New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-10-19
NEW PUBLICATIONS
SOCIALISM.

srawn syo PIP xii.. ass. Charles scrphers sons
Mr. RAGS lively appreciation OF the sociai dangers
of which his book furnishes warning does "o' p''
yont his writing in a moderate, judiclons' ana
candid temper lie recognizes the sincerity oil '"c
marty whose falacies il is his object to expose anu
he is ready to admit the justice OF many OF 'n'i'
comploin,s; while in surveying the present condl-
ton and prospects of the social conflict he SHOWS o
susceptibty TO exaggerated alarms His caution
ord e,nanimitv make his conclusions all the more
,m,r,ssive lie reminds us in his Introduction thal
The only TYNE of socialism which retains VitaIi'y Ill
orr day is that OF the democratic reNoiut"h' Inv
rhlanthropic and experimental forms represented
nv various communities to which America mas
given ready hospitality. and connected very often
with religious ideas, practically extinct; put
politica socialism after LONG period OF qulescehce'
has reappeaIed with great deal OF the destructive
and fnrious strength of the French revolutionary
era and presents itself now only in ITS most violent
aspect II is no longer a scheme of economical re-
form: il is a project of sweeping organic chahee IL
proposes to rcconstitute society entirely IN the Ill
forests of the laborIng classes. This must be done
by the agency of the state and the first step there
fore is TO overthrow the existing order anu IT,
establish the State upon the exclusive OASIS oi
labor No citizen shall then enjoy without LABOR
ing no citizen shall labor without enjoying the
land and tho instruments of production snail be Tie
common property of all who labor; the wealth OF
the Nation shall he enjoyed by those VITO have
made 4 by the work of their hands and the state
being only the organized will of the people-ha is.
of the laborng class. which is a majority of the
neonle-shal undertake the redistribution and adj
mini.tration of property under the new system
The essence therefore of contemporary socialism,
the Revolutionary Socialist Democracy" is Its IN
vocation of the power of the state to promote the
material interest of the laboring class as against
all other classes. Indeed il is only to the laboring
class using that designation III its familiar re-
strcted sense that socialism comedies any social or
political rights At ALL In respect its theories of
administration the socialist democracy may Oe
divided into two main branches; one. which pre-
dominates in Germany AIMS at "A strong centralized
governments the other seeks a more or less loose
form of federalism. with marked tendency
toward anarchy" or the abolition of all superior
government. and ~ a favoritc Ideal i'll France, III
Spain and among the Nihilists of Russia Nihllism
is in fact only an extreme phase OF socialism, and
has repeatedly been preached 10y some of the
Socialists of Germany.
Tho connection between socialism anil atheism is
n significant symptom upon which Mr. Rae laws not
too much stress. What he says of the moro violent
Socialists OF Germany IN true ~ some dcvtc" oi the
party generally. ATTACKS on religion patriotism
the family. are very usual accessories OF their
aud beliefs are seen To- lend strength to each other
teeth set on edge against are easily brought 10
puash az ALL" Wilhelm Mari. who was one OF the
prncipal literary apostles of German socialism
some years ago. and the founder al Young Ger
many IN switzerland, wrote; ave are content
10 Law down the foundation of the revolution We
shall have deserved well of il If stir hatred and
contempt against all existing institutions We
make war against all prevailing ideas. of religion, OF
the state. of country, of PATRIOTISM The idea OF
God Is the keystone of perverted civilization. 1t
must be destroyed. The true root of liberty of
eonality Of culture. IS atheism. Nothing must re-
strain the spontaneity of the human mind"
Friedrich Feuerbach whose "Rcglon of the
Future was a favorte and standard work with the
Socialists declared that Man alone is our God, our
father, our Judge our redeemcr, our true home our
law and rule the alpha and omega of our political
moral public and domestic lie and work. There is
no salvation but 10y man" There is nobody above
man and there is no higher destiny for man than
the qualification of his appetite for pleasure
which is holy impulse NJ. de Laveleyc says of
some of the socialist meetings which he attended
III Spam that they were usually held in churches
withdrawn from worship and that " from the
elevation of the pulpit the orators attacked every
thing that used to be exalted there, God religion,
the priests the rich. The dscourses were white
hot but the audience remained calm. Many
women were seated the ground working, nurs-
ing Their infants. and listening with attention as TO
a sermon. Ii was the very image of 80 All over
the continent the democratic sentiment Is athclsc.
a distinguished economist. VI. Paul Leroy Bcaulieu,
Is quoted by Mr. Rae as rcmarking that the preva-
lence Of socastic ideas is largely due to the decline
of religious faith among the working classes If
there Is only the one life, they feel they
must realize their ideal here and realize
il quickly OF Trey i'll realize it at all How
ever this be. the fact is certain that most con-
temporary socialists have turned their backs on
religion. They sometimes speak of it with kind
of suppressed and settled bitterness as OF friend
that has proved faithless: We are not atheists,
we have simply done with God. They seem to
feel that if there he God He is at any rate no God
for them that He is the God of the rich. and
nothing for the poor aud there is a vein of most
touching though most illogical reproach in their
hostility toward a Deity whom they yet declare to
have no existence. They say in their heart There
is no God. or only one whom they decline TO serve
for He is no friend 10 the laboring man, and has
never all these centuries done anything for him."
The question whether socialism IS the inevitable
coroary of democracy sone of the deepest practical
ampDItancc. "fOr democracy" says Mr.. Rae, is
already here, and is at present engaged III every
country of Europe IN the very work of recognizing
the social system into harmony with democratic
requirements" But he declares most confidently
that the natural tendency of democracy ia not TO
socialism. complete proof of that is the fact that
democracy has been in full bloom in America for
more than century without developing any social |
istc faint. The labOrlnv class is poi ally every
thing in this country. and yet has never shown a |
desire to interfere with the freedom of property. |
The sociaistic agitation in the United states is |
confined to the German immigrants of yesterday |
and Mr.. Rae might have added that one reason why |
we think 50 little of it il that the immigrant has |
always dropped II soon as he has become one of |
us What then arr the conditions which favor the |
socialistc movement Mr. Rae holds that II IL |