THE NEW DIVINITY.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 67, 11 January 1879, Page 3

THE NEW DIVINITY.

It has Imhmi elaiiiieil that modern soci alism, although professedly theistie. is i reality the beginning of it new ivligioi The testimony received by the I'ongres sinnal Labour t'omuiittee seems, i;i tli main, to bearout the assertion. Ilowevo conflicting, in every other n qicct, migh be the views of the socialistic reformer that flirongvd the- committeo-r u, the; all Si emed to be in substantial uecoiil oi one point, namely, the source from whicl relief from all industrial troubles was ti come. Their sublime confidence in tin beneficent capacity and ehamcter of fid li. .'• l-v-asi) wo-.ii I hj '.vu b. .1 1 ..ui l'n it' it hail not been so absurdly ridiculous ridiculous as evei v phase of fetich wor ship must be to those, who have passei beyond it. The trouble!) that afiliet the poor an traced by s loialists oliiotly to the oppres.•l his f :.'., :ta im :epo I ' !.-•; ■:• ma: 11 Iministiali .11 of government,'it.-elf c >rruptiil by human selfishness and flisli mesty. ' 111 the interest of hereditary wealth and position, government does 111 end of wicked things awliicglectslodo justice to the poor in almost everything. Indeed, in whatever governments may undei (11k.) to do, and favoritism on the"pari oi lhc.se empowered to direct the work invariably result i'i a squandering of the . • ■ ■ "••:.' Ito-.vn' with'til' '. ■ (•■>-.! (he 1.1-e;l!s til.lt. i I •■- ■'• .i''' l: " plunder the public t ..r.. and share tile sp >ils with the li. ii, who Use their ill-gotten gains for Ihe oppression of their betters, the proThis is the socialistic, cry, fr Kuisiu lo San r'niiii-iscu. Vet, 'like; the ] ■ .savage of Ashanteewho makes a 20 I of the snake that bit him, th ic unanimous. demand of the socialists before the Labor < 'on,mitt,• was that government should tiiM.lt rtake t,, do , ven thing. JJ.v what proems of mental jugglery the idea of government is separated by them fr human agency and made a god to do impossiliilitii-s- incorruptible mid of imfiiiling wisdom -there is no means of telling ; yet the* fuel remuins lh.il these unfortunate vielm* of government, according to their own account, waul nothing so inn -li a~ more govcrniiieut. In tlie nam.- of liberty thev demand the most absolute of despotisms. Deiiouueing the incompetence and raslurn over to government (and sn.'of coursi! to the control of officials) all the means of wealth, all the processes of production, all Ihe distribution of this worlds goods. In future years this feature of the soeialistic movement will, we believe, he looked upon as 01 f the most curious and unaccountable of epidemic deluWith not n few of I hi- objects of the socialistic reformers we are in heartv ;-.V•»]'.••■ in I :,-M...;!i di—ve ' y ,;v working at, if not working out. the true aims of A licau institutions, a-, they themselves will discover in time, when the; come to know more about our institutions. When to their zeal they add knowledge, not idle dreams and mischievous misapprehensions—they will see, as others do 11 w, that they ari< largely fighting shadows of their oivn creation". And they Will discover too thai il is sheer madness to make a divinity of the popular will as expressed by government —the necessarily rude adjustment of conflicting individual wishes ami interests, executed by falible individuals. A government of the people, for tho people, by the pcoplo, may be the very best go vernment possible for a free people ; bttl to make a god of it. putting upon its shoulders all powers ami all responsibilities, in the li,,p,- of ushering in tlie mil-, leunium thereby, as socialists threaten, is' a scheme worthy only of the madhouse.— : .Scientific American.