The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-06-28

4
portation, and one Of our many importa-
! tions with which we had least reason to be
satisfied. Prominence was given to its
aspect as an importation from France
rather than from any other country in
which socialistic theories have found favor,
because in fact, that is the aspect in which
socialism is danger here. 1t would be an
! inquiry in the domain of the history OF
ideas to pursue the notion as to what coun-
try is responsible for the original birth OF
this conception. If Frenchman urges
that it came from Germany, or German that
it came from France, either may well be
answered that it came from an older world
still that it was the original essence Of the
heather civilization from which men
were emancipated by Christianity and the
| progressive spirit of the modern ages that
its home was in an ascending series Rome,
Greece. Carthage, Phnnicia. Egypt, India
| and China. In the ancient world there
were no individuals, only communities OF
men gathered into cohesive bodies around
one or another central fact, the central facts
differing for the different races of men.
Now the humiliation of individualism is
the one grand ideal of the socialist doctrine,
which is, therefore, proposition to annui
the social progress that the world has made
in all the historic periods. In the infancy
of society the customary law was the ma
chinery by which States, tribes, races, fam
lilies preserved their identity, and the one
objectionable offence was variation, for the
State determined that certain method,
certain routine of life, GER
tain definite uniformity was good and
was to be preserved and maintained by
| public force because 1t was good or
because the priests said the established
order came from the gods. That rendered
| impossible all that variation which has re-
suited from individual effort the exercise
of mans genius and energy for his personal
advancement, the great competitive struggle
for the prizes of life. So minutely was the
| system pursued that those strange angular
| figures in the Egyptian hieroglyphics are
an evidence Of it. An artist once endeav-
ored to make Egyptian humanity as it was,
and that circumstance produced q decree
making it death for any painter of hero
glyphic records to depart from the accepted
| conventional form which the priests had
declared good.
! Socialism-the ideal Of the lunatic reform
| ers Of our time-was, therefore, fact in the
most ancient history, and in our reference
to its comparatively recent introduction
| here we did not refer to the main and orig
| inal plan, but rather to a form of socialism
~ bat int
and which may be called militant socialism;
SOCIALISM which does not propose to con-
vert and convince the world by rational
| processes, but which some small bodies Of
agitators propose to force upon tho world
| by the easy method of burning down or
blowing up the houses OF people who are
| guilty of the socialistic crime of being
richer than their neighbors; social
ism which is to be propagated with
lead and petroleum. the incen-
diary's midnight torch and the shot
Of o hidden assassin. We said that this
kind Of socialism came from France, and we
| defy refutation Of the statement; but by
this allegation we do not believe we say a
word to the prejudice Of any honest or
Il
from time to time been convulsed by the
bad impulses Of ferocious part Of its pop
ulation is what no judicious Frenchman will
deny and what no American will say in any
other spiiit than Of regret and sorrow. We
yield to no Frenchman in the sincerity and
warmth Of our admiration for his great
country and its great people, and we even
l1..k H. a.
France more honestly than the average
Frenchman does, for the American can see
hardly anything in France that is
absolutely bad or inexcusable, while
| the Frenchman views j. from some
partial standpoint and sees nothing
good save as it is agreeable to narrow
party point Of view. In the French char
acter there is an extreme energy in the pur-
suit and application of whatever is ac-
cepted as a theory, and from that trait have
proceeded all the terrible chapters in
French history; yet II is n trait that is not
altogether evil that is indeed a frs. cousin
to grand virtues, because it flows from SIN
cere and desperate, ifill guided. devotion to
what is believed to be right For whole
people is sometimes given up to blind
guides, is taught to believe that that is
| right which is not right, and then, If it acts
with the energy of its convictions, it makes
havoc with facts which it would respect if
better guided. Thus socialism has been
taught for generations in Germany, and is
Taught there STILL md though it has
affected in some degree the mind of the
nation il has not yet greatly affected its
life. and is not alone capable of making n
violent revolution in any one important
German city. But the Frenchman is moro
downright, and once believing that tho
socialistic theory was true, he has en-
deayorod to square his life in accordance
i 4 l.