Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-11-16
Mr.. Collins. Lecture.

NOV. 10. ~ q
Mr.. Collins Lecture.
Eds. Freeman Tribune: Last
March there was lecture given In
Williams by gentleman named Pc
ter Collins. His subject was, "The
Menace Of Socialism and as l am
a Socialist I was of course anxious
to hear his address and I attended
his lecture. l was greatly surprised
at the nature Of the address, which
consisted of attacks upon the char
acter Of some Of those who have
been Socialists and the reading Of
carefully selected passages from the
works of Socialist authors.
The unfairness Of this method of
attack should be apparent to every
one. Karl Mark, whose theory of
economics is the basis Of Socialism,
was an ATHEIST, but all who believe
with him upon the economic field do
not necessarily share his religious
beliefs. Robert Ingersoll was very
prominent republican, yet every one
who believes in high protective
tariff is not necessarily an infidel.
President Wilson is Presbyterian,
but does that mean that all demo-
Gratis are?
When Mr.. Collins is hurting an
athena against Socialism and social
lists in general he forgets, or perhaps
does not know like a great many
people who are not interested in the
subject, that we can point with
pride to socialists whom the whole
world recognizes not only as Chris
tians, but as the very flower OF
Christianity. Listen to what our
great comrade Francis e. Willard
said Of Socialism: ''Oh that 1 were
young again, it (the socialist move
ment) would have my life! It is
Gods way out OF the wilderness and
into the promised land. 1t is the
very marrow of Christ's gospel. 1t
| is Christianity applied" Helen KEEL
|ler, that marvellous blind woman, Is
working night and day for socialism.
Read her book, "Out of the Dark" II
you want to know why she is So
cialist. John Spargo, whose book.
1.-THE Bitter Cry of the Children,
reused a whole nation to its robbed
and suffering little ones, is social
list. DR.. C. P. Steinmetz, the Edison
of the insiders in the electrical field,
lis a socialist. Mrs. Laura D. Pei
ham and Miss Ellen Starr Gates, who
have been for years with Miss Jane
Adams at Hull House, Chicago, are
socialists. While Miss Adams her
self is not a socialist many OF her
closest friends are and she has al
ways placed the lecture rooms in
Hull House at their disposal. l trust
that the intelligent people of Web
ster City will go to hear Mr.. Col
Inns lecture. He has twelve famous
reasons why a Christian cannot be a
socialist. Some of you please ask
him how he can apply them in the
case of Comrade Willard?
Mr.. Collins in his address at Will
liams stated that he had repeatedly
tried to induce prominent socialist
to debate with him, but that none
would accept his offer-which, by
the way, was one of $500. Mr.. Col
Inns may have been telling the truth,
but I decided that l would help him
out a bit and publicly stated that
7 would secure a socialist speaker to
debate with him. I was fortunate
enough to have his offer accepted by
the first socialist lecturer whom
spoke of it to, but as most socialists
are not in the millionaire class he
said it made him dizzy to think
about so much money and he has Of
fered to debate with Mr.. Collins up
on more reasonable terms.
Rev. Irwin Tucker, an Episcopal
clergyman of Chicago and assistant
editor of The Christian Socialist, has
me to offer Mr.. Collins
the opportunity Of debating with him