Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-11-23
SOCIALIST NOTIONS
A BEAUTIFUL THEORY...IF men
were ANGELS.
b. w. Benton Pictures a Condition
When Every Nan is Worker With
Good Job. He Fails to Say What
will Become OF the DrOncS Who
will Not Work,
Editor IIeraiG:

Editor Herald:
III 1T is not contrary to custom I
would like to offer opposition
through your pages to a paragraph
in an editorial of Thursdays issue,
NOV. 19, 190S) confining itself to
II. Danskanen's reply to the article
which appeared recently in the Her.
aid, clipped from Goodwin's Weekly.
The paragraph referred to appears
as follows:
I'm citing the farmer, our friend
made mistake. The farmer who
would plOw ten hours a day, and
spend the evening planning for the
morrow would be rare individual
did he not hope to leave his child
rem in condition to avoid the strug-
giles OF his life, a hope the socialist
would destroy, as he says in the next
paragraph, when he selects an alb
normal illustration in H. X. Thaw."
| If l am not deceived your words
imply that some men do really work
in an effort to save and thus spare
their children the struggles of life,
and that such a trait is commenda-
BILE. Also that Socialism seeks to
destroy it which, l take it, is an OBJ
lection to the theory of Socialism. I
would be glad if we could come to
an understanding, and gladder if in
the event of this objection being ov-
erruled. it would be acknowledged.
l believe it is fruitless to increase
the cares OF life by having to pro-
vide for posterity and that such pro-
vision should be destroyed. But,
mind you, not until something can
be supplied that is better. Let me
try to show the futility of such
method of safeguard. We know in
our minds that even though men do
make this effort to secure comforts
for their loved ones they are not al
ways successful, which is shown by
the numbers of people who have not
enough to leave to posterity to make
it worth while thinking of. Also let
us know that in the strain to lay up
treasure certain necessaries are ov-
erlooked like the education of the
very children the supposed effort is
being made for. And then to our
sense of justice it must seem wrong
to expect a set of individuals who
happened to precede a following set
tn 6r,IdOo fn,, hn f,,<,, ~F
they care for, and maybe, neglect
themselves, preparing fruitlessly for
those whom we know have little ben.
efitted by this method of building
up and tearing down. All through
the ages apparently we've made lit
tie progress in this way for people
are comparatively as poor now as
ever.
And then we must feel sorry for
the rising generation, the greater
number of which under these condi-
tions of needless strife must be left
in their ignorance without the edu-
cation of school. and surely we
should regret that only a favored
few will be in position to give
themselves up to higher thought.
Under such odds it would seem that
progress is hindered.
Truly, as Socialist, do believe
we should destroy the hope of pro-
viding for posterity and in its place
establish a system in which human
beings can live an enlightened life,
assured Of plenty.
Well we might think, How is So
cialism going to help matters? Sim
ply In this way: Every person will
receive the full value OF his product
instead Of having to part with the
greater portion of 1t and be kept in
want. Every person will earn an
equivalent to their needs in much
shorter time than at present; hence,
time can be devoted to pastime and
study as we'll as to labor. Every
child will receive a thorough edu-
cation, which is the logical outcome
of such a system, and since such
thing as being unemployed will be
impossible, instead Of having to be
provided for, one can honestly, use
fully and happily earn an excellent
livlihood under ideal circumstances.
You will say It is a dreamy the
ory, desirable If practical, but not
practical.
As Socialists, we feel confident
that It Is practical. The fundamen-
tai principle is to permit ths work