, 1903-02-26
some OF their own property to the pub

some OF their own property to the pub
lie.
These acting socialists are not al
ways recognized as such. because they
do not always know that they are so
cialists and some of them are so pre-
JUDGED against the word that they
would get mad if o called them so
ciaiists. The world needs both theor-
izers and practical men and we must
not overlook either of them. A friend
al reputation-once said to me: So
cialism is coming. but it is coming IN
a way that most socialists will not
know it. So it seems to me the histor-
ian Of the future will put down Mr..
Carnegie as the greatest socialist who
ever lived; because in transferring
$50. 000. 900 from private ownership to
municipal ownership he has accom-
plished more in the direction of social
ism then all the literary socialists from
Plato to Bellamy. Still this ought not
to prejudice against him even those of
us who believe in individual owner.
ship of property.
Several objections have been made
against the acceptance of a library
from Carnegie. One is that it will
pauperize the community.
Now this objection would have
| Snpn fnrna II h, I,;1t aud ,,J,,,nJ -
library, but since the conditions of the
gift require that we support it our
selves at a cost of 81, 900 a year. there
is no danger of that.
Second, some think Carnegie is a
bad man and got his money by means
which are morally indefensible and
should be made legally impossible.
Now it seems to me that Carnegie is a
very good man and | am quite sure
that his work in developing the iron
business is worth more than the hun
dred million he got out of it. But that
has nothing to do with the case. Since
he has got the money and there is no
way of taking it away from him, let's
take it out in libraries. The man who
passes the contribution box in church
shakes it before saints and sinners
alike, because he's afraid if he de-
mands a certificate of good moral char
acter from everyone who contributes
Z coin, some one might pick flaws in
his own moral character. If Il MAJ
should burglariZe the bank for $1,000
and there was no way of convicting
him Of the crime, l think 1t would be a
very good scheme to get him to con-
tribute it to a library fund.
Some think hat this surplus wealth
should be divided among the en-
ployes Of the steel works, but there is
no way of getting that done until the
socialist party comes into power and
in the mean time Carnegie may die.
He is an old mar now.
1T seems to he thought that by &C.
cepting a library we, in some way, i'm
| ply approval Of Carnegie's character
and methods and should be obliged to
refrain from criticizing them. Now l
enjoy pointing out the fault in other
peoples life and character as much as
anyone, and | would not consent to be
deprived Of the privilege of criticising
Carnegie. But nothing of the sort is
made a condition of the gift. The hall
and club-rooms of the building will be
a splendid place to meet in and de-
nounce m%illionaires and their methods,
and certainly the library would be sup
piled with all kinds of radical litera-
ture Ror example. l have a list of
tweleve books on anarchy which
I want to read because anarchy
seems to me a higher ideal than social
ism or the good old democratic doc
trine that government is best which
governs least. l put in six of the titles
to the librarian Of the university and
they were procured, and an hoping
that the county library will get the
rest. II it does not. it will not be for
fear Of offending Carnegie. Armour,
when he founded the Institute Of Tech
nology, told DR.. Gunsaulus, the presi-
dent. to procure a very wide course in
sociology, including many lectures
outside the schools, for he said the
time may come when Armours will be
impossible and if it is the boys ought
to know it."
Better Than Gold.