Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1886-10-31
SOCIALISM IN ENGLAND.

in the air in England and is indeed some
thing more than that. For it is also in
the hearts and inaginationSo of many; and
moreover il is getting into the heads Of
not few, And the only abiding and
useful Socialism is that of the head.
When say first, that our creed and
science Is IN the air, mean that, speak
ing generally, there is much talk of So
clallsm IN England, and speaking partc-
ularly, there is widely spread and deep
ly-reachng misery socialism. The talk
Is for the most part Of the vague order
ami the takers are largely those that
cannot and will not understand. But
more important than this conversational
dlSru, SION of the social question and in
deed, the cause Of it, the misery Social
ism Of the workers.
The English proIetarnt, favored beyond
ITS continental brethren at one time hy
economic conditions, is now beginning.
To feel the pinch Of our anarchist meth
obs of production. We cannot helm no
ucIng that III certain respects the Amer
lcan worker to-day resembles the English
"protected minority Of workers from
1918 to 1868. He does not yet feel the
full force Of tn" inevitable laws of cam
taINt production pressing upon him.
Hence at present tn" Socialist movement
Is but Illtl" amongst the Notwithstanding
rrol"tarat IN this country. But inst AZ
with the hreakdoWn of En4Iand's monop-
piy III in1hulartlrr, and the end OF the
SHGht ANA yet prrrrltibIc PARTICIPATION
IN tn" benefits of that monopoly by the
English labor-casS, Socialism BEGAN TO
make It's way among the latter. 50 beyond
a doubt will it be with the American pro.
letarlat, Already signs are not wanting
mat thelf period OF comparative economic
freedom is closing in. When NOT
only the rank and file Of the army preserve
or active of labor, but its officers begin
to suffer, then Socialism, the expIaner Of
that suffering, the proposer of a remedy
tor 1t, Will make more gigantic strides
than we can hope for yet.
We have then in England a Socialism
OF the street and of the alley. Starving
men, with starving wives and children
are growing hourly more Disconnected.
more restless. They see that politics,
religIon, t"etotalism help them not at all.
Without understanding the scientific
prlhcipIeS OF Socialism, they feel in a duh
sort OF way that the idea is right and
that their only chance hes in the new
oruef OF things promised by Socialism.
bnt our creed is not only in the air.
1t IS IN the hearts of many. \ senti
mental Socialism is abroad in England.
Many of the Wcll-tO-do classes are begjn-
nlng to feel that "there is something rot
ten IN the state Of society and to SYM
pathise with Socialism. The artistic
class Is especially affected by this move
ment' krenly alive to the perception of
beauty and rarely having opportunity to
perceive 1t; ant to be shocked by uglnpss
ana pam, and meeting these at every
turn, our artists and poets are in many
cases declared, and in very many more
secret, Socialists. They feel that there is
no nope tor art in our present society,
ana not few Of them see beyond that
to the entire hnpeIessness of any general
happiness under the capitalist regime
W lllam Morris, the poet, Walter Crane
the painter, are the best known examines
OF this school, though the former is not
quite typical Of it, as he adds to the SYM
patlletc Socialism OF the artist, a CON
siderable knoWled &c of the historical and
scientific aspect of the question:
Cut OF TINS sentimental or heart Social
ISM dllottante, middle class societies,
such rs the Fabian grow. They gener.
ally meet III drawing rooms. and that is
the right place for them Their mem
beers are = a a a,,,inI, anal "a.
ordinarily profound people; and if they
ito little good, they do less harm.
far more important than either the
misery or the sentimental So
rnalIsm is the Socialism of the head that
we call scientific, This is also getting
toothold IN England. 1t need not exclude
either OF the other forms, but
1t transcends them. A poor working
man who has felt and is feeling the pres
sure OF our system may, in rare eases.
have graSped the great economic princ
pie OF surplns-value and even mustered
laws less obvious and less easy of com
prcnensI0n than this. The man who has
grounded himself thoroughly in our
science VIII feel none the less. but rather
Inc more acuteiy, pain at the misery
mat 1t explains and demonstrates As in
'Vuahie under the present system.
IN England the number of the dsciples
u MARX Is growing rapidly. The best
men ana women IN the movement are
'erstd IN his philosophy. The leading
'pIritH IN the two organizations, the So
lallSt League and the Social-Democratir
"deratIon, know "Das Kapital" well.
Ana with their comrades who NAV NOT
nave had the same opportunity for study
Is they' there Is yet the conviction that
SOCIALISM Is genuine science, based
ip"n scientific methods and goneraliza-
IONS. Just as mutitudes who have
rover read line Of DarMin arc vet IN