The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-08
LIBERTY IS OPPORTUNITY
CHRISTIAN SOCIALISM OFFERS 1T
IN ITS HIGHEST FORM.
The "Apostlev Of That Doctrine. REV.
w. ID. r. Bliss, Tells q Seattle Au-
dience Of the Defects and Dan
gers Of American Governme Mt.

Rev. W. d. p. Bliss. OF Boston. me
apostle Of Christian Socialism" delivered
last night at the 7. II. c. 4 hail the hlst
OF series of three lectures. his theme Tor
the evening being The Coming Liberty.
which it Is needless 10 say he identihed
with the peculiar theory OF government ad-
yocated by him. Mr.. Bliss general posi-
ton has been suecinctiy stated by r.
Heber Newton as follows: THE endeavor
10 bring tina ethical principles OF Jesus
Christ to bear upon the economic problems
OF our Industrial civilization"
There was a good audience 20 hear the
lecturer last night. and ne was greeted
with frequent applause. Laurence Gron.
lund occupied A seat on the rostrum, ana
the speaker referred 20 him several times.
quoting from his works on socialism as
authorities.
Negatively. fFr Bliss said that socialism
Is not pateTEaiism. not Utopian. not
Synonymous with evolution. He conceded
that most socialists are eyolutionists. Il
know personally most of the leading So
cialsts In America and England and on the
continent" said he. 'and have met a good
many of the rank and file. A good many
evolutjonsts believe in evolution without
having very clear idea of its teachings.
They remind me OF the Irish girl who went
to hear lecture on evolution. When she
got home she was asked what the lecturer
sdiG. ffef reply was fEldl ne DaG SalU
we were all descended from Darwin"
Yet the speaker maintained that socialism
is evolutionary. with the further feature
that II comprises distinct epochs I'VE
climb the ladder round by round" He
took note that Spencer calls II the com
ing slavery, thus admitting its approach.
Spencer termed II slavery because of mis-
peculiar biological bias. Spencer made
the mistake OF pushing his evolutionary
conclusions too far. When he wrote biol
ogy and evolution were yet young SCI
ences. II was then thought that the strug-
gle for existence was the only biological
law Of survival. Today biology Is teach
ing that side by side with the law OF COM
petition stands the law OF cooperation
and association. This position the speak
er fortified by quotations from Prof Gid
dings Lester Ward, Darwin, and even by
an admission of Spencer himself who
once In writing of the nltruistic motives
said that animal life OF all but the lowest
kind has been maintained by virtue OF
them"
Another of Spencer's mistakes. as point
ed out by Mr.. Bliss, lay In forgetting that
socialism does not wholly do away with
competition Mr.. Bliss spoke eloquently
OF the gradual refinement and elevation OF
the principle OF competitions:
Once with naked hand or rudest club
men fought for existence; later with pol
battled for the best fisheries and the rich
est hunting grounds. A physical compet,-
ton produced physical Individuality. the
physical giants. the Cola tbs. the Achilles
the Agememnons. kings of men Then
came competition a little more intellec-
tnal, producing an Alexander. a Richard
world. where men battle. not with poisoned
spears, but with poisoned groceries: not
with clubs. but Ike bulls and bears with
coverings OF markets and tricks of trade
uTnItlrgg re- M nf ind tSn No
poie0n OF finance.
Now comes socialism and says: Let us
cooperate In Industry and compete only to
not easy 10 see what kind OF an individu-
atty II Will produce? May 1t not be even
called HIS competition who said; II any
man viii be chief among you. let him be
servant Of an Socialism thus believes in
competition on a high plane and co-opera-
dom tlon on AZ PANS IS. , Ths WI mean free
each for self"
Mr.. Bliss denied that he was either I'M
patriotic or pessimistic; but he asserted
very positively that the laboring man Is
less free In America than IN England. Ger
many. France or Switzerland. He thought
the American constitution perhaps wei
adapted 70 the conditions OF life and gov
eminent when II was framed, but main
tanned that the vast and radical changes in
industrial conditions had rendered the con-
stitution In some respects effete and OH
strnctive TO the higher interests OF human
ity. John Adams he said. stood nearer the
Industrial conditions OF the time OF Christ
than We do TO those OF the time OF John
Adams.
Liberty the speaker defined as the oppor-
tunisy 70 develop ones Individual charac-
ter. This liberty he contended that Chris
tan socialism would bring about In It's
highest form. efrecting cooperation with
God and with the foross Of the universe
so that the individual could take his place
In the universe and obey the great cosmgc
laws OF freedom and light.
After the lecture the speaker answered
number of tmpromptu questions His
theme tonight will be. what to Do"