Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-28

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secret 10Y In secretly running up the
scarlet Socialist flag on : pole Ssiter-
wards carefully grcased) in some con-
spicuous place on Bismarck's or the
Empcror's birthday, since scarlet nag
or even scarlet carnation in work.
ingman's possession makes him sus-
pect.
In France, England, Switzerland,
America, on the other hand, the police
has nothing to do with the Socialists as
such, and the Socialists one desire IS
publicity. 1t is therefore most enter
tanning to read the laments OF the So-
cialists lin their own organs) over the
difficulties of catching the public ear
and to find in the ordinary newspapers
OF the same date half dozen reporters
relating how they had been "cute
enough to find out something about the
Socialists and Socialism.
The cause Of this Misrepresentation IS
clear enough. Since the days OF owen
and Fourier, of Brook Farr, and the
hundreds Of communities now scarcely
remembered. and since Chartism be-
came a thing Of the past, there has
been almost no Socialist agitation
among the English-speaking peoples.
All the modern literature OF
Socialism, with some half dozen
exceptions, is of German ORR
gin, known in England and
America through TRANSACTIONS only, and
usually through translations into the
French. 1t is, therefore, difficult for
Americans to learn what the Socialists
are really trying to do, and the frantic
doings OF Herr Most and his followers
come very naturally to be regarded as
manifestations of Socialism. whereas
Herr Most was drummed out of the
party in Germany years ago, and is quite
as vehement in his onslaughts upon So
cialists and Socialism as in his TRADES
against society in general.
CURRENT I,ITERATURE.
There is now. however, a sort Of cpl
demic of translation and popularization
of the modern German works upon the
subject. The first translation, now
Just issued, is a work upon Woman
in the Past, Present, and Future" by
August Bebel, who has been for six
teen years a representative Of the So
cialist party in the Reichstag. This
book has passed through three Of
four German editions, and hai
now been translated by DR.. Adams
Walther, a woman graduate of on,
of the Swiss universities. 1t is ex
tremely clear and popular in style AM
treatment of the subject, and gives
good idea of what the Socialists ar
really trying to do. The next book il
the order of time is Engels's " Condi
ton of the Working Class in England,
now translated and about to be put i
press. Marks Capital" by far tn
most important work upon the subject
is now undergoing translation into Ene
lish. having appeared in German
1867 and been translated into Russia
at once and French q short time aftei
1t is to be hoped that when thes
three principal works are made acce
sible to the English-speaking public W
shall be spared the spectacle of 2
American professor publishing sue
patchwork compilations as Profess
Ely's Modern Socialism, in ii
course of which he speaks of the p
thetic aspects Of the Socialists "a
ceptance of Bismarck's State Socla
ISM" misdeed of which their wor
enemies in Germany never accuS'
them. while Bismarck's organ, {
Norddeutsche Aligemeine /eitung, jee
: at them to this day for refusing to 70
for the said State Socialism.
Meanwhile the Socialists in Ameri
have so far solved the problem Of cat,
,, ing the public ear for their teachin
:. that they have finally published
= English one book, Mr.. Laurence Gro
= lund's " Cooperative Commonwealth
and enc brochure. Mr.. Jonass " h
: porter and Socialist, which set fol
= their aims and their theories in an
ceedingly clear, compact, and popu
form, and a perusal Of which mis-
save our enterprising reporters gr'
= deal of valuable time.