The Labor enquirer., 1886-03-06
WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW.
Comments Upon Some Folks who Don'i
Know That They Don't Know
What They are Talking About.

Editor Labor Enquirer.
1t is often the case that the less one
knows about matter, the more he can
tell about it. Take the infidel's estimate
of his ability to expound Christian doc
trine, and measured by his own opinion
it far outweighs that of the most learned
doctor of divinity. Again, take the
august doctor of divinity's opinion of his
ability to describe any phase of popular
opinion, no matter though it be alto
gether foreign to the usual and habit
ual grooves of thought of the reverend
gentlemen. and in proportion as he is
really profound in his specially, he will
be the more readily self-deceiEed in
other matters. This evoked by current
religious periodical-literature criticisms
of Socialism.
The Christian Hour, Rev. Howard
Crosby, D. D., of New York, and the
many in the church ranks who are
earnestly studying the popular conserv-
ative Socialism of the day, are bringing
about their devoted heads from some
quarters a veritable fury of denials.
Sinqulsrly enough, the grave and deco
rous gentlemen with equanimity seldom
disturbed, who call the daring truth
seekers to the bar for their utterances,
never assail the doctrine advocated, but
in every instance they gag, and stutter
and sw- no, not quite swear, but they
regularly splutter at the thought of giving
Socialists the right to define the princi
plies of Socialism. or at any one giving
Socialism credit for certain principles.
Oh, terrible isml Oh! sublime con-
sistency
"No one can so we'll as we expound
our creed" say they, and in the same
breath, or to to be literal, in the same
columns that the sacred right of
preachers as teachers, learned in the
law and gospels, the tell US that they
alone can tell US what this fatal, horrible
ism Is. For proof the reader is referred
to two editorials in the Interior of Feb
ruary A, 1885. The first entitled, "To
Teach and to Preach p the other a column
criticism of an editorial from contem-
porary, also an influential church organ.
The article criticised contains pure So
cialistictruths, as the following quota
tions will show, and the spirit of both
articles shall be truly given, with the
simple comment that both are editorials.
Says the first paper: h. Is &
"One of our contemporaries is violently
opposed to what it somewhat indiscrim-
inately calls Socialism or Nihilism.
The wealthy nobility in England and
the monarchies of the continent have
been very anxious to give Socialism q
bad name and hang it. The time may
come when Socialists will hang the other
ones. Socialism Is not
Anarchy, it is not dynamitism or rob
berry. 1t is only an attempt to put into
a system things alIame believe, and to
carry out logically what the United
States government has most fully &C
cepted. The principle of the right of the
community to tax being admitted. then
to term Socialism robbery is only to con-
| fuse ourselves. DR.. Howard Crosby has
! discovered that he is in fact a Socialist,
and he starts back at the sound of his
own voice proclaiming it. He need have
no fear. he is in good company. The
Jews were Socialists. They had free
schools and free land. For the land be-