The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1906-11-23
The Ethics Of Socialism
Continued from paoen

words of the Saviour? To securo the
rights OF the weak, and safeguard them
against the greed of mammon.
All the foremost writers of Social.
Ism are agreed as to taking over into
public ownership only the most promin.
ent OF the public utilizers, such as
railroads express, telegraph, telephone
electric 'ISht, cars, waterworks and
trusts breaking the laws, also tbe i'm.
mense tracks of public land fraudulent.
~ ATTAINED from the government; the
people, land which was lawfully given
away All other propositions for pub.
lie ownership would be submitted seri.
etlm lAe they arose. to vote of all
the people, 1t is plain therefore there
VIII be n" changes from the present
system OF land titles in this generation
other than such as pertain to the pub.
lie domains. All else will be left TO
educational development and object les.
son of the Superior method mortgages.
Interest and profits.
"Beware of the Scribes," (said
jesus they that deyou widows houses
and for prctence make long prayers"
(Mk, - 3S) 1t needs no learned
authority to tell us how they 'devour
widows houses the same as now:
lending money on interest and mort
cages Socialism proposes methods
of abolishing interest and NOR cages
and also profit taking. the underlying
principle is condemned, which fosters
an idle class which enables one to grow
rich off others labor, while producing
nothing or doing no useful work
What does the law say which Christ
said must abide? See Dent. %: 10.
Thou shalt not lend upon interest to
thy brother; interest of money, interest
OF victuals; interest Of anything, etc. y,
that Jehovah. thy God, may bless thee
in all that thou puttest thy hand unto"
american Standard Version) We read
"usury" in the King James Version,
but not in the modern sense of interest
in excess of the legal rate, for in Israel
there was no legal rate none whatever
was legal. The Hebrew word "Neshek'
meant a biting las Of serpent) and
stood for interest as biting to the
needy. Christ made this law more full
(Gk. pleroo) as in Lu. 6. "a, 30 and
Matt. 5. A. The law thus made more
complete by the Saviour may be toe
drastic under the present capitalistl(
system, save in exceptional cases But
Jesus was laying foundations for new
system in which the law could be full
filled as perfected by Himself.
Associated with the law against in
terest is also that Of increase or profit
taking. The prophets were the best
expounders of the law. Ezekiel, II
pronouncing condemnation on tn
wicked names the following in tn
list of sins enumerated hath giveI
forth unto interest, and hath taken IN
crease; shall he then live? he shall no
live" There is this difference between
them and us. They acted in violation
of the laws of the land Of lsreal-w'
under a pagan civilization that ma
legalized these wrongs. But must
ever be so? Shall society never be re
deemed from its economic sins! VIII
the maxim. ITO the workers belong tn
products of their labor. The forego
iny laws comprise the fandemehta
economies of Socialism, Summed up u
word. they mean justice, the f"uho
ation Of the economics of the law o
the prophets magnifcently enforced D.
|
the saviour who enlarged upon 1t th'
prandest Of ethics; Love-"on wh'cl
hang nh the law and the prophets
How mpch nearer to it can any polltlca
system attain than the Socialist ann u
abolish all competition and un''e III
world in brotherhood of co-opera''o,
giving equal opportunity to ALL ~
wonder that grand philanthrop'''
Frances Willard, after giving herSe.
to the study of Socialism proe,"' ,,'
to a great audience: ""ou'u '""'
ware Young again, and it should nav \,
nv lifel 1t is Gods way out OF u,
wilderness and into the PROMISED '"'"
II is the very marrow of Christ goSpe
II is Christianity applied ,,,
The cooperative feature OF s0e as"S'i
remains to be considered when co"s''
tuted an integral factor in early .nF Is,
;an;tv from the day of Pentecost TO VI
Emneror Constantine A. D, go I'm
iii, moi admit of a proper treatment y