The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-01-31
WHATS WRONG
WITH The WORLD"
TOLD BY COLLINS
AUDIENCE THAT PACKED KEY
SER AUDITORIUM HEARS
SPLENDID ADDRESS AND
GENEROUSLY APPLAUDS.

l Lack of harmony concerning re.
ligion, industrial conditions, politics
etc, is the basis Of the answer to the
question: "What is Wrong With the
World" according to Peter Collins, OF
| Boston, Mass, who addressed an au-
dience which taxed the capacity of the
Keyser auditorium last night on that
| subject. The lecture was under the
auspices of the Knights of Columbus
but the public was invited and at least
half those present were not members
of the organization.
Only once during the meeting was
there any friction. This was at the
conclusion of the regular lecture,
when the speaker invited any person
who desired to do so to ask him ques-
tions. He said that he would guar
antee any person who did so courteous
treatment and that he would not at
tempt to ridicule anyone. A man,
who gave his name as James Birks,
asked this question: "Do the asser-
tions of a lying scientist add color
TO the statement of the conditions of
the working class 2" Mr.. Collins an
swered that he did not believe in ly-
ing at all, but that no matter how
big liar one might be, ne could hard1
ly add any color to the condition of
many of the working people. Mr..
Birks asked for the platform for five
minutes, saying: eff you will give
me that platform for five minutes l
will prove that you lie." The privi-
lege was granted.
The speaker asked his challenger
his name, after which he introduced
him to the audience. Mr.. Birks said
that he appreciated this opportunity
as it was not often that an outsider
got an opportunity to take part in
one of these meetings. He referred
TO the order under whose auspices it
was held as the Knights Of Labor,
but was informed that it was the
Knights of Columbus. He devoted his
five minutes to contradfcting the as
sertion of Mr.. Collins that Carl Marx
was the founder Of socialism, saying
that he was only its expounder. He
refuted the statement that socialists
never been socialist who was as big
are dreamers, saying that there had
a dreamer as Joseph when he pro-
duced the Savior. He also refuted the
statement that Socialism would abo1-
ish all religion and challenged the
lecturer to quote anything inferring
this from a prominent socialist. He
said that one of the things the mat
ter with the world was that too many
people were. trying to uplift it and
that the uplifters were living off the
earnings of the people they were try
ing to uplift. He made reference to
the recent state democratic commit
tee meeting, calling it a concocted
melting of the representatives of the
Knights of Columbus.
Replying to him, Mr.. Collins read
from the words of Carl Marx pas
sages showing, he said, that socialism
would refute all religions and would
even abolish the family. He answered
the reference to the democratic COM
mittee by saying that there was only
one member of it who was member
of the Knights of Columbus; that
there were only five thousand Cath
Ole voters in the state and that if
every Catholic voter in Florida had a
public office there would still be some
offices left for the others. He said
that Mr.. Birks thought he was a So
cialist, but was sure that he wGs an
atheist. Socialism is antagonistic
to all religion. A Christian cannot be
a socialist" he said.
THE LECTURE.
Mr.. Collins began by stating that
the problems which he wished to dis
cugs were those which affected not
only this country but all of civiliza-
ton. people are trying to answer
the question, "What Is the Matter
With the World ?" with a number of
fancies, fads and isms, one of these
being socialism," ne said. He said
socialism had two languages, one the
language of the colleges and univer-
sites, which means nothing to the
majority Of the working classes, who
do not understand it; the other, the
language of the soap box orator, who
works on the ignorance of the I'M
thinking members of the working
class. He charged that the leaders
of socialism hide the meaning of it
by the use of big words. He said |
their definition of it was 'sthe mater |
ialistic conception of history" and
that this means absolutely nothing |
to the majority of the people TO whom |
it was given. atheism is the real
Of it." he said.
Socialism did not come from the
working class and has nothing to do /
with it. It does not answer the ques-
ton; it simply declares itself to be
the answer" he continued "Christ
was working man and so were his
disciples, but not so with the found |
err Of socialism, He named num- /
be- Of leaders, from the beginning of
socialism, stating that none of them