The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-11
OVER LABOR
FORMER TRUE SOURCE OF
vALUE-REv. MELLEN.
Says Socialism Would Reduce Society to
Mere Neutrality-suspicious.
Views Freely.

In the course of a sermon on Socialism"
last night, in Christ Reformed Church., the
Rev. Henry Merle Mellen, pastor, main
tained that talent, not labor, forms the
true source of value, that socialism would
reduce man and society to mere machinery,
and that while socialists were following a
dream, they were contributing nightly to
the ushering in of the day of Gods king
dom.
He said in part;
"Sinc the French Revolution socialism,
as we understand II today, has gradually
taken shape. The wild social dreams Of
Saint Simon, Proudhon, Lornier. have long
since been considered freaks Of history.
They were fine In their outline. but their
inherent lawlessness and revolution killed
any possibility OF their realization. Robert
Owen established for a time a fine ideal
condition of social cooperation at Lomark,
but when Owen began to attack the sane
tlty of the marriage relation and the
claims of revealed religion, modern civiliza-
ton quietly ignored Owen and gradually
withdrew Its. approval, so that OWENS
practical exhibits of social cooperation soon
died.
I'm our country SOCIALISM is a mighty
factor. Its leaders claim Christ as
the original Socialist, and so they have
added the name Christian. Clergymen Of
all Christian denominations with hundreds
of high minded laymen a enrolled them
selves under the banner of Christian So
cidlisin. Itou6Hly We may reuuce all the
different forms OF Socialism to four pos
~tulates: /. Capital, whether fixed or cir
culated, is robbery, 2. Labor is the only
source of value, and the workman Is enti-
tied to all he produces. 3. The true func-
ton of government is the solution Of econ
omic problems, and to secure to labor all
its socialistic rights. 4. Land and instru.
ments are public property"
Under the first head, Mr.. Mellen said
that Socialists go back as far as 100 years,
claiming that Kings and Princes accumu-
lated wealth belonging to others. He said
they claim that capital is robbery because
1t does not belong to those who possess 1t.
He said human nature plays a great part
in the accumulation of wealth, and that all
we are today Is due to mans strivings.
Men, by divine right. have been called to
rule over many, he said. He denied that
labor is the only source Of value, and that
the laborer Is entitled to all he produces.
but said the true source of value was the
faithful use man puts to his talents. 1t
is the strivings of men that bring about
values. he added.
There are good and poor artisans. the
minister said, and not labor, but talents,
form the true source of value, and adding
hat socialism would redrce man and soci-
ETY. to mere machinery.
Mr.. Mellen said he disagreed with Henry
George in his views that no one could own
land. He said. however. that the Socialists
were contributing nightly to the ushering
in the day of God Kingdom.
They claim allegiance to Christ he
continued. and anyone who claims relation
to the Son of God shall not be foreign to
us. The church, the Socialist movement, re-
shall each contribute its very highest in
the final process. All will tend to usher
in the kingdom of God. After all, we come
back to the exercise of the Golden Rule"