Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-02-01
SOCIALISTS INDICTMENTS
Professor Emerson, In Ills Series OF
Talks, Outlines the Arrangement
of the Present Economic System.


AT the College Street Church Sun
day Professor Emerson continued his !
series of talks on Socialism, recapitu- |
lating more fully and most suggestive
~ the indictment which the apostles of
Socialism make against the present
economic and social system.
Before entering upon the discussion of
the main topic, the speaker touched
hurriedy upon two recent occurrences
bearing upon the general subject Of so
cialisin, the publication in the last two
issues of Earpcr's Monthly of papers
by II. q. Wells outlining and explain
ing the socialist position and the enor
nous socialist gains in the recent cleo
tons in Germany
Mr. Wells's summary of the causes
and aims of socialism is of considerable
value. Mr.. Wells Is scientist and a
trained thinker, mcthodcal and logical.
Professor Emerson characterized him as
perhaps the most daring thinker of the
time. He is socialist and explains
socialism as one of The two great classes
or cxped!ents Offered IFS in our present
Ipredcament of having outgrown
static social order. The contention Is that
the old order under which the world
lived contentcdly for centuries. was an
order which looked forward to nothing
beside the putting aside from time to
time OF enough to 1--we on. New condi-
tons Incident to an Industrial era broke
up the old order and Mt the same time
made 1t insufficient. The tendency now
in finding ways out is TO follow either
the line OF thought which leads one to
say progress is gained through giving
the individual the greatest possible lee
way or that which favors advance along
collective lines, in other words to be
either socialistic or anarchistc. This, In
effect, is Mr.. Weiss diagnosis Of pres
ent conditions. Professor Emers(
pointed out that while the reasoning of
Mr.. Wells is brilliant and useful IN
playing over. penetrating, and revealing.
things that are, his conclusions are ex-
trava giant. This hv no means destroys
he value of his work or takes him GU.
OF place among able thinkers. Many
OF the greatest thinkers have been guilty
OF the same fault.
The large socialists vote In Germany
the professor explained. had not anything
like the significance that such vote In
this country would have This is due
crnment. which gives only limited scope
| to operations OF the representatives cho-
| sen. well as to the fact that, owing
| to the absence of proper parties to ex-
press the varying shades of liberal
thought, many Of these so-called social
istic voters were merely what we would
call progressives The result of the re-
| cent vote Ilay be to check the increase of
the army and to influence the financial
| policy. but it will hardly be any such at
| tempts TO start things anew rs we have
had in Milwaukee. Bismarck long ago
drew the teeth of German socialism by
his insurance law, but socialism in its
J theoretical form s,ill persists there.
| Coming to the arrangement which so
| cialism makes of the present system, Pro-
| fessOr Emerson added to what he said
| last week about the socialist conception
| Of the capitalist class as a monopoly by
| stating that they did not claim that 1t
was closed monopoly Indeed. one chief
| socialistic grievance is the fact that the
| monopoly is open at the bottom and So
robs the class below of the strongest OF
their members by taking them in and
making capitalists of them,
| Socialists claim that the present order
Is Inherently bad and perverting to So
| ciety. because they find II not only bad
In itself but capable of molding the men
who come UP under it SO as to make them
| at an early age biased to 1T into Its re-
| quirements and inclined to carry It on. II
| catches boys in its schools and colleges
and trains them for the contest to come.
| That element of contest is in one form or
another the pivotal point OF the sociallstic
attack. 1t stlrs men to misdirected
| ana uncontrolled activity. Instead Of en-
couraging a spirit of mutual helpfulness.
| II promotes contention resulting at one
end in extravaeant and irrational as we'll
| as heartless efforts TO excel. and at the
other in oppression and sdualor.
Socialists claim that in the economic
world this objectionable spirit of contest
results not only in the exploitation OF
laborers, and the heartless crushing out
of rivals hut In the unfair and wasteful
use of natural riches. They point to fer
| tile hillsides washed into the sea. and
| meadows buried beneath rubble and
| boulders. because men were avariciOus of
| the greatest possible and soonest possible
| wealth. America serves them as stock
| illustration on account of its dwindling
| supply of coal and iron, which once seem
| ed inexhaustible. its vanished forests and
| vanishing store OF natural gas and petro.
| leum, all due to the haste and waste OF
| a system which encourages men to grat
| everything before the next man can pos
sess himself of 1t.
The ravages In the spiritual world which
socialists lay at the door OF the presen
! system are not less than the mischief
which they charge against its economic
effect and, If anything, are better taken
Indeed Professor Emerson expressed hi
opinion that the arrangement on TINS las
ground was the most serious the existing
order has to meet. They claim that
commentaries the whole social body b.
Introducing a false set OF values ana eN
alting unworthy goals; that 1t has con
taminated the churches until the maj
welcomed into church is the man VIII
can nav a large pew rent, that II mas per
yerted our colleges until the end in view
the suhservient end of setting dollars, s.
that the getting of Il living ana not IN
living itself becomes the an-absorbih
theme.
; Maxi Sunday Professor Emerson vii
take up the positive clements OF inc 30
cialistic program.
MANUFACTURED ENTHUSIASM