jj the old hoods of mutual trust. Ciiiii[..'lilojii liecniue n new and term,ls* ["j force, and the burdc-n of materia! pros.[~j pi-rity was horn on Hie backs of ihiidLi reu. Cities spread sprawling over the IJ 1 countrside. and when Western Kurope p| | had time to pause in its blind rush for ri wealth, the mischiet was already done. [ J and social thinkers saw the developr 1 intuit of new classes and new groups of jl-| problems. U| “Starting with tlm slogan of “the (“j | greatest good of the greatest nuniL-r. fj ; IJiuiham had coileludetl that his ideal □ j could be realised by a policy ol unreO strict, c 1 freedom of action and open □ competition. Owen, realising the fallM ar\ of ibis, saw that mutual aid was y the necessary factor in human proU gross, lie believed that the cause of [J ; human sulfering was an intellectual □ eiror. and that the immediate perr=j i fee tibility of man might be achieved, pj I by proving as the result of reason ami [[j I example, that men would be happier il □ i he replaced individualism with soeial- □ | ism. lie attempted In form socialist US Ctopian ill Kngl;ind and America, but pj 1 lies,, tailed, lie then turned to pro- [| : pagaiidisl coforts and greatly ein-omag-C! ccl the development ol soc ialistic ideals. CJ 1 Owen saw the importance ol education. UJ | and of the spirit ol co-operatimi in sopj j (iety: (he was the real father of the pj j present co-operative movement). but |Q i the elianges lie de'ired to introduce m i were mec lianirni. not organic . He failjed to realise the importance of the ™ ! “soc ial heritage" and his ounce ptie.n of b.| j the nature of man was t rroneouHe JJ ® | over-tressed the importance of oiivironlef ment. and neglected the importance ol * 6 i those characteristics of man which tsq j change hut slowly. His model cniii- ° i munitie.' which were to change society wjj 1 |,y th - force of example, were autoi rntii in eoiieeptimi. and were' to be motived by “bourgeois" philanthropists, n ■ not by the peoule themselves. A simi*n| lar e.mi-eption elevi loped in Frame. bi ; “1 he Chartist movement devi'l-ined I another phase of sue ialism. owing to a b> great debt to the French Revolution. c jj in its concept ion o| the natural rightEg of man. If all men had eqmP politi-j y cal right.-, tln’ii c omiil ions iveiilcl of ne- j eessitv improve. They demanded uni- ’ jj“| ! versa I sulfrage. cepial clcctorai districts | n ■ vote by ballot, payment of members, | y the abolition oi property qualifications »U lor members and tinnual Rarliameiits, ; :dl of which except the hist have now ; HI cm granted. But the elforts oi flic i ( hariists ended in disillusionment, and I st i v d |., accentuate the next pha-t, j fee :orc -ruii ncr ot modern soiiali-iu. : jI be reel sc:: :."l e.t iiiovenieiit, began j ■ with tic de\eg jiiueiit ot a class ion- j j M-iou- I : oict a I let. The development ol I class c ohm ion-ness was due to several | , ia'l-cs; the grouping together if per- I i m.'incnt group, of wage , iruei, in large j j groups, the stern I- pl'c--inn oi ( kart- j | '.m. tile I nil nr ot c tie IP form bill c ,f j ■ 1832 to elicit any marked improve- j • incut, the repressive I pi-1.-ilmn against i Tiadc I’moiii-m. and the teaciiing ol Marx. "The most influential mum in the history ot socialism is that of .Marx. He established a theory of value whieli a: neared Co orovid.., both a si ic-nl die

|;rool. liiat the worker was exploited and a serious mouil eliarge against th Capitalist system. lie was the iirsl 1 j ’M-c-s the importance of material i;n Ini's in detenuiuing the enui'-e of Intury. though if anyibing. lie tended i lin.d, rest iiiiate the imporiance of mlm / tactors. Ibis resulted in an unfold un ate .suppression ol idealism amongs muiiy of his I olio we rs. Marx had ; poweiful intineiire in i on-olid.'itiug tin working class, but ovcr-osi inialc,-] th. | importance of class coiiscioiisnc-s. It i ill; complaint to-day that tlie worker age not (kiss conscious enough. Alai" was also very largely responsible he the development of the Intei-miiionn Sneinli-t movement. “Aindern socialism lln- diverged inti many strenm-. The F.iliians under lhe leadership of -nch men as .Sydney Webb. 1 li*.vo nnplied socialism to practical iiolitic.-. and the modern [uditical ] socialist movement is very largely Fa : Mali in origin. Tliey use the ordinary machinery of Government, sunplementi<l by industrial action. Tliey hold blind allegiance to no purelv dogmatic beliefs, and sirc-s the importam-e ol ic- .- i'arcli and education. This type oi movement is well in keeping with the British political spirit. The syndicalist movement wheh is French in origin and spirit, stresses the claim ol the producer to own and control the industry he works. The co-operative movement stresses the claims of producer and consumer. and lias a more reasonable i oueeptiun of the place oi the State in -he structure of society. .Most social's:* are at one in diagnosing the disease- ol society: but there 1- little unnnimny when it ciimcs to prescribing the cure."