The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-22

number. while small estates, between eho
| IL acres number 2,174.000 How about PER-
sonal property. which. according to the Social
fats. IL fast being collected into the hands OF
! financial arIstoerats1 With this sssumotion
cannot be reconeilsd the a0oo. 900 Of little se-
count books which record deposits IN the saw
inea banks. and which represent 5000 oO0.-
900 the deposits in the Poet once savings
bank aRGreEating s90.00o000 more How IL
II with the French national bonds7 N. Tlrard.
Minister Of Finance. showed In March. 1893,
that the transferable or. AZ we would say. reg
istered bonds which, a. distin Ruished from
coupon bonds. testify IN France 10 small In
vestments. represented nearly sG6. 600. 600 OF
income. while the income from coupon bonds
was Only about sic. ZOO. 900. The same thing
IL true OF French railway shares; the average
number OF shares per shareholder ranged
from twelve to eighteen. When In January.
1888, the bonds Of the city Of Paris. payable to
bearer. were renewed. II was aseertslned that
more than half OF those interested he'll either
one bond each or from ono to>six quarters OF
bond. The capitalists who hold only from one
to I'VE shares in the Bank OF Francs-thati s to
say from $500 to s4oO0-constitute large
mum erical majority. The 81. 3g5 shareholders
OF the Credit Foncier hold on an average eleven
shares each; 712o persons hold bpt one share
each. Here certainly are no proofs OF the i'm
poverishment which. as the Socialists main
tain, has been created By q capitalistio society
during thrse-ausrters Of century.
VIZ.
What. In short. 10 Il that Socialists demand1
They demand the suppression OF competition.
Their ideal-not only in the State OF the future.
which they prudently abstain from describing.
as Iiebknscht acknowledge at the Erfurt
Congress- but in the i'm m edfate. provisional
hav hay tt ia.
pressive political economy. based upon the
efYacement Of tho individual and his subsection
to multitudinous. irresponsible. and despotio
combinations. upon envy. jealousy. and CO.
ercton, and upon the breaking up Of q nation
into classes intent on snatchinR some rags OF
fortune By the aid OF political power. Indi-
vidualists, on the contrary, represent ex-
pansive political economy. which holds that in
social relations. a. in all organic life. cornpe-
titlon 10 the great factor In evolution.
1t ia the ideal Of mere subsistence. instead
OF the ideal Of developm emit. which Is pursued
by the Socialists when they propose TO Impose
a uniform rate OF wagea They would arrive
at this result: The strongest and cleverest
workmen would not earn what they ought to
earn. They would carry the feeble workmen
on their backs. Now. It 10 all very we'll says
NJ. Guyot. to talk in IN ELUSIVE way about
the protection which the strong owe
to the weak. But for this protection to
TO eflcacious the strong must begin By
being strong. Every combination which has
for result the sacrifice OF the strong to tho
weak Is check to the development OF
humanity. Besides. who are the feeble2
BY what signs arc We to know themf Are We
going to put premium on laziness and apathy
so as to get rs much as We can out OF those
who valiantly undertake to bear the burdens
ns 10 thap sIv In NJ shoulda rfny
them on to their nelehbors2 But II we SYSTEM
atically undertake to maintain those feeble or
lazy creatures. We condemn them to remain
In their state OF debility or incidence.
Let us rather remember the law expressed
by Lamarck: The development Of organs
and their active powors is always in pro-
portion to their employment" Crises
and difficulties in our social life there
will be. We need not fear them. Our
needs change. and a change OF needs always
precedes the definite formation Of corre-
spending organ. From the sociological. as from
the biological. point OF view. the problem Is the
same; the adaptation to new functions Is DIM
cult. and for some time remains incomplete.
Our endeavor should be to make It as easy. as
little painful. and as perfect as possible. Above
all things should We endeAvor to avert retro
gressions. which only represent the prepon-
derance OF heredity over the adaptation to
environment: and for that reason It Is
our duty to oppose the Socialist move
ment. which Is simply q new expression
OF old forms OF society. OF old ideas. OF old
sophistries. survivals OF fetlshism in word.
an attempt to subordinate Industrial and
economic progress 10 the modes OF existence
OF primitive civilizations. Tho so-called ad-
vAnced" reformers. who direct the move
ment-Sociallsts. Communists. Populists-
would simply carry back the social organism.
with all its complex elements more and moro
admirably adapted to the division OF labor. to
primitive collsctivism. To transform man.
tho head and crown OF creation. back into u
jellyllsh. is their ideal II. ". Ii.