Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-10-10
OOMMUNISTIO SOCIALISM.
Prof. Roswell D. aitchcocL.s Lec.ure
Reported by Mary Il. Comstock.

Reported by Mary T.. Comstock
Rev. DR.. Hitchcock gave the
opening lecture Of the academic year
OF the Union Theological Seminary,
Thursday, at three o'clock D. m,
Sept. 18th. DR. Hitchcock said he
had not far to go for . subject. A
CLOUD had been gathering and is
gathering still, whose shadow falls
upon the streets of every great city
from ST Petersburg to San Francis
co. In spite of all that is promised
and has been achieved by our civili-
cation, whose special type dates
back now some 400 years, 1t has
an unde,side OF terrible menace,
which the speaker likened to the
cave of the fairies underneath the
rock on whose top sat the Court of
the Areopagus. in ancient Athens.
This underside oflour civilization is
inequality of social condition---no
new thing in history, but now COM
handing scientific and popular at
tention as never before.
The terms Communism and Social.
ism, much used Interchangeable, are
synonymous. Communism is rela.
ted to Socialism as species to genus.
All Communists are Socialists but
not all Socialists are Communists.
In Germany, for instance, where So
cialism is recent and rank exotic.
1T is decidedly and freely communis-
tic; while in France, where it is in
digneous, it has come to be decidedly
and soberly anti-communistic. The
two are not to be COMPOUNDED nor
yet their relationship disregarded.
The trunks are two the root is one.
DR.. Hitchcock's essay, which is
soon TO be published, and only part
OF which was read, is an elaborate
handling of the whole subject of So
cialism. Under the first head the
problem is stated. and the several
causes of inequality are given with
great precision. Under the second
head Communistic socialism ia treat :.
ed. The third head deals with anti
Communistic Socialism, and the
fourth presents Christian socialism.
vi these, Communistic socialism
alone was fully discussed. In Paris,
seven years ago, in Pitisburg last
year, in Berlin this year, Commun-
ism meant and still means wages
without work, arson, assassination,
anarchy. In this shape it is the in
slant duty ofsociety to smite it, with
out taking second breath, with the
swiftness and fury of lightning. The
preachers of this Satanic crusade
against capital are not to be silenced
where free speech has a genealogy
running farther back than our sep
arate existence as a nation q free
dom not of Moses, but of the fathers.
This planting OF dragons teeth, is
not to be stopped. But wild mobs,
wrecked railway trains, and sacking
our cities are kind of crop which
cannot be moved down 100 close.
Communism in its essential genius,
is not new, not contemplate, not
abomnable. 1t is tradition, phil
esophy, a gospel. Under these three
heads the speaker deineated it. Its
gospel to be sure, has no God in it /;
only humanity-the fraternity of
the fatherless; but it breaches social
regeneration, and promises millen-
ium.
Practical communism preceded
speculative communism. This ia q
point CT very considerable historical
interest. The origin of property, the
precedence of ownership, whether
separate or joint, individual or COM
munal, was discussed. Strabo's men>
ton of the ancient Dalmatians who
divided their acres every seven years
and the citing of various authorities
revealing the antiquity of commun-
ism in Spain, Russia. India, 10 the
Island of Java, in Mexico and else.
where, substantiated the statement
of the almost undoubted fact of the
original communal form of owner
ship in many if not all parts OF the
world.
This antiquity of Communism, al
most newly discovered, certainly
never before seen in such light as
now, is evider thy doing great deal
to strengthen the argument for it,
even with people who have not been
in the habit of caring much for his
torical precedent. Communism, once
treated with scorn as raw and re-
cent heresy now claims for itself the
honors of age. Christian people are
reminded OF the agrarlanism of the
Mosaic legislation the general basis
of which was tribal, as provision for
bringing back every fiftleth year, ev-
cry acre of the land, except what
belted the Levitical cities to some
representative of it's original proprie-
tor. Still more account is made of
the Penteeostal communism of the
Apostolic church. 1t is idle to deny
it. The Apostolic communism, to be
sure, was not obligatory and absolute
but was voluntary and might be par
tial. Still il was communism. We
must be able to show that the ear
lest and oldest things Heather,
Hebrew, and Christian-were only
sometimes, not always the best.
Blossoms are not better than fruit.
Ideas and institutions of every kind
must have grown, but especially po-
itical ideas, as pertaining to what is
outward, mutable, and transient.
Communism, tho frequently found
among barbarians, is not barbarous
but infantile. 1t was admirably suit
cd to the Hebrews, people of NOM
adic parentage, who were to be held
back from heather contamination.
As for Christian Jerusalem, 1t was
evidently an exceptional city in the
apostolic age. Men were gathered
there out of all countries. They
were poor, very poor, distressed.
Some were we'll off. 1t occurred to
them to try the Communistic expcr-
iment. 1t was most generous i'm
pulse. Apostles consented. They
may not have been sanguine as TO
the result. The experiment could
at least be tried. 1t was tried, and
L. L..