Norwich bulletin., 1913-02-18
CHRISTIANITY AND SOCIALISM
Dramatically Opposed Said David Goldsten Address in Crowded Town Hall Under K. of C. Auspces-To be a Catholic and Socialist Once Impossible Albert Boardnan Replies to the Speaker.

uoeS nOl give this credit to ChriStiAn1- ty. They tell us that Christianity came into earth as a labor movement. l and in the latest socialistic book Christ
 is hailed as the agitator the waver of the red flag, and they claim that for I years the red flag was the first flag of l Christianity.
 Church Refutes Theory. 1 That the theory of materialist con | ceptIon of history is the theory ae- cepted by the socialist party was in ], dicated by quotations from the most prominent socialists of the world, those who speak with authority in the coln- 1 cils of the party. No man, said AIr. Goldstein. can believe in the theory cal materialism and believe in Chris tlanIty. The principles of the Chris tlan faith do not change with indus trial conditions they are eternal. The Ten Commandments are eternal and I unchanging. The Catholic church is living refutation of the theory on which the socialists faith is based. The Catholic church has endured during the three stages of production and it's principles are the same as they have always been and as they will always remain. If socialist principles are cor rect, she should have been plotted out of existence long before now.
 In the model age proposed by the socialist. it will be a classless age and as morality is a matter of classes there will be no morality, the religious or
 
 and the churches with them. The so- c1alist tells us thata religion is ser Vile and Christianity the most servile of the servile. All the ten command age, because there will then be no private property against which these crimes can be committed.
 Atheism in Socialist Doctrine
 The socialist argues, however, that religion is matter for the individ- ual and not for. the party. The case Of lngersoil is cited as prominent republican who was one of the worlds greatest agnostics, and yet no one calls the repu blican party a party of athe- 1sts. The speaker pointed out that the difference is that the republican party has never endorsed the agnostic writings of Ingersoll and called them the views of the party. On the other hand man must accept Marx and Engel and Rebel and their theories or he is no socialist, and all of these men are revered and honored by the party ofganfza tions as the men who pronounce atheism to be the bed rock doctrine Of the socialists cause
 Quoted Socialist Writers.
 The lecturer attacked the assertion that socialism had nothing to do with matters of religious beliefs instanc- party leaders from Karl Marx down had been and are now atheists, that one of the principles of the party is the materialist conception of history, that it denies and scoffs at revealed religion, and these latter assertions were supported by copious quotations by the speaker from the works of socialist writers and from the different organs and publications of the party. That all standard socialist literature Is against God antagonistic to the Christian ideals and against Christi the lecturer asserted and convincingly argued that socialism was against the family and that it's teachings were that men and women should be free to love as they will, without the in tervention of the church or state" that these relations should terminate at will, thus obViating the necessity of any woman being dragged through the mire of the divorce courts
 MT. Goldstein spoke of the lyceum course conducted by the socialist na- tiona1 organization, by which $120,000 worth of socialist books and papers were circulated, many of them being free-love and atheistic books, by which the socialist party will stand or fall.
 Christian Socialist a Hybrid.
 The speaker dealt with what he call- ed a hybrid, the Christian socialist. guinea pig, said a minister who be- came a socialist. The guinea pig isn't pig and it doesn't come from Guinea.
 Women and the Family.
 In taking up the socialist attitude toward woman and the family, MT. GoldSteln drew an answer from mem bers of the party who were in the hall The Christian church., he said, if she has done anything, has done the worlds great work in defending the integrity of the family (Applause.) Carroll D. Wright in the government report has said of the Catholic church that although there is an increase of divorces, the number would be still of the church on the marriage sacra- ment. tApplause.)
 Tilt with Socialist
 Holding up copies of two standard books defining the socialist attitude on woman, the speaker asked anyone in his audience to say whether there were any considered of greater au- thority on this subject by the Social ists
 There are none responded Fred iron. his seat well to- wards the front of the hail.
 The lecturer went to read from the books and Albert Boardman asked for an opportunity to make an ex- planation.
 It was granted and Mr. Roardman said that while they were socialist books, it was not necessary to accept them to be a socialist. They were an individual opinion of 8 future con dition and the writer might be a true
 
 eialist was free to accept these the- ories or reject them as he chose.
 It is not necessary for you to know the principles of socialism in order to join the socialist party retorted Mr. sfoldstein. All you have to do is to promise not to vote any other party ticket. You Eearn the principles after wards.
 The church came along and sane toned marriage and said that no mat ter how high the man was nor how 1 low the woman, that Christianity has | been opposed to woman and that her l advance has been in spite of Christian 1 ity rather than because of it. Give us l q dark room. a pencil and 8 socialist | ton and we can give you all 1 the facts, historical or otherwise, you want.
 You socialists have no right to pro 1 test against the employment of women | today, for you propose to put the 1 whole female sex into the industrial l activity.
 The principles in these books are the l same laid down in every socia1istic 1 book on the woman question. There l are no other socialistfc principles on | the woman question, and they state | that the homogeneous family came into | existence as the result of private prop !! arty, or in other words that the l family came in the de-