The Sun.
London, England, 1869-11-17 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 17, 1869.

THE Working Men's International Congresses,
which have now become an annual event, shew not
only that Socialism still lives, but that it is actively
aggressive. It is not content to be a theory ; its
advocates are not satisfied to be philosophers. It is
a creed, and they are proselytisers. This is a very
serious fact, and may well cause anxiety to politicians
who can look a• few years ahead. Doubtless great
nonsense is talked at these, as at all other
congresses. But the mischief is that the
men who talk it are thoroughly in earnest,
and are as ready to act as they are to talk.
GARIBALDI two years ago raved ahout universal
peace at Geneva, just before he set out with his
red-shirts for Rome. VICTOR HUGO has been
indulging in bombast of a similar kind ; and give him
the opportunity, and he will be found putting his
principles, such as they are, into action in the streets
of Paris. The gravity of the position consists in this,
that any day events may happen in France which
would give the Socialists an opportunity of
attempting once more to inaugurate a reign of uni-
versal peace and brotherhood with a second per-
formance of the bloody drama of June, 1848. How
are we to guard against a fresh outbreak of this
"red-fool fury of the Seine ? " We say "we " for it
is our affair when our neighbour's house is on fire."
Physical force will do something for them and for us.
, But we want to kill Socialism, not merely to scotch
it; and Socialism being a matter of opinion and belief,
is not to be got rid of by massing large bodies of
troops in the chief cities. These may prevent
a forcible demonstration of Socialism, but cannot
eradicate it. What is wanted is something that will
convince working men of the inherent unsoundness of
their creed, of the harm which its development will
work on them. Until this is done, nothing is done.
France, which has originated the disease, has also
supplied the remedy. That remedy is popular
political economy. There is at Vincennes not only
a fortress, not only a prison, but a convales-
cent asylum. Thither the sick from the Paris
hospitals are taken in order to recruit their health.
Some time ago the EMPRESS suggested that there
should be "conferences" at this asylum, with the
object of developing the moral and the intellectual
energies at the same time that physical strength was
being restored. The audience was, of course, not
very refined, nor very highly educated ; but it
belonged to just that class whence Red Republi-
cans are taken, just that class which needs
instruction in the first principles of political
economy. But though low in the social
scale, these convalescents are too shrewd to be
put off with second-rate teachers. So the EMPRESS
has sent them no less illustrious a one than a member
of the institute, the author of three works that have
been " crowned" by the Academy, and two of
them rewarded with the great Monthyon prizes—
we refer to M. BAUDRILLART. He has lectured
to them on economic errors and prejudices, on
capital, luxury, labour, property, wages, associa-
tion, popular credit, intemperance, taxation, and
other like topics. These lectures have just been
published, and a most interesting and brilliant volume
they make. As internationality is now the order of
the day, it would be well if this book were trans-
lated, and circulated in England and all those other
countries between which there is a reciprocity of
ideas.

It is impossible to analyse a work of three
hundred and fifty closely printed pages in a few
lines ; yet we will attempt to give some idea
of the book in order to induce our readers
to study it for themselves. M. BA UDRILLAILT is
amusingly sarcastic upon FOURIER and those other
social reformers, who, believing that GOD is absent
from the world which He has madb, have kindly
undertaken the heroic task of supplying the place of
the missing Deity in order to save us from ruin.
Theirs is a strange method of procedure. They would
obtain universal harmony by letting loose all the
passions ; they would construct their ideal city
out of the seven deadly sins. M. BAU-
DRILLART then goes on to correct the popular
error that money is synonymous with riches.
From this error arises the equally false notion that
money ought not to go out of a country. Circulation
is one thing, and production is another, and a very
different thing. The first is of little avail unless it
stimulates the second. With a passing compliment
to English workmen, who are declared to be much
better political economists than the French—too good
in fact to be communists-31. BAUDRILLAUT proceeds
to demolish communism in a few terse sentences. It is
opposed to the principles of individual responsibility
and worth, and it converts the man into a mere cipher,
the people into a herd. There are other errors to be
encountered. For instance, some persons place the
source of riches in gold, others in land. Neither of
these is of any value except so far as man makes
them of value. Therefore education is the true sole-
' tion of most economic difficulties. It teaches us
among other things that if the wants of the consumer
exceed the means of production, there is misery; if
there is an equilibrium, there is stagnation ; if pro-
duction exceeds consumption so as to permit of
an excess which can be put by, there is progress.
There are three great instruments of production ; the
soil and natural agents, labour, and capital. It is a
common error to confound the means of consumption
with capital. A man hills a stag, and after satisfy-
ing his hunger with a portion of the flesh, puts by
the rest for another meal, and so creates a consump-
tion fund. But there is nothing saved with the
object of producing and obtaining a new product
from the article saved. But if he makes of the stag's
horn a weapon for the chase, he creates a means of
productive capital. There is a material, and there is
an immaterial capital. The second is not less -valu-
able than the first. If civilised Europe were to be
subjecte I to a new invasion of barbarians who should
destroy our railways and telegraphs, the knowledge
of the way to construct railways and telegraphs
would still remain with our engineers, and be avail-
able for fresh works. M. BA UDRILLART then enters upon
the difficult question of the lawfulness of luxury.
Premising that it is the duty of every
man to produce more than he consumes,
he aim bow luzury is really a. pleatii;nl of degree,