Evening star., 1908-01-26
QUESTION OF SOCIALISM
OPPOSITION TO VIEWS OF WILL
LIAM E. CURTIS.
Statement by Mrs. Jessica Penn
Hunter-Summary of Tidal Wave
Breaking Over England.

Direct opposition to the views Of VII
liam +. curtis on the question of social
ism, expressed in his news letter IN
The Star last Tuesday has been voiced
by Mrs. Jessica Penn Hunter Of 4oT Attn
street. In an intervi w yesterday Mrs.
Hunter declared that Mr.. Curtis had no
conception OF tn" various phases Of the
great problems which he treated in his
article.
III, was given brief summary OF tho
tidal wave that is breaking over Eng
land, she said. and he marveled that
socialism. the youngest child of tho no-
litcai world. should rise to such activity
and To such strength; to such effort and
to such failure. lie | rightly interpret
Mr.. Curtis, he sums up success by the
profit in dollars and cents: failure by
propnrtionate loss. OF success which
may not he written with the dollar mark
he cannot conceive. OF the improved
conditions of the lower world and of the
raised standards of morality and health.
he reckoned not. 1t is true the leaders
in the socialist movement have engaged
in certain business enterprises and tho
people have been taxed 10 support them.
The leaders propose further to pension
their aged and helpless members, and to
helpless children. Among these prospec-
tive aged pensioners. Mr.. Curtis asserts,
there will be some idlers and profigates.
That such should receive the princely
sum Of > shillings per week appears TO
trouble the soul of Mr.. Curtis.
Another Glass of Pensions.
But | should like 10 ask him what he
thinks of that other class of pensioners
al; of whom are idlers. and most of whom
profiigates. The drain they make upon
the treasury of England tand through the
treasury to the people who fill the treas
ury) Is an enormous one. ] cannot re-
call the figures, but | was startled when
read a statistical report of what the
people pay to support those remnants
of a passing civilization-the royalties and
peers of the realm. They pay well-the
people-for the rich paupers who scorn
them. 1t takes thousand novels to sup
POI. one palace. Millions starve that the
few may feast. And they have starved,
starved and died-in the cutters and in
the brothel. in the jails and on the gal
lows. Their bones I'm ghastly millions
lie bleaching in the graves of vice-graves
dug by the hand of greed and watered
by the tears of despair.
But Mr. Curtis has nought with them.
He is deaf to the cry of the lame and the
halt. He belongs To the cult to whom
gold spells God. True to the creed OF
his ilk, he reads success only through
the glimmer of gold.
Of those enterprises which are not as
yet a success. and to the support of
which a small part Of the peoples money
has gone Gin the effort TO help them
selveS). he speaks at length and with le
Intolerance of one who probably thinks
the money should have been added to the
excheduer of the yachting class. or to
some other of the idlers who form the
butterfly guard to the throne.
Little patience HAS he with those mis-
guided leaders who believe that even the
poorest are human beings. and who gave
them the advantages of sanitary and
comfortable dwellings. Because they
were sanitary and comfortable they cost
more to build than the novels which had
formerly sheltered these outcastS Of So
ciety. And because they We're rented
with no increase, the investment paid
"A profit of only per cent, whereas the
men who built the novels made on their
investment and per cent.
IF they paid per cent the city lost
nothing by the experiment 1t actually
gained. Not in money only, but in the
incomprehensible advantages of raising
to higher standard a large part of its
people We depend more upon environ
ment than we realize. Of this there Is
ample proof Let the poorest among us
be given the means to elevate ourselves
and note the immediate struggle for
mental. moral and social improvement.
The reverse of the picture is equally
true. As the individual sinks lower and
lower in the financial scale he loses pro-
portionately the attributes of progressive
man. The third generation on the one
hand reaches to the best; on the other to
the lowest. This is fact
IF the socialists have failed in their
first experiments with the business world
does it prove the theory failure? Does
Is not the very cause of their failure
the keynote of future success?
Mr. Curtis states that one cause of
failure was the higher wage paid by the
government. shorter hours and a greater
number employed. He does not seem
to understand that starvation wages and
idle men are two Of the evils against
which socialism is directed. Granted
that private ownership makes for itself
more money from a given investment
how do the people profit by it? They re-
ceive less for their labor. work longer
hours and fewer of them are employed in
order to make individual success. That
much is admitted. Where does the
money go? Who gets it?
Grinds Down the Poor.
is it not he who rises. not because
of superior ability but because he the
more mercilessly grinds down the poor?
If they have not been directly taxed for
the enterprise are they not indirectly
but none the less surely supporting 1t by
lesser wages and extra work?
rs it right that they should siarve in
novels in order that somebody can coin
their suffering into dollars and cents9
Because thing has been, does il fol-
low that it must be? Is the past To
shape the future? Is the dragon OF
prejudice forever to guard the promised
land and force back into the abyss the
struggling masses who seek its magic
portals?
IF the people must be taxed, if they
must labor and pay for what they do
not get is it not better for the money
than in the unholy bondage of support
ing the parasites on the tree of life
the titled revelers who dance to the
fiddling of death, and whose dainty
footsteps glide ruthlessly over the
hearts of the people"
But though they have failed in this
enterprise of the people. by the people
and for the people. do not imagine. ye
who look on at this duel between right
and wrong. that failure Will be the end.
''They viii learn--the people, They
will learn that in public as well as pri-
vate business a knowledge of the
fundamental principles of the enterprise
engaged in is essential To success. They
will learn to place at the head of their
They will pay these men salaries pro-
portionate to their ability in organiZa-
ton and directing.
'"rhe people will do il because il is
Imperative that they should do 4. Men
are not born equal mentally any more
ability which must he recognized and
il