Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-12-28

WRITES FROM CHELSEA, MASS.

Says There is mo Room for God il
Socialism. ( Karl Marx
Again.
To the Editor: May be permit
ted to reply to q communication IL
your columns under date Of Decem
Der 1S, signed by Oscar F. Donald
son, who calls himself a Socialis
and who feels 1t incumbent on him
self to reply to what Peter Collin.
has said upon Socialism,
Mr.. Donaldson in his opening
paragraph says, 1T is not agreeabl.
to feel that you must reply to q
lecturer and vindicate your friend.
or stand convicted OF moral and
spiritual degeneracy. This is The
position in which I find myself. at.
ter hearing and reading what Peter
W.. Collins has said upon Socialism
Surely strong words, Mr.. Donaldson
and worthy of more than passing no
tice. First because you were per
sonally present at my lecture al
Webster City on the evening of No
yember az, and were offered full and
free opportunity to answer any
statement made during the lecture,
ana you did not take advantage Of
the opportunity, SO il there was need
to, "yindicate your friends or stand
seoaxietA1 n0Eeis A1aFspisi "a
generacy,," surely your courage must
have been In "innocuous desuetude''
when 1t tock you from November 20,
1915, (when you were present and
could have replied) to December 13,
1915. when you wrote what you re-
gard as q philippic in the denfense Of
your friends.
You further say: II am socialist
and have been for years. Mr.. Collins
declares that'I cannot therefore be a
Christian. He says lido not believe
in Cod Then you further say: "In
defence Of my position wish to give
brief outline Of Karl Marks "De
Capital tthis is evidently q typo
graphical error, Mr.. Donaldson, and
intended for Marks Das Capital)
which Mr.. Collins quoted and re-
ferred to as the bible Of Socialism. !
believe in its truth and feel that It
should be known in connection with
the lecture gwen
We thus find you, Mr.. Donaldson.
saying that you are "a Socialist" !"
then saying that "Mr. Collins de-
clares that I cannot therefore be q
Christian. He says ! do not believe
in Cod Mr.. Collins declared and
emphatically repeats that Socialism
denies God. Socialism declares that
God is an illusion OF mems minds,
and that there is no room in all the
world for q God, Creator. SUI
preme Being. Mr.. Collins emphatic
ally reiterates that Christian who
knows what Socialism is, and ac-
cepts it, cannot be q Christian and
a Socialist, and necessarily a Chris
tian must believe in God.
You Mr.. Donaldson, referring to
Marks work "Das Capital" say, Il
believe in its truth" and when you
try to excuse Marx you say, I'm q
few sentences Marx expresses the
idea that "the religious world is but
the reflection of the real world"
Therefore we see that in this ac-I
ceptance Of the materialistic con-
ception OF history (the foundation OF
Mr.. Donaldson, you take
away any ground for yourself to-
stand on as q Christian, for in that
few sentences alone is the denial
Of revealed religion and Of course the
denial of Christianity and Jesus
Christ.
You, Mr.. Donaldson, show either
an utter lack of knowledge of Social
ism or desire to ''play safe" with
your Christian friends, who haven't
really investigated Socialism. A
You, Mr.. Donaldson say: "a sol
cialist may accept it (the material
istic conception Of history or not
as he chooses" That is, accept or re-
ject the doctrine of Socialism and
still remain q socialist. That's like
asserting, Mr.. Donaldson. that q
Christian can accept. or deny Christ