New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-06-04
4 DESTROYING FORCE.

4 DESTROYING FORCE.
One of the finest touches in TurgGnieff7s
great novel is the debate concerning the aims
of the Russian Nihlists. How can one de-
"stroy without ever knowing why he de-
stroys ~ asks Paul Petrovitch in be-
half of the older generation. Bazaroff's
mercurial pupil has a reply at his tongues
end. 1--WE destroy" cries Arcadi, because
eve are a force. Yes; force has no account
"to render" Reconstruction did not concern
these destroying agents. They did not go
beyond levelling the ground and uprOOting
everything. That was at the beginning of the
present reign; and the conditions have not
essentially changed; for when the same
author outlines in "virgin soil" the OBJ
jects of the secret societies Of to-day,
we find nothing like creative energy-nOthing
but vapory seDtiment-in the schemes Of
Markeolf and Solomine.
Where Russian Nihilism began German So
cialism has ended. 1t sprang into being
with the instincts of reconstruction. One
of its fundamental ideas was the regen-
Grafton of society by the organization
of labor on the basis suggested by
Louis Blanc. Socialist productive, manufac-
turing and trading companies were TO be
subsidized by the State, and conducted
in the interests of the working classes,
in order that there might be universal
equality and cOntentment But when specu-
Iative Germans begin to plan, they do not
know when or where to stop. Louis Banc's
theories were soon dropped, and Social
ism became tumble of the teachings of
Saint Simon, Fourier, ProudhOn, Lassalle and
Karl Marx. How active and how COM
plex are the creative forces of this
remarkable revolutionary movement, Mr.
Oerter explained in the admirable paper
which We published in Saturdays issue. His
citations were from the earlier platforms
and declarations of the leaders, framed when
| their teachings were far more logical and
coherent than they are now. Their hands are
raised against everything. Their theory is
that whatever is, is wrong, and that
nothing must remain as it is. When
ten thousand Socialists attended the flu
neral of printer Heinsch in Berlin a few
months ago. the gospel that was preached
from his grave was the necessity of
uniting against their traditional enemies,
1.-The three tyrannies, the State, Cap
tal, and Christianity. One of the chief
speakers explained how it had come about
that Socialists rejected Christianity they had
large families and found that a religious
belief gave them nothing to eat. In
like manner the pair of assassins who,
within three weeks, have attempted to
strike down the brave old monarch
whom the Fatherland loves and reveres
may have argued that loyalty gave them
nothing to eat, and accordingly they must dis
-. IL
that there is no equity in private property, no
sanctity IN religion, no purity in marriage, and
now they strive to demonstrate for themselves
that there is neither patriotism nor reason in
loyalty. They aim their pistols at the En-
peror for no better reason than Arcadps; be-
cause Socialism is a force and has no account
to render.
While we shrink back in horror from these
dastardy crimes, we must not forget that
they have been rendered not only possible,
but even inevitable, by the teachings of La
sale and Karl Marx. These assassins are men
of n different order One is a common labOrer
without education, leading the applause in the
beer-cellars and peddling tracts from town
TO town. The other is a doctor of
philology, attending lectures ut Leipsic
and Halle, and investing Socialism with
university prestige. The revolutionary heroes
of the beer-shop and the wOrkingmen's Con-
gress have made it their boast for
years that they were rallying recruits
not only from the industrial classes, but from
the nobility and the universities. Some of the
most violent tracts have been written by
college psofessOrs, and Socialism has been
openly taught at universities. Is it strange then,
that these partners in crime come one from
the college and the other from the shOp7 Each
in his own way, one with the affectation of a
scholar, and the other with the awkwardness
of a clod, has dismissed Divine authority from
the universe as an obsolete fiction, and
striyen to abate on earth what he
regards as the public nuisance Of civil
authority. In their sight religion and
LOYALTY are relics of the dark ages. They
cannot shoot at God-they would if they
| could-but they can shoot at an Emperor
Heaven be praised that their craftsmanship is
bad
Well, shall we stop heref Is there no
moral for Americans in this pistol prac-
tice in the Avenue Inter den Linden !
There are no Kings here to be shot
down like dogs, but there are polit-
ical refugees from the Old World andrantng
demagogues of native breed, in whose hearts ha-
tired Of the rich and adherence of authority, hui
man OF divine, have become aconsuming passion.
The anarchical theories and atheistlc specula-
tons which Mr.. Oerter unravelled for us so
| slilfully In his paper on German Socialism,