Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-12-08
Spargo Thrills
Large Audience

ClaIlSm tnuS becomes TO the wage
worker the political expression of
that struggle of which his labor union
is the economic expression. 1t is his
means of expressing in the State the
claims he is continually advancing in
the workshop. His ballot and his
strikes and boycotts are different ex-
pressions of the same great struggle.
Thus the wage-worker interprets
Socialism in terms of economic gain.
It is for him a philosophy which ex-
plains how and why others reap
where he sows and take what he
makes. It means to him a movement
of the exploited to make exploitation
impossible; to drive away, by their
concerted action, the dreaded foe,
Poverty, and to enthrone Plenty in it's
lace. And his conception of Social
ism is perfectly just one. Socialism
means all that.
But another man may have quite a
different conception of Socialism. He
is, perhaps a professor in one of the
great universities. He has never
known the pain and misery of want,
Or the fear of it. He has never had to
engage in the daily struggle for better
wages; never had to- beg in vain for
employment. All his life he has had
an abundance of good food, good
clothes, books, music and the com
forts of home. He cannot understand
no matter how carefully and earnest
ly he trie shy observation and reading,
all that these material things mean
to the wage-worker, and he may even
marvel at the sordidness of the view
which sees in Socialism only move
uent for increasing material comforts.
But in his life he has experienced
another kin odf bondage than that
Wn.ch the wage-Worker knows. He
ices that under the present system
there is a bondage of the intellect, and
ne is quick to resent 1t. He finds that
he is not free to teach the truth as he
ices it; that chains of class-interest
and greed are laid upon the mind and
tnat Truth is muzzled in the temple.
He sees, what the Wage-worker only
vaguely suspects, that the fountains of
knowledge are poisoned att their
source by the sinister forces of class
interest. The world in which he lives
and moves is blighted BY capitalism,
and he conceives Socialism as the
great Liberator of the mind. He turns
to the Socialist movement as the force
which alone can rend aSunder the
chains which hold the intellect in bond
age. His faith in Socialism is not less
intense than that of the wage-worker,
but it is motiyed by different i'm
pulse and pasiosn. And his concep
ton of Socialism is likewise perfect
ly just one. Socialism means all that
Yet another man approaches Social
| ism from the religious approach.
Graded in religious faith and inspired
bv an intense enthusiasm, he adds to
the ethical view of life mystic and
poetic Interpretation of the universe
and his relation to the cosmos In
that mystic and poetic Interpretation
ae finds the vitalizing force OF all his
ethical precepts, and he believes tnat
without it they would be- barren and
fruitless. 1t matters not for us, IN the
present discussion, whether this De
right or no; it is enough that we
| understand his point of view.
Such a man sees that the religious
life is impossible under capitalism.
EVERYWHERE, at every turn, the spirit
of capitalism kills Religion. He tries
vahantly to live up to the great ethical
nrecepts which constitute the heart OF
his religious inspiration, but he is con-
stantlv baffled and repealed. In the
maelstrom of capitalist society he is
tossed about as a cork is tossed about
nv tempestuous seas. Brotherhood ID
anv real sense is impossible under
Ecanitalism. Life is all bound down TO
Its ledger accounts OF pront ana loss
To live the Golden Rule Is lmpossiDie'
There is no individual salvation from
social evils.
/ Nothing in life is more pathetic
more narrowing to the soul, IMAM the
lhelplessness of the ind1vduak IN mou
Iern society," No matter how rehglous
a man may be, when he sits down &c
his breakfact, drawn by the vast anu
Intricate machinery OF commerce Iroh
All parts of the globe, can he ten un
der what conditions it has all peer
nroduced-the ultimate price IN nu
man suffering which has had 70 o.
Maid and by whom it was paidE 81
with his clothing and all the multitude
If things which minister to his com
fort and life, In society we are 81
Iinextricabily bound up together tina
there can be no salvation for any mai
NV himself: no religious life for Tn.
I ;ndividuaI until it is possible for all
Seeing these things, seeing that unoe
canitalism the ethical heart OF religion
dies and faith degenerates into colo
iharern. futile creed of formulas TOT val
and ruthless sermons, many a rel
g;ons enthusiast turns to Socialism
and finds in its teachigns inspiratol
D solace and hope. To such believe
2 .Coc;alism appears as great, vital an
!. Convention of Socialism is as legit
: mate and just as any. ,.e
!. The man who. because ms me