Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1889-02-23
LEADING LETTERS.
FROM THREE INTERESTING
CORRESPONDENTS.
Individualism Considerable Word
to Anarchists" Christian SO.
cialists" in ChicagO-Sil.
lence's Faith Agi.
tatOr and Boss.
lkDIVlDUAlISM.

To the WOrkmen'S AdUOcdte:
Your correspondent, "V, de c., criti-
cizing Prof. Garside's remarks at Pitts
burg, says: Il may be mistaken, but
do not think the doctrines of individu-
alism were fairly stated. 1t is easy to
knock down man of straw, and if in
dividualism is what Mr. Garside says it
is, it merits all his sarcasm: but do not
so understand it"
Now, this is rather hard upon Prof.
Garside, seeing that the main pastime
among individualists themselves seems
to be constant setting up and knock
ing down of each others men of straw,
not that | mean to say there is anything
inconsistent with individualism about
this game of ninepins; far from it, for it
Is as plain as d pikestatf that the indi-
vidual idea of individualism must differ,
just as the individual nose upon the in
dividual face differs; else what becomes
of individuality? Nor yet do mean to
say that this difference of opinion is
wrong in itself, or injurious either to
the individuals Immediately concerned,
or ultimately to the race, since the indi-
vidual must of necessity seek liberty of
thought and of action, as naturally and
inevitably as water runs down hill Nor
is this tendency of the individual to be
in any way deplored, as the conserva-
tive would have us believe, merely be-
cause the individual finds himself in a
conditioned world wherein his perfect
liberty is limited 'and circumscribed on
all hands by conditions of every kind
and degree, material, social, etc, which
to the conservative present the appear
ance of impossible barriers Against
this tyranny of circumstance the indi-
vidual is i'll constant rebellion. And
rightly so, for only in his efforts to
transcend his conditions can man de
velop those godlike powers by which he
mOdiiies his environment and adaptS it
in some measure to his needs and ne
cessites. 1t is only in this individual
spontaneity that we find any guarantee
of progress. SO far the State socialist is
an individualiSt.
But when the individuaist asserts the
existence of a mutual antagOnsm be-
tween the individual and the cOmmun-
lty, the State SOClallSt-the man who be
lieves in social organization and the ad-
JuStment of collective action to the
highest individual ends--is forced into
issue with him, and a thousand ques-
tiOns come up. Take this one for in
stance-and here it is to be hoped that
''V. de c." can enlighten us-HOw does
l,o 4 ia, ~, l. Al
mutual antagonism between the com
mumty and the individual with the fact
that the development Of each has gone
on pdrt puSSer, the community growing
more complex and perfect in organiza-
ton as the individual rises niger in char
acter, capacity and aspiration; in other
words, how is it that we find more and
greater individuality to-day co-incident
with more and greater social organiza-
ton than we do in pre-social times,
when the community was nonresident?
1t is not pretended that the conception
of individualism is the same thing as the
lndlvlduallSmS variOusly understood by
various individualists, for, as already
stated, individuality of idea must differ,
or it ceases to be individuality and be.
comes community of idea, its antithesis.
Nevertheless, this need not deter V. de
G. answering the above question by in
dividualism as he understands it, but
in the meanwhile, as understand it,"
this question is fatal to individualism as
a rival theory to State socialism, for if
the law of continuity is not to be broken
to oblige our individualist friends, it fol
lows that social evolution must in the
future be upon the same lines as in the
past, and that so far from any extension
and elaboration Of collectvism being
antagonistic to individuality, it will re-
suit, as heretofore, in nobler and
higher individuality and vastly more
liberty than we enjoy to-day, Mr.. BENZ.
R. Tucker to the contrary notwith-
standing, W. T. HORN.