El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-17

y" TH.1N a considerable number Of
M people combine in the enthu-
siastic support Of any doc
trine religious or economic, it is safe
to assume that there is something in
it. more or less, that is worth stand
ing for and saving.
They may misunderstood their own
ideas and give to them a mistaken
shape, but even so, il is reasonable to
suppose that, however much Of error
there may be, there is mixed with It
an element OF truth; and, if there is,
IL is a mistake to oppose it. for truth
viii bear any amount of crushing
without crumbling.
1t is in some such way as this that
it is necessary to look upon what is
known under the name of Socialism.
Socialism is difficult thing to talk
about inteiligently, for to no two per-
sons does it carry the same meaning;
but ii is safe to say as much as this
that It is policy devised by the dis
cOntented for correcting social malad-
justments and for improving conditions
Of social inequality.
Whether the methods proposed for
accomplishing this are the Wisest and
the best is a question by itself, but in
regard to the object which those meth
DDS have in view there can be no ques-
ton
The poor are too poor and the rich
are dangerously rich.
The poor do not have all that right
eOusly belongs to them and the rich
have more than they have the dispO-
sitiOn righteOusly to handle
Every Man Entitled to a Chance.
American ariStOcracy is an aristocra-
cy OF wealth, and that means unde-
served degradation to those who have
little and artificial exaltation to those
who have much
Every man is entitled to a chance to
become the best that there is in him.
Under the existing state of ineQuali-
ty the poor man is defrauded Of that
right
The impatient discomfort fostered by
that fraud is the genius Of socialism.
Now, If we see fit we can criticize
methods adopted or proposed for right
ing the wrong, but the wrong is there,
AID it is unfair and also imprudent to
pass structures upon socialism in such
a way as to leave the impression that
while criticizing sOcialistc schemes we !
are Indifferent to the wrongs to which
these schemes are designed to bring
relief.
Fully in line with the foregoing are I
the following words spoken by bishop {
Lines at the Episcopal diocesan cOnVen-
ton, recently held in Newark:
"A good many people are joining in (
the cry against socialism who know I
very little about il. No such movement /
can have gained its strength and hold
some need and some truth which right I
minded men are bound to recognize. It 1
is a means which a great may people !
in the harder places of life are using I
in their contention against privilege {
and the wise course is for those who I
bear the Christian name to try to un-
derstand the movement, and to get I
into as friendly a relation as possible }
with those who are finding in socialism \
their religion"
Churches Feel Their Responsibility.
Quite as pronounced was the declara-
ton made by the bishops of the Meth
)dist church at their recent conference
n Minneapolis
1t is an omen Of good that the Chris
ian churches are coming to feel more
Seenly. and to confess more openly,
he relation of accountability in which 4
hey stand to people in the everyday
secular concerns of life
There are two directions in which
he churches have been in the habit Of
sxpending a disprOpOrtiOnate amount Of
heir thought and effort to the neglect
IF common human necessities-one in
trying to fit people for the world to
,Ome, the other in debating the prob
ems Of religion-it being forgotten ap-
parently that if we are fit for this
world we shall certainly be fit for the
)ther. and that il is not the cOnun- /