Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1898-09-17
True Propaganda Work,
CONTINUED FROM FOURTH PAGE. J

they see something looking to ward,
better material conditions in any ism
that springs up they will not, cannot
nor should not tie to it,
No proposition is worth tying tc
that does not recognize both the men
tai and material elements.
Many poor wage slave reads the
fine theorizing of Rellamy and other
writers, and starts out to hunt up the
real thing. He Immediately, as a
rule, runs up against some political
party or cooperative society that is
moving heaven and earth with mouth
and pen, but cannot furnish him the
means of livelihood any more than he
can himself.
When he sees how helpless the So
Cieties and associations with big pro-
jects, long names and no means are
in comparison with the plutocrats,
when he sees the latter controlling
the means of subsistence for millions
while the former have only their
thoughts to control and can't always
do that, what wonder that the aver
age worker feels as though he
must, perhaps unwillingly, acquiesce
in the rule of mammon.
He may try it for awhile. living
with the theorists on a diet of rain
bows and ether, but it gets too thin,
and he goes back to the flesh pots of
Egypt"
Now, whatever the conditions may
be elsewhere, the duty of every So
cialist on this continent is to get
their feet on the ground and begin
the foundation of their building
thereon instead of trying to lay it in
the clouds and tumbling headlong
dOwnwards.
Especially is this the case with the
B G c, which was organized with the
very sensible, tangible object in view
of making employment for the UNI
employed' and ''homes for the home
less" To do this requires every cent
of money and every strain on the
muscles that labor can give. All
efforts should now be directed towards
clearing, building, putting up ma
chinery and the like.
But" say some, 1--WE must use lots
Of money for propaganda work.
| Right here is the point | wish tt
make; The only propaganda work
that will count very much at thi:
stage of the game, outside of Indus
trial Freedom, and the necessary cor
respondenCe in answering questions
is in the form of something that viii
minister to mans material wants. We
must build up industries that will not
appear contemplate in tre eyes OF
the outside world, and it is crimina
to divert either labor or capital into
any other channel than the one OF
prac teal work
More especially is this statement
true when we consider the limited
means of our people. For although
the b { contains about $500 mem
bers, yet as they are all of the work
ing class, and mostly have families tc
support, it will very readily be seer
that we as an association have no re
sources to throw away.
The longer | remain within the
colony the more plainly | see that
every improvement made, every spot
of land cleared. every building erect
ed, every machine set up and operat
ed. is better and more effective propa
ganda work than many times the
same effort put into writing and
speaking. Not that [ belittle the
latter; but they have in the past and
still do occupy more of the reform
field than their usefulness merits.
Equality has now got to the point
in growth where she does not need an
army of writer's and speakers to tel
to the world that she exists. The
WI III - an iN ilN VI llAtlA ldN
and its eyes are now turned in thi,
direction to see HOW we exist, and tC
see if our way is any Improvement
over the old method.
With the people around us watching
and noting every move that we make
and a continual round of visitors com.
ing and going, naturally reporting
our progress to the world at large, all
that is necessary for Us to do is to &C
ahead and thew to the line" that We
have laid out for ourselves.
Equality's horn is being blown in
grand shape, and her notoriety causes
the visitor to anticipate something
above the ordinary on his arrival, and
consequently il should be the aim OF
everyone concerned to endeavor to
have enough accomplished so that
there shall be no revulsion of feeling
on his part, no reaction that may
turn him against the very funda.
mental principles of Socialism. re