Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-11-11
ARCHBISHOP CORRGAN DECLARES r se ft a.
11 A-9 la THAT SOCIALISM IS UNCHRlSTAN 80

New York, Nov. 11.-Archbishop Cor.
rigan bitterly. arraigned socialism In
Sc. Patrick's Cathedral In the secono
Of series Of sermons on that sub
Ject.
Literally, he tore socialistic doctrines
to threads and hurled scathing rebukes
at its advocates. He declared that no
socialistic leader Is Christian. He
said that religion is left out of the SOC
ialistic creed altogether, and that their
Ideas are contrary to Christianity.
The Archbishop, at the beginning of
his sermon. read an extract from
recent encyclical of the Pope, condemn
ing the socialistic theory, that, in order
to remedy the evils of the day, private
property should be destroyed and that
the individual possessions should be-
come the property of the State.
livery living man is entitled, accord
ing to the Declaration OF Independence,
to life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness,' the Archbishop continued.
"He has right moreover, to self-im-
provement, to the developing and per-
fecting of his faculties, whether III
the department of knowledge or of
clothing, to the shelter of a home, to
occupation and to permanency in the
possession of what he has acquired by
his labor.
"Permanency of possession is an es-
sential point, because this gives at
once stimulus to endeavor and TO
the attainment of proper earthly am.
bition. Evidently under the socialistic
theory this permanency would be re.
moved, and consequently all would go
that makes this life worth while, lib.
erty worth having, or happiness any.
thing more than name.
IF the theories of the socialists were
carried out the workingman would be
the first to suffer. Without property
he cannot exercise, his innate rights to
personal comforts, to the pursuit of
happiness and to the developments of
his faculties. Who would till the fields
if some one had right to step in and
reap the harvest?
"A man must provide for the future
and therefore he has right to lay
by something for rainy day He
must have the wherewithal not only
for his present needs, but must put
aside for the future. What is the
theory Of wages-that man gives the
sweat of his brow and his labor in
order that he may get something in
return?
Now, suppose that a man receives
enough, not only to provide for to-
day, but by frugality and economy to
lay aside sufficient amount of money
to buy small piece Of ground.
What is this ground? 1t represents
what he has earned by the sweat of
his brow; il is a part of his salary,
part of the money he has worked
hard to gain. Assuredly, therefore, he
has the right to dispose of that ground
in any way that he pleases, because by
his own personal labor he has ac-
quired it.
Therefore, when socialists say that
property should be transferred from
the individual to the State or the COM
munity they strike a direct blow at the
liberty of the workingman. 1t is un-
deniable that man, by having this
right to dispose of his wages as he
wishes and to possess property is much
better off under the present system
than he would be under such sys-
TEN as Is urged by the socialists, be-
cause under their rule whatever q
man acquires must pass, not to him.
self, but to the community. A
"The great shibboleth of the social.
lists for more than hundred years has
been liberty, equality and fraternity
Their theories would destroy all three
in the only sense in which there is
any possibility for them to exist. Lib.