The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-02-21
THE SOCIALISTS AND EDU
CATION


JOSEPH T., FUSS
The eVploltor thru obattel slavery |
feudalIsm end vaeo slavery has rob
bed and is robbing the producing class
by systems of private control of the
means of production.
To-day We Socialists, a fraction Of
the producing class, realize that the |
next possible epoch In human society
is the ownership and control of the
means Of production and distribution
by the whole people, thus eliminating
wage slavery and robbery by the ex-
ploiter. We realize that the rapid
evolution OF industry during the next
few years of declining capitalism will
force common ownership of industry
or, the submission of the people toI
the private owners In abject slavery
during an epoch of industrial despot-
ism
Soon economic conditions will be
dead ripe for socialism: but the poo
pie must be ready for it, the great ma
iority of people, the mass-miud must
comprehend socialism and make use
of the opportunity. These two con
ditious must exist before socialism
can possibly be the next epoch.
The first condition will take care
Of itself it will arrive on eyolution's
scheduled time. Human laws cannot
stop It,
Not so with the second which is the
one vital condition necessary to be
established by human means for the
coming of an epoch of socialism No
one realizes this fact more keenly
than the class-conscious exploiter.
This is his strong card and he is
playing it to the limit. BY every
available means the eXploiter has
kept the mass mind from realizing
that common ownership and control
of industry will be possible in the
near future. The control of the edi-
torial and news columns of the kept
press and of kept news agencies; the
control and domination of the higher
educational institutions, their facul-
ties. their aims, and their methods,
along with the courses of study and
methods of the common schools, and
the moulding of teachers for them;
the control of the churches and the
fight against socialism by the
churches; the almost universal perver-
sion of religion; the men and religion
forward movement; the Boy Scout
movement; the Bull Moose blind side
track; the appeal to false patriotism,
ignorance, prejudice, superstition,
race-class and creed hatred; the cam
paien of SANDER and lies against So
cialists and the persecution and at
tempted suppression of the scciafst
press and propaganda = these all
speak of the playing of the exploiters
hand. Think of the many concrete
instances known to you personally.
By them the exploiter seeks to side
track, deceive, blind, befuddle, coerce,
cram, narrow, hinder, impair and
blight the minds of the people, to do
anything just so that the great ma
jorfty shall not see the economic
truth in time to act
Conflicting Aims
The aim of the exploiter is to hind
err the advance of socialism by pre-
venting the one vital condition neces-
sary to be established for it's coming.
The aim of the socialists is to
establish socialism and the whole
power of the movement should be
exerted to establish that one vital
condition necessary. The education
of the mass-mind must be our imme-
date aim. Education is the duty of
our movement, it is our only legitim-
ate business, it is where our every
effort will be most effective. The
word education should be emblaZoned
on our crimson banner and hung in
bold letters upon the walls of every
socialist meeting place and home,
and to the present pledge of member
ship might be added a promise to do
active educational work. The election
of socialist officials, the enactment of
socialistic demands in laws, etc, in
themselves are of secondary import
ance; their educational value to the
people is Of first Importance. fancy
I hear some say that to agitate and
educate is o. X; but what about or
ganization? I will answer that edu-
cation of the mass-mind is organiza-
ton of the mass-mind and that is the
final organization we are after In
this state of Washington we have had
physical organization of members in
locals at the expense of intellectual
organization (education) and in this
condition of affairs is to be found the
cause of strife i'm our physical Organi-
zation. By all means have a physical
organization, but strive to have new
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