Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-12-07

working man and Socialism stands
against the labor movement for the
reason, that the labor movement is
''the legitimate dream" Of the work
ing classes and comes from the
workers with its doctrines, philoso-
ply anu authorities.
Rev. Mr.. Metcalf says that he is
not Socialist, ''but that one or two
more lectures by Mr.. Collins might
convert him to that faith" Well,
that's strong confession for man
to make. It certainly shows that
Peter Collins was at least eminently
fair to Socialism when one who says
he is not socialist, yet stands on
its doctrine, and defends it, the ar
gument of a man who might" make
him a socialist. People don't accept
doctrines unless they are sympa-
thctic with them and I am inclined
to believe that Rev. Metcalf's wish
is father. to the thought" is
Now as to Socialism and the FAM
lily. If Mr.. Metcalf had quoted Marx
and Engels' Manifesto, he would
have placed the socialist position
clear, for they say that the family
is simply tool Of capital and prop
erty for keeping the workers in slav-
cry, under the guise of religion.
Now as to George D. Heron, Mr..
Collins did not cite Heron to show
a reflection on the Christian minis
try but to show to what depths So
cialism had brought some so-called
Christian ministers. Because a
clergyman might go wrong-and let
1t be said to the credit of religion.
mighty few do go wrong-that is no,
condemnation of the ministry or of
religion, but it is condemnation Of
that doctrine which he accepted and
which justified his wrong Social
ism.
Rev. Metcalf cites Carl Schurtz.
Everyone knows that schurtz was
not Socialist.
Rev. Metcalf says, "the Catholic
church was with the governing
classes" meaning in Germany, and
yet any well informed person knows
that in the Kulturkampf at the time
he mentions, in the 1S47-S the
church was prosecuted, and Ger.
many was not then "a Catholic coun-
try, and the Catholic church is not
the church of the classes, but of the
masses, and always has been.
Then in justifying the attacks OF
Socialism on the belief in God, Rev.
Mr.. Metcalf says, "the idea OF God
which lay behind the Roman Cath
oljc church of that day was impossi-
BILE to these men, moved by the new
scientific spirit That's a mighty IL
logical assertion, because 1.-The idea
of God" is the same today as it al
ways was in the Catholic church
and "the idea of Cod II Mr.. Met
calf believes in the Christian idea
could only come from the Catholic
idea, because until the seventeenth
century there was no other Christian
idea of God, and that was the same
lin 1s47 and from the day Jesus
Christ established His church upon
Peter: the same through all the
ages; the same today, and till the
of the world" and that
idea OF God is:
81 believe in God, the Father AL
mighty, Creator Of heaven and
earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only
Son our Lord; who was conceived by
the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin
Mary, suffered under Pontius PLATE,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell; the third
day He arose again from the dead;
He assembled into heaven, sittieth at
the right hand of God, the Father
Almighty; from thence He shall
come to Judge the living and the
living and the dead. believe In
the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic
church, the communion of the
saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection Of the body and life
everlasting, Amen"
Mr.. Metcalf is wrong when he
says, chat that idea of God has
been backed off the map of the
world, but that the better scienti-
fic conception of the Almighty
which prevails among thoughtful
men Of today was welcome. not only
to Socialists, but to all classes OF
modern life" Surely Mr.. Met
|calf's conception of God cannot be
the Christian conception when he
accepts what he and Socialism call,
"the better scientific conception"
In closing his lecture, Mr.. Met
calf gives a bill of health to Rock