The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-05-25
DIOCESE OF SIOUX FALLS.
Diocesan Correspondent.
Rev. G. J. Walsh, Box 81, Sioux Falls,
S. D.

Sioux Falls. Last Monday evening
a lecture on Socialism was delivered
in the auditorium, Sioux Falls, by Mr..
Goldstein of Boston. This is the
fourth of a series of lectures which
Mr.. GoIdstein has been giving in
South Dakota. The audinece which
listened to his lecture of an hour and
a half was not only composed of Cath
olics, but the local Socialists were well
represented. They did not, however,
appear inclined to question the lee
turer's indictment of Socialism. He
did not go to outside sources, but used
their own standard works to prove the
assertions which he put forth. He had
in his possession the very works of
Marx, Engels and others which the
local Socialists have presented to the
Carnegie Public Library of this city.
Mr. Goldstein first described the
fundamentals of so-called scientific So
cialism. He said that it was not neces-
sary to consider separately the fifty
seven varieties" of Socialism which
we find in this country; they are but
"fifty-seven" different attempts of So
cialist apologists to evade the Difficult
ties into which Socialism logically
analysed inevitably leads them.
The fundamental hypothesis of
Marx is economic determinism and
surplus value. Economic determine
ton or the materialistic conception of
history is the very foundation of all
Socialism. Mr.. Goldstein developed
this principle and explained it as un-
derstood by leaders of the movement,
and then proceeded to prove that it is
Numerically opposed to revealed
religion and to the Christian family.
Religion and the Christian family are
institutions, according to Socialists,
built upon the economic foundation OF
capitalism. In order to arrive at the So
cialists' goal this economic basis is
to be knocked from under them; the
conclusion is inevitable, religion and
the Christian family must go. This
line of argument is irrefutable. If the
present social organization depends on
it's present economic basis, and If re
ligion and the family are part of the
present social organization, if you
destroy the basis of the present eco
nomic basis of the social organization
and Socialists insist on doing so, then
you destroy the present social organi
cation and all it's works. Religion and
the Christian family will be things OF
the past. Mr.. Goldstein insisted
strongly on the fact that it is impos
sible for man to be Christian and
a Socialist, that those who are sc
are ignorant of the fundamentals Of
Socialism and that it would be well
for such to study a little more care
fully the question before preaching sc
loudly their cure-alls for the ills Of
society.
It was particularly when dealing
with the tactics of Socialists that Mr.
Goldstein showed that the advocates
of this ism" are not only not logica
in their reasoning, but are deceitfu
in their methods, and do not scruple
to have resort to most illegitimate
means to delude and ensnare the I'm
wary. The lecture was a decided sue
cess and it would be well to continue
this propaganda of sound doctrine or
the social question.
Madison: Rt. Rev. Mgr. Thos. A
Flynn held Forty Hours Devotion al
St. Thomas Church, Madison beginning
last Sunday Those in attendance
were Rev. w. V. Nolan, Sioux Falls
Rev. J. E. Collins, Romona, Rev. e
Bonnetere, Huntemer, and Rev. Thos
F. Slecher, of Howard.
Mitchell: A class of seventy-fve
was initiated into the Knights of Co
lumbus at Mitchell last Sunday. The
Knights of the local council and visit
ing Knights to the number of severa
hundred marched from their hall tt
the parish church to assist at Solemn
High Mass. Rev. G. O'Flaherty, pastor
of Mitchell, preached the sermon tt
the assembled Knights. The degrees
were conferred in the afternoon an6
a banquet was rendered by the ladies
of the parish in the evening.
Garretson: Forty Hours Devotion
were held at Garretson parish BY
Father Fierek, last Tuesday and Wed
rnesday. Among the clergy presen
were Fathers Fitzgerald, Boley, Ami
rault and Walsh.
Personal: Among the visitors tt
the city last week were Rev. Father.
Ketchum, Fitzgerald, O'Mahoney, Two
ny, Amirault and Mo.