Arizona republican., 1916-03-22
Where the People
 May Have Hearing
Echoes of the Collins Lecture

Echoes of the Collins Lecture
 Phoenix, AriZ., March IS, 19l6- To the Editor of The Republican, Sir: In reply to Comrade H. J. Cole in this mornings Republican where he charges Peter Collins with the asser- ton in his lecture of March l4. That person could not accept the Econo- mic Interpretation of History and at the same time believe in a Supreme Being" With the usual socialistic astute ness Mr Cole has garbled the lang uage of Mr Collins to suit his own ends rather than the ends of truth. He says the Economic Interpretation of History" when in truth Collins said the materialistic conception of history which terms to socialists may be sym onymous bug to Christians are viewed | in the light of their stricter sense. But what else could he do than | frame the question to suit the answer, since the answer was of the canned | variety, and had been in storage | couple of years in Everybody's Maga- zine where it was advanced in argu- I Iltlll ny hOIllS IliiiIuil III HIS ie'iiiou' ! debate with Father Ryan on the sub i ject, Is Socialism a Promise or | Menace,' which article can be found | in the City Library in Vol. 90 page 376 and compares verbatim with the substance of Mr. Coles letter. l Nil Cole was offered ample oppor- 1 tunity to prOpound his objection when MT. Collins concluded his lecture. He 1 was offered the privilege of the plat 1 form to expound his socialistic philos I ophy Since he saw fit to decline, it 1 would show better form had he re- 1 trained from one sided argument supported by partial quotation in the language of Hillquit from his de- bate with Father Ryan.
 Now Mir. Cole, why did you go begging the question when you had l the answer before you from Father
 Ryan which briefly outlined Is as follows:
 On page 3S2 of the same volume
 Father Ryan says: The two para | graphs which my opponent quotes from book by the Rev. J. A. Dewe l to prove that this excellent and able priest does not find the theory of economic determinism incompatible with his Christian beliefs, are not at all to the point Father DeWe merely says that economic factors exercise
 almost unbounded influence on hu
 man conduct" and have been tho
 most constant and pervasive causes of events in the particular field of politics.
 Neither of these statements is equivalent to the assertion that econ l Omic factors ultimately determine all
 the social conditions, institutions, and
 beliefs or that such non-economic
 factors as religion, ethics, law, etc. are merely derived and instrumental
 causes of social events and changes l This is economic determnism, as
 described by. my opponent in his pap
 CT on Socialist Philosophy. This. and
 nothing less than this, is economic
 determinism as understood by ortho-
 doX socialists
 Bear in mind. that Father Dewe
 said almost unbounded influence on
 human conduct" which would imply
 only part, and not all of such in
 fluence, as contended by socialists and IapplleS to the particular field or poll
 tics.
 l In concluding his argument on this lpOint Father Ryan sums up as follows
 on page 3S4: After all, the probable
 attitude of a socialists regime toward
 religion and religious liberty is a question of quite minor importance,
 No such regime is going to be set up l by any enlightened nation What is
 of serious consequence. is the fact
 that the socialist movement of today
 is an active and far reaching influ-
 ence for the spread of irreligion
 among large sections of the popula-
 tion in many countries This is the
 phase of the situation that gives gen.
 uine concern to all friends of reli-
 gion.'
 W. J. BURNS.