Workmen's advocate., 1886-12-19
PROGRESS.

The beauty of Socialism isits elcyatng influence it's strength the universally of conception and reasoning, and its mo- tive power consists in the fact of con scious readiness to take and explain life and its incidents aS a continuous growth tending to perlcCtions, yet obstructed by conditions which, as necessity compels, give way to nohIer forms of clvll lie. History is record of claSs-struggIes. On the face of our institutions, we have done away with classes politically; anu in as far as political freedom and equality are dependent on free and equal econ omical basis, the establishment Of which remains to be accomplished, even our boasted free political institutions are, II not now, then in danger of becoming, phrase
 Society at last is awakening to reall- zation of it's obligations towards those oi its members who are, it Is not the place here to enquire why, in needy and helpless condition Society feels that it is at fault somehow; and worllingmen may well be proud to have demonstrated hut SOciety is at fault. WOrkmen are the standard-beare of progress and civ iliZation, of true enlightenment and real humanity. The fundamental dOctith" shedding rays of hope is; Abolition of the wage-systcm -universal cooperation. All other organizations center in and take rise from these few important words.
 Society as 1t Is cannot be just, nor ls 1t humane. It creates idlcness and then | tI tt ,l,,,f,t crimes, and then chastlscs the criminal, And how heartle8s, cruel and forgetful of social duty when punishing In D combination of German Jurlsts judges and lawyers s-heId at Berlin, Dr, Men del proposed the following resolution, which was adopted with an overwhelming majority:
 "All criminals and vagrants should re ceive the treatment of sick persons. There exists no natural bent sor mischief, but in some dispositions. Where q crime has been committed there with certainty lies the presumption ot an organic dis ease in the perpetrator,
 Similar views have been expressed by priests and ministers of the gospel, by conventions of freethlnkcrs, medical authorities. scientists and great authors. This opinion therefore, seems to be of general acceptance in theory. In prac- tice, old methods are followed, and the tramp, the hungry man. the pauper, de- clared dangerous. Indeed, want makes people dangerous, but does not the dan ger arise, primarily, from those whose brutal appetites and love for gain create want? Let Us deal with the cause in stead of with the effect. Work for all men and women, and not prison and the workhouse, is the remedy. We know society is bankrupt, its managers and the system whereby 1t IS managed are lnca- pablo to clear the embarrassment. Yet, while the process of dissolution, a very painful one indeed, lasts, the best should be done we know how. WorkinEmcu must step in and demand, and place their tried friends in positions to accomplish what will rescue the victims of society from it's mad attempts at bettcring tue world by chastising the unfortunate.
 All the scientific progress made remains to be applied to the actual betterment of the conditions If the people, In this dl- rection there is work for every true man and woman in the land. Let us har- monize theoretical civilization with the industrial barharism of our age, not by getting rid of the former and retaining the latter, but by utilizing the means devised by genius and talent i'll the interest of all mankind, Socialism this is to hc sure, but that Is the very thing we want; it IS progress. OTTO llAESE