SOCIOLOGY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2808, 27 January 1888, Page 3

SOCIOLOGY.

(Contributed). The Now Year—the year of the triple 888's has broken in upon the old world, and found it in a doleful stale. Depression impresses its circumference on every degree; rumours of war whizzing through the air in a «■' continuous dirge; social convulsions alarming every civilized state; Yet old Father Time with measured and stately step, marches on, oblivious of man's hopes and fears. In this year of Grace big with destiny, I am privileged to make my debut to the lieges of Her Majesty by tho potential and inspiring influence of the Wairarapa Daily. The constituency is large, intelligent, influential, I trust to find it appreciative, responsive, indulgent, withal tolerant and charitable, Together we hope to discuss some living questions, questions instinct witli the breath of life, questions vibrating and pulsating through the whole frame work of civilisation ; working in it a 8 a mighty inspiration, an impelling force that nothing can resist, to which principalities and powers, might and dominion must bow down. Sociology will engage our attention, a wide and comprehensive subject, it is approached with one regret, that to the discussion of this many sided question, a higher intelligence, a wider knowledge, and a riper scholarship, cannot in the present instance be brought. In the light of the 13th ch. & of Herbert Spencer's " Study of Sociology," a live Professor of all tho Ologies might well hesitate to enter Jhi3 arena, Our aim, however, is a one, our ambition does not aspire to aught beyond skirting its borders, and asking attention to its claims; and to impress upon the thoughtful the importance of looking with a calm and intelligent eye, at a subject that is filling the eye of the world to-day, And to invite the readers of the Daily to eschew irrational interpretations, and disproportioned fears as to what is involved in the social movements of the age. The very term Socialism is a bogie; and sapient editors and politicians deem it sufficient when demands are made by social reformers to screech Socialism! Communism!! and the poor reformer has to hide his abashed head, Yes I Socialism is something to conjure by, But there is a socialism, v and a socialism; there is anarchical, revolutionary, atheistic Socialism, a socialism that demands a division of acres, and a distribution of Mars, and a Socialism that the , ■ psge said—" He had a sneaking like- *•, ness for the gospel of the Great Socialistic Carpenter/' That Society is astir with woudrous theories of Social Eeform, goes without saying, aud that a new societary law, establishing better relations must evolve itself, relations that shall be conservative of individual right we may rest assured of. Whatever may be the outcome of this epidemic on the continent of Europe, within the bounds of English speakin." communities, we need not fear the dread of M. de Laveleye when he says that "the red spectre haunts the imagination of all, and it is a very general belief that we are on the eve of a great social cataclysm," He himself admits,, indeed that this may be an exaggerated fear. Yet it is, nevertheless, true, that Sohalism has spread in many forms of late, "In a violent form it has been adonted bv town I

laborers, workmen in factories, &c, and is now spreading to the country, In a scientific form it has penetrated ■lnto the domain of political economy, imd is upheld by professors in nearly all the universities of Germany and * Italy." In a religious form, we may say, it is penetrating into British and American pulpits and religious literature. The Socialistic demand—or it will be more correct to say the Christian demand—for the equalisation of social conditions is spreading apace. But modern preachers are tame in their interpretation of the Christian precepts, which condemn riches and inequality. As compared with the early Fathers of the Church, they are as outspoken as the most radical Socialist. Listen to St. Basil: " The rich are thieves." Hear St, Ohrysostom: " The rich arc brigands." Hearken to St. Jerome: " Opulence is always the work of a theft; if not committed by the actual possessor, it has been the work of his ancestors." In this connection let me quote again that cautious writer, M. de Daveleye : «\'e see then that Christianity engraves very deeply in the hearts of 1 all ideas which tend strongly to Socialism. It is quite impossible to read attentively the Old Testament prophecies and the Gospels, and then • to cast a glance at the economic conditions of the present clay, without being led strongly to condemn the latter as very contrary to the ideal of Jesus. Every Christian who understands and believes his Master's teaching, has some Socialistic tendencies, and every Socialist, great as may bo his hatred of all religion, possesses some unconscious Christianity, Christianity and Socialism declare war against the strong—that is to say, the rich—and they preach the relict of the poor and afflicted. They subject the pretended natural laws to a law of justice." Again— " Socialism claims for the labourer, the integral produco of his j|abour. Nothing, apparently, can be just than that claim. l Socialism : considers that riches should be no longer the privilege of the idlo; • that they who do not sow, should, not be allowed to reap. This is exactly the teaching of St. Paul: "If a wan

timially to keep men from demanding Social Reforms. The doctrine to be deprecated undoubtedly, is that of thb Anarchists and Nihilists, who demand tho destruction of all oxisting institutions : a very different thing from tho aspirations and demands of Social democracy, which aims, not at destruction, hut construction. Social democrats know the value of what has boon won in the evolution of our civilization too well to tear up by its roots that which has cost so much of labour, suffering,, and blood: they aim at developing a higher' ideal. What is greatly needed to-day is clear will not work, neither shall he eat." Now, this Socialism is a very different thing to the Ogre, held up to us conconceptions, clear ideas of what is sought to be realized. All controversy that is to be fruitful of beneficial results, must start upon jeeopted definition of terms and objects. II purpose discussing Social questions; and I have a fear least some readers will begin to screech in truly othodox fashion, Socialism! Communism!! the believers in things as they are, will cry out Heterodoxy, Revolution, Anarchy. So a little explanation at the outset may prevent misapprehension. Let me quote a very orthodox authority, the celebrated Joseph Cook, of Boston, who. if he is anything, claims to be analytical and lucid. He worships at the shrine of clear ideas, and getting at the genisis of all debatable questions. In his lectures on Socialism, he has summarised the demands of Communism and Socialism as follows: (1) Communism, as defined by the official language of its most radical teachers, and by the practical results to which it tends, means the abolition of inheritance, the abolition of the family, the abolition of nationalities, the abolition of religion, and the abolition of prosperity. (2) Socialism, as understood limits practical tendencies, means all these five things, except the last. Communism is tho state ownership of all property, and its enjoyment in common by the whole population, Socialism is state ownership of all property except that which the individual workman himself must have to supply his personal wants. The socialist would allow the existence of individual property. He does not proclaim with Proudhon and with all communists of the thorough going typo, that " property is robbery." But he does not believe m inheritance, He holds that a man should be allowed to have as much property as he can personally use." There is we may rest assured not one per cent of our population, who will subscribe with their hands to these five cardinal points of socialism, in the sense of the socialist.. That things cannot exist us they are is equally as certain; there must be as there is being effected in English speaking communities whether dwelling beneath the banner of St George, or tho Stars and stripes a radical revolution, a turning hack, and a turning round, but it will not be a physical, but a moral revolution; not effected by the thunder of cannon, or the clash of steel, but by imperial reason, the pen not the sword. There are | two antagonistic forces, the mightest potencies that this world of ours have ever seen marshalled—aiming at ono end—marching towards one object. That object is the emancipation of man from servitude, from ignorance, from poverty; but their methods, and their weapons of warfare are diametrically opposed are indeed in deadly antagonism. The one would dethrone God, destroy the family, destroy all property; the other seeks to evolve a Christian common wealth: a grand theocracy where the philosophy of the socialism of the Carpenter of Nazareth shall be actualized, and a kingdom of righteousness exemplified in every relationship of life, man doing rightly by his fellow, a kingdom of brotherhood, where each will care for his fellows weal, according to the grand formald " each esteeming other better than himself, a kingdom of love where competition, rivalries, jealousies, hatreds; enmities will disappear, and every man will feel and realize that he is his brother's keeper,