Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1911-11-09
viii Socialism
Destroy The Home
(By Robert I,unter.)

10y Robert Hunter.
It is sometimes said that Socialism
will destroy the home and when hear
it said wonder what kind Of homes.
VIII it destroy the homes Of the
merry widows Of Reno, Nevada?
VIII it destroy the homes of the
young American girls who have mar
fried dissolute foreign noblemen? 1
Will it destroy the novels and in
sanitary, overcroWded teHements in
which the poor are today herdsd like
cattle?
wan it destroy the homes Of the
mothers who rise at dawn to leave for
1.-THE factory?
viii it destroy the homes Of sick
Ifathers and anxious wives and hun
Igry, fretting babies?
VIII 1t destroy the homes of that
lmultitude of women who have mar
|ried, not for love, but for support?
a few years ago ! spent some
months in France, where the Social
lists control a hundred or more cities.
1t is a common knowledge that
among the poor of France iilegitimacy
Ids very common.
To, what extent that illegitimacy is
due to inability on the part of the
marriage service is not known.
But 1--WE do know that the fees
charged by the clergy for performing
the marriage services are sometimes
|exhorbitant.
In any case . multitude Of young
boys and girls refuse to pay fees to
the clergy and limit The marriage SER
Twice to an announcement Of the fact
to their friends.
Well in the great city Of Lilli the
Socialists took action on thislauestion
of LEGITIMACY. HI, sM
And to overcome 1t they established
la free marriage service, the fees to the
Ielergy being paid directly BY the muni-
Icipality.
Since that time thousands Of mar
Iriages have been sanctioned under
this new act and 4 great number OF
children, who could otherwise have
been classed as illegitimate, are now
leqalized.
Does that look like an effort to de-
lstroy the home.
Now consider few other facts.
Who does not know that for millions
the home.
Go through any great center Of in
dustry and see the mothers who are
forced to give their children to the
l6treet and themselves to thee factory.
Some of them had hardly time to
give birth to their babies before they
we're called back to the mill.
And this problem weighed heavily
upon the heart and conscience Of the
working people Of France.
! And when they came into power
their first great work was to try to
solve the problem OF the home.
/ Among other things they establish.
ed public kitchens so that soups,
meats and vegetables could be OBJ
tanned warm when the people return
ed from work.
They established school restaur,
ants for those children whose parents
were imprisoned all day IN the fac
tory.
And why? Because CAPITALISM
HAS DESTROYED those homes.
Socialists realize that so long as
present system lasts it is impossible
Ifor them to free from toll the mothers
OF their children, or to save the babies
from neglect, or children from the
Istreets, or all from actual hunger.
And there are few workmen who
would not, il they could, destroy all
lthe. public nurseries and school res
Ifaurants and maternal homes if at the
Isame time they could RE.ESTABLISH
1.-THE home and give back to their babies
h mothers love and care.
II But CAPITALISM has made this
| impossible.
And it may be curious and inter
testing fact to the clergy. who now at
tack Socialism. that when the Social
LISTS Of France came into power they
charged themselves FIRST to erect
|sOme solution Of these very problems
LOT the family and of the home.
And this, gentlemen IS q fair an
swer to your foul charges; but know
you win not read it or believe It.
Because GOLD has made you blind.