Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-12-07
REPLIES 70 ! !. R|E|vI,
ARTHUR hE ]
Peter W. Collins, Who Iectured on
Socialism Here Recently,
Writes Communication
to This Paper.
cR1T1usEs RECENT ADDRESS
Mr.. Collins Says Roman Catholic
Church was not Mentioned
In His Lecture.

Is
In His Lecture.
To the Editor: have just read
in the Freeman-Tribune of Novem-
Der 29th, report of a lecture de-
|livered by Rev. Arthur Metcalf,
which purports to be reply to Pc
ter Collins lecture delivered at
Webster City on Nov. %, and as a
matter Of simple Justice and fair
play, l hasten to make answer to the
same.
First let me say that it is a source
of great regret to me that Rev. Met
calf, who though present at my leet-
ure and offered every courtesy and
opportunity to either question me or
reply to me when was present, and
when an intelligent audience there
present could hear his questions and
reply and my answer, did not avail
himself of this very democratic priv
|ilege, but waited until was away
from his community for many days
and then might not have the oppor-
tunity, of replying by being thous-
lands Of miles away on my tour.
Very fortunately this privilege of
answering Rev. Arthur Metcalf Is
not denied me, for the simple reason
that a fair minded citizen Of Web
ster City mailed aacopy of the news
paper containing his; Rev. Metcalf's,
lecture.
Now as to the reply of Rev. Met
calf. let me say first, he is in error
when he stated that, "Mr. Collins
lecture was mostly, an exposition Of
1.-THE reasons why the Roman Catho-
lie church does not believe in So
Icialism," for everyone in attendance
at my lecture (including Rev. Met
lcalf) knows that r. the Catholic
tchurch was not mentioned in my
lecture, nor reasons why the Cath
|olic church does not believe in So
lcialism."
MY lecture was an exposition of
What Socialism really was, by Its
Town authorities and / did not quote
ANY other than unquestioned, &C
lcepted authorities to show what So
lcialism is, and this list Of authori-
ties were Karl Marx. Frederick En-
Igels, Lasalle, Dietzgen. Liebknecht,
Kautsky, Bax, Ayeling. Morris,
Hyndman, Shaw, Lafargue. Deville,
Jaures, Guesde, viyiant, Wander
lvelde, Gavayelle, Adler, Labriola,
lLoria, Turoli and Ferri, among
Whom of course there is not Cath
Ollie or any other Christian, for any
lone who knows what Socialism is
knows no one who believes in God
lean be a Socialist; because the doc
Urine of Socialism, its foundation is
1.-The "Materialistic conception OF his
tory" or in plain language, the de-
NAL of God, and the easiest way to
prove it is to use the very quotations
THAT Rev. Metcalf uses in reply to
Ime, as 1t appears in the Freeman
Tribune of November 20, for he
says: Karl Marx said, "the religious
world is but the reflection OF the
real world" That is what Marx
said. What does it mean? That
4 God did not reveal religion, but that
religion is result of the condition
lin the material world, in other
words that man creates God. Think
Eof it, minister in good standing
fquoting with approval the doctrine
/ of Socialism, that religion is but
1.-THE reflection Of the real world" or
1.-THE world we live in.
| challenge Rev. Metcalf to put
THAT before the leaders Of his church
for their approval, and ! guarantees
THAT IL he does he would be suspend
ed for heresy, for know the lead
lers of Congregationalism too we'll to
believe that for one instant they
would indorse the doctrine that God
ibid not reveal religion.
Now az to how the mention OF the
Roman Catholic church came into
the meeting / addressed. 1t was
raised by lady from Williams, who
said that the Catholic church was
Opposing Socialism and I assured
(her that it was, and that all those
believing in God stood with the
Catholic church in opposing Social
Eism the enemy of religion.
| Rev. Mr.. Metcalf said that, $50
cialism is the legitimate dream of
the working man." l do know
as q working man that again Rev.
Mr.. Metcalf is in error, for Socialism
is not the dream of the workers and
mot single one oiaits authorities
u, >