Workmen's advocate., 1888-05-26
THE PLACE OF INDIVIDUAL ISM IN THE SOCIALIST
 SYSTEM.
Lecture Delivered Before lne New
 York Labor Lyceum.
1 Continued.
SYSTEk k
BY J. EDWARD HALL.

This is especially so in it's purely physi- cal aspect, aS in the case of Asiatic chol- era or of leprosy. It will not do for us longer to fold our arms with compa- cency and console ourselves with the expression that it is only "those damned foreigners" for if we do the chances are that we may receive a very painful re- hinder that "all men are of one flesh and blood" and that universal energy and umversal truth know no frontiers. The only thing that IS foreign to it is in- harmonious revolt against manifest des- tiny.
 How, then, can these subtle forces, l stretching from continent to continent embracing all aspirations, all interests, authoritative yet beneticent all pow erful yet servile, monstrous, terrible to | ignorance or immortality, magnificent and docile to enlightened morality, how can they be brought into reconciliation with the irreconcilable-that is, with hu- man individuality? It is the peculiar | phenomena of individuality that the more it is developed, the more develop ment it demandS-or, in the words of | John Ruskin:
 The whole difference between a man of genius and other men, it has been said l a thousand times, and most truly, is that the first remains in great part child, seeing with the large eyes of children, in 1 perpetual wonder, not conscious of much knowledge-conscious, rather, 0. infinite ignorance, and yet infinite power; a fountain of eternal admiration, delight and creative force within him meeting the ocean of visible and govern able things around him.
 How can this intinitude of diversities become harmonized in that unity in which diversity lends a charm to uni lormity; in which liberty embraces au- thority, and in which love and hatred are welded to eternal war against wrong, and eternal peace for the right? This work Is not for one race, one nation or one school to accomplish. It is the con- centrated energy or humanity, striving to recognize itself; striving to recover it's equilibrium. It is the old human agony appealing for assistance, appealing to be rescued from the charnel-house of the past, filled with the bleaching skeletons of myriads of misguided individualities. Thus it Is that Socialism conceives it's allotted duty, which it accomplishes by bringing the collective life and the indl- vidual life into that relation so tittngy expressed as solidarity. To this end let us examine the close relationship be- tween collectivity and the individual, and thus ascertain their reciprocal rights and duties.
 Taking some examples of highly devel- oped lndivldualltles-and not to go back too far, let us begin with Michael An gelo. So long as St. Peters stands it will ever be a monument to his individuality It was his genius called it from the ideal, and made possible to mankind that mas siye monument to architectural knowl- edge. But this individuality of Michael Angelo-what was it the product of? It IS true that its profound expression was in him innate; but was it not also the consensus of the collective aspiration and knowledge of his period which be- came persOnitied in him: Let those who doubt this question themselves if it were possible for a Michael Angelo to have been born at pekin, Calcutta Madrid, or among the native Americans of that tune? Even If such a miraculous event could have taken place, would 1t not also have neCessitated another even more startling event, l. G., the sudden trans formation of hundreds and thousands of human beings destitute of all aspirations or qualifications for transforming his genius into concrete reality-the chang ,f.l I.
 willing and capable auXilaries: The ex- lotence ot St. Peters depended as much upon causes anteCedent to the existence of Michael Angelo, and upon conditions ot environments too numerous to men tion here, as 1t did upon his own splendid individuality. Without his individual ity 1t might have never existed That is a question unanswerable: but of one thing we may confidently rest assured, that without the collective will and Knowledge commensurate with his ge- nlus 1T Herer could have existed. In Isaac Newton, the philosopher and and mathematician, we have another and most wonderful development of in- diyiduality. Can we conceive, how ever, of q Newton being born of Pata- gonian or Malay parenage? The collec- tive intelligence and aspirations of those localities render that impossible. Take the characters of such soldiers as Wash lngton. Bonaparte or Wellington-rep- resentative individualities of their class. But, had not tte collective energy of the minute men and patriots of 1116 been the incident force to Washington char acter, had not his individuality been the embodiment of their desires and aspira- tionS, his latent capabilities would have remained dormant, and finally have died from hamilton. Who is there can com prehend Washington as springing from