Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-10-11
SOCIALISM AND ANARcHISM.
The Difference Noted by the Standard I'm
pressed Upon the Reader.

ED. Standard:
was much gratified with your
leading article in the issue of Sept.
9th. 1t was timely. able and wisely
discriminating, especially the defni-
tions OF Anarchy" and Socialism, -
for in the overheated zeal of many to
crush out Anarchy, they confound it
with Socialism, which is Numerically
its opposite. Anarchy is radical in
dividualism and selfishness that would
destroy all government and social or
der and leave every one for himself
and the devil for us ALL" while Social.
ism is emphatically cooperative and
unselfish, urging self-denial and sac.
rficing the individual, if need be, for
the good of the public-for the good
of the whole. In its radical form it
is intensely unselfish, and in one of it's
phases, communistic. l am not I'M
dertaking to defend communism, but
| do not forget that Jesus and his i'm
mediate followers were communists
and that for $50 years after Christ
they held their property in common.
They did not believe in "minc" and
chime" and am therefore surprised
to observe protesting Christians de-
nouncing Socialism, confounding and
coupling it with Anarchy.
l am sometimes led to inquire,
Have We any Christians among us; |
mean real, live, genuine Christians l.?
Let us see: take it true Christian
should do what Jesus commands him,
as one of His followers, to do, or at
the very least, he should believe he
ought to do what Jesus commands
him to do. whether he does it or not.
But does he believe he ought to obey
Jesus when he commands His follow
ers to"Give to every man that asketh
of thee; and from him that would
borrow OF thee turn not those away"
see Matt. 5-42; Luke $50. Most GER
tainly he does not. for he may think
he ought to give to some "a select few
but not to every one that asketh.
This giving and lending to every
man Unfortunately. that asketh, is
only practicable where all property is
held in common, as by Communists,
but modern Christians, all the same as
worlds people, rightfully think that
the cOmmunistic idea in regard to
property is wrong, or a mistake, if you
please; as we'll as eliminating all self
ishness from our lives is also u mis-
take, and therefore they constantly
and unanimously protest (and l think
wisely, too) against the command of
Jesus to give or lend to every man
who asketh, and discriminate among
those asking the said Christians to
give, or lend, to them, and. as q rule,
cOnfine their giving or lending to very
narrow limits, instead of obeying the
command of Jesus. But, in so doing,
are they Christians?
There are many other commands OF
Jesus that protesting Christians do
not obey, and moreover fully believe
they ought not to obey, but, for the
present, desist from holding up the
mirror. However. l can and do most
heartily unite with all good, patriotic
citizens-Christian and Otherwise-in
demanding that vigorous and effective
measures be adopted to get rid Of the
vile, dangerous and damnable excres.
cence called Anarchy. and to effectu-
ally suppress and eliminate its treas
enable supporters. But great care
and wisdom must be exercised, lest by
insane surgery, the body polite be
manned and seriously injured. Let
us have skillful political surgeons;
wise, patriotic, American statesmen,
to coolly and determinedly grapple
with the monster. DORLAND.