The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-06-30

sicken them of men and things, to max
, them drop from the stage stripped of thei
prestige, and too often covered with popu
lar derision, as despairing actors are won
to fly from the theatre where they hav
hopelessly "broken down." It was thu
that between the tides of opinion an
:, action political revolution pureued it
, course, leaving ruin and bioodshed 10 ii
track.
But after the food of these monarchie
and republics, these constitutions an
governments, these kings and emperors
these presidents and dictators, these min
listers and lawgivers after ell thes'
sledge hammer blows of force, these coup
d'etat. or these sensational changes on ,
stage where revolution had long since
decreed that no government, no constisu
ton. no statesman should ever remain
permanently behind what we may cal
the political phenomenon,
| ONE THING REMAINED FIRM-NAMELY
SOCIETY
} 1t was always fundamentally the same
and stood on substantial, uualterable
bssis, above which, but not reaching it MOI
attempting to iDjure it, flowed the tide OF
| political revolution; it had mechanism
| more or less different in appearance in
| each century, but the same vital perma-
| neDt conditions it kept it's necessary
balance between authority and liberty :,
| between progress and stability it guarded
| its three treasures, which to destroy is to
kill society,". g., the family, religion, and
property.
This fs the secret that explains why,
after go many ruins heaped- mp and SO
many battles won, the genius of revolution
could not rest content. 1t soon perceived
that in spite of it's gigantic efforts, and
even after the immensity of its triumpbs,
it had only achieved o surface work. It's
n . rNf 80
stitutional and representative, more or less
monarchical or republican, had collapsed
with the ruins of these governments,
thrown down by its own hand it felt the
emptiness and disappiontment of these
political revolutions, whose commonest
decreaee of peace. Then it said to iteelf:
L will go farther !; will dig below the
very foundations of this society, which 1
find everlastingly the same, with it's old
vices, its incurable abuses, and it's obsti-
nately recurring tyraunies. will reach
very core of its being. There shall dis
cover the true vital principle of human
society, and, whether it will or no, will
force it to take part in outer actions, and
take it's place among the realities of history.
will not only reform but transform this
rotten and disorganized society.
Thus the idea of transformation quickly
superseded that of reform but even q
transf formation of the conditions of social
life, In the ordinary acceptation of the
term, would not have contented the thor
oughgoiDgness of the socialist idea. No
doubt it was better than reform, for it was
Q fuller development of the socialist prin-
ciple, but it did not constitute perfect
it was not the ultimatum of
the idea. Transformation was not enough
in the eyes of radical socialism, or, If yOu
like the term better, socialist radicaliem
DESTRUCTION WAS BETTER,
and, to speak plainly, its conception of the
former was equivalent to the latter.
Socialism had dissected the body of society,
examined and anelyz zed it in all directions, !
and then pronounced its verdict in these |
'RotteHness Let the corpse perish, and |
the true social body, moulded by our
hands, spring from its RENAME" Socialism
had examined and probed tho still stand
ing building of our past and present social
selit5F, aaa had said at is evident to ait
that the building is bad better rebuild it,
rom cellar to attic. The hnman abode is
1ot etable; to buttress it is useless let us
1eetroy it. This is no longer the time to
'eform, or even transform nothing short
It destruction is of any avaIl. Let the old
"cial Babylon crumSle and decay, and
rom her fruitful ruins. if needfQl even
vatered with blond, let the new Jerusalem
# society come forth.
ocIAL REFORM WAS THE DREAM OF OUR
FATHERS;
ocial transformation is but another
ream, a generous fallacy, but still q
allscy, attempting impossbilities and
nd.ng in nothingness. A ruin cannot be i
eformed nor a crumbling shed transform
d we see only building to pull down
nd building to put up. What will do
3 this will use the popular arm to
estroy, and on the ruins of the past will
rect the edi6ce of the future"
The socialist idea, in it's logical march
ae fate, had reached its newt ,
BILE goal. 1t began by deciding to reform,
hen 1t said, ~ will TRANSFORM" aud fin !
lily it announced boldly, "I will destroy, !
batter, and demolish." The beginning
'as reform with its alluring utopias of
ocial unity and harmony; the middle
tage was raneformation, with specious T
of Improvement and hopes of a I
enewed social youth the ending is de-
with open threats of anarchy