Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-08-22
GENERAL SURVEY OF SOCIALISM
Many Who Embrace This New Fad Know Not Its Workings
 What fl May Eventually Lead 10.


 pablo fact to deny. That it can attain the social and economic amelioration it professes to cham pion by the means that it proposes seems beyond belief. It recognizes social and economic evils as indeed we all do, but it offers nothing more definite in solution than the general principle of collective ownership. Just how the different trades, class es, professions, etc, are to be regu- lated so that all may have not only an equal share in the profits, but also in the labors that produced the profits, socialism does not say. l. must recognize, as we all do, that not all are fit for every position. The man entirely illiterate has no warrant to teach, while, on the other hand, maybe most teachers would cut q poor figure trying to dig a trench for a gas or water pipe. Again, it seems to pass over the fact that not all are equal, and that it is impossible to place all at all times in equal cir cumstances. Even the most potent socialism cannot slave off disease and death, and when these come they create an inequality in one family that for the time being is not some other family. How socialism would equalize conditions it does not say. Not even the brainiest socialist can impart brains where they are not; yet no system of socialism tells how we are going to strike balance be- tween the work of the scientist and the ignorant so that the conditions can be considered equal. Apart from the fact that socialism of such men as Bebel and Marx is viewed from the standpoint of Chris tianity is anti-Christian, it is from an economic standpoint beautifully iridescent dream, too utopian aud chimerical to attain realization until not only external economic features are changed, but also the greed, avarice, ambition, sloth and other natural evil tendencies of human na- ture are radically transmitted SOIuc into their opposite virtues, until in one word the millennium has come, and then we won't need socialism.
 But what is socialism? There are too many brands to give one compre- hensive definition. It might with some degree of accuracy be defined: An aggregation of systems having this common end in view, to over. turn the present order of society and to substitute another in which dominion would be exercised princ!. pally if Tot exclusively by the state Writers generally distinguish three kinds of socialism, viz: 1. Com munism, which advocates the equa distribution of all goods. 2. Col!ec tivism, which distinguishes betweel things to produce, e. g., instrument of labor and things used for con sumption. The former, it. holds ought to be regulated by the state the latter it would leave under th' care of the individual. 3. State so cialism, which would leave man. things, even instruments of produc tion, under the control of individuals but would restrict to undue limit the activity of the individual by universal and continual interference in all things. To these may be add ed anarchy, which advocates tn complete overturning of all society and agrarian socialism, more famil iarly known to us here in America a Henry Georges single tax theor! which would leave intact all instrr ments of production in the hands C their private owner, but would put tax upon land. This system woul not despoil the possessers of the lands, but would lay a tax equal the rental price. which tax since
 would be equal to all public expens " uld do away with all other tax, and hence the name single tax.
 It has been frequently aske which are the causes of socialism How and why did it come into exis ence. Before considering the caus it might be we'll to state that. a though not systematized as now,
 was not unknown to the Pagan Sparta, in the days of Lycurgus, tri' it, and Plato in his Republic pr pounds it in theory. Tn the ear ages of the church it was known, n only to the early Christian of apostC ic days as we read in the acts of q Apostles. but also the Gnostics strO to introduce it. Tn medieval tim we find traces of it among | Waldenses and the Albigenses al later on among the Anabaptists. II of course we'll known that ThOm More had some such system in mi when he wrote his celebrated wo Utopia.
 Generally speaking. however. e homie and social writers attribu the origin to about the middle of [ 18th century. Many causes are { signed for its introduction amO which perhaps the most impOrta is the industrial revolution of [ 18th century. IL was an age th gave a great impetus 10 inventi genius with the result that ma mechanical devices hitherto unknO' were brought into use So for |, ample in England We find the fiyi shuttle of Kay. Arkwright's wal frame and the application of steam engine to the cotton factO
 The discovery of coal in large qua titles and the smelling of iron e trihuted much to the rindustr revolution.
 As was natural only those who l the means could avail themselves
 these new inventions and from q
 period we find the gradual sepa
 tiOn of men into the classes whi while interdependeat. nsvertheI