The Progress., 1893-08-12

A man in n horse car in Boston was
informed that "A little man who ant at
the other end of the car was DR.. Oliver
Wendell Holmes. He was greatly
amazed at his diminutive stature. 50
complete was his astouishmcnt that lao
asked the doctor if ne would allow him
To see his hat. The doctor smIliugly
complied, and the man examined TN" hat
minutclv and exclaimed in further sur
prise that the hat was not rs large ~
his. He had supposed that Il man like
DIR. Holmes would measure around the
skull SO macy inches. We have here the
difficulty in adjusting on your Copmu-
nistic basis the results of the work of
the architect and the hOd carrier. The
hod carrier labors ON the house. The
architect conceivcs the ideas. The other
does the work which machine or
brute under some conditions could bo
trained To- perform. a system that re-
wards each alike for an hours labor is u
system fundamentally unjust.
The richest elements of life are those
that elude such material standard of
measurement.
We could not estimate the poets labor
by the same tick of the clock as we esti-
mate the man who paves the streets
The poet that wrought his immortal
song that thrilled thousand hearts and
gave them courage TO do the tasks of the
world; that made the anvil ring in Il
thousand workshops; that gave inspra'
tion to millions of hearts-we cannot
pay for that poem i'm the same terms AMI
by the same standard rs we pay thu
printer who has set up the type and gavi
il to the world.
The artist cannot he rcmunerated upon
the basis of The house painter. The artsi
whose creation inspired thousand other
hearts cannot be equalized, cannot b'
brought down to the level 10y any me.
chanical process of the painter whu
paints the exterior of the house 10y the
day and the hour.
The musician whose masterpiece thrills
the hearts OF the ages cannot have hii
work estimated by the square inch. To
bring the race down to the dead level ui
the communistc idea is to eliminate thJ
viduality? If we are just. there mus;
be. Justice demands that each shall be
rewarded according to his deserts.
Against the scheme of communism.
as scheme for the present social dis.
order, | would protest in the name OF
Gods word, in the name of nature, her
law of individuality, her law of brother.
g. Il
erhood. of all her forces that differen.
tiate us into separate beings, with sep
arate duties and several characters In
the name of the spiritual and the divine
of man and of the elements that con.
stitute his higher life. would impeaClI
such scheme.
Communism can give no answer. there.
fore, TO the social problem of this age.
To each man we must give simple jus.
tice, and justice is the antithesis Of thu
communistic ideal
If you answer in reply that the evil
play of antagonistIc forces as at present
we have them in society must then bG
the only solution, and that the fittesi
will survive in this free play of brute
force, ask the simple question: DO thd
fittest actually survive in your present
society? Are not those who are most de
serving crushed? Do not the unworthy
succeed? Does not wrong triumph for
the time and injustice reign2 The an
swer is not far to seek We know thesd
are facts.
While communism holds no answer
to the problem, SO long as we believe IN
Christianity, SO long will we hold tina;
there is an answer, full, rich, complete.