New-York tribune., 1918-12-25
To Abolish Poverty
E1tuc ritgy on Iudus4al solot~

TSHE old-fashioned writer's on social
questions have, Socialists and non
Socialists alike, been guilty of snob-
berry. The non-Socialst has taken for
granted the existence of class which.
because of its performance of manual la
Dor, must be inferior to the rest of the
community in instruction, in speech and
manners, in clothing, housing and mode of
life generally. The Socialist has been
guilty Of an inverted form of snobbery
which assumes that this same laboring
class is morally superior to the other diff
ferently employed and reared class of the
community. This idea of the superiority
of the proletariat Cor working class
the rest of the community being gen
orally summed up as the "bourgeoisie')
is enunciated by panderers to Demos
who in many cases do not themselves
belong to the proetariat, but wish to
be allowed to manage the proletariat's
affairs, and think 20 achieve this object on
the strength of ngratiating themselves
with the proletariat by means of f1attery.
The cruder expression of the idea in
question is to be found in the cry so popu-
lar in some quarters: up with the prole-
tariat and down with the bourgeosie!"
But what nonsense and, indeed, madness,
that would be. Because the idea of true de-
mocracy shows that there is no inherent
difference of worth or capacity as between
the existing social classes difference Of
worth and capacity as between individuals
there is, but not as between casses).
The Bourgeois Backbone
There is, however, an artificial difference
between the social classes due to environ
ment, to training, to opportunity. And, let
the truth be spoken, the bourgeoisie is to-
day the backbone of the country, the class
which possesses on the whole the most de-
sirable characteristics. How strange it
would be if that were not the case: because
those of the bourgeose enjoy, in the main,
the advantages which arc required to de-
velop and utilize the best human qualities.
These advantages include good prenatal
conditions, we'll nursed infancy. a long
childhood and youth sheltered from the
cares of adult life, good and prolonged
education, including adequate training for
self supporting occupaton material con
ditions of comfort and refinement The
chief distorting and demoralizing influence
in the life of the bourgeoisie is that it
lives among its fellow creatures who lack
the same advantages.
To sum up, it is not the bourgeoisie
that must be abolished. On the contrary
1t is the proetarat that must be abolished
What we mean by that is that the condi-
tions under which the proletariat lives at
present must be brought to an end, and
1t must enjoy the same advantages as the
bourgeoisie, so that the two become in
distnguishable
Increase Production
AS democrats, in the best sense of the
word, we of the Womens party cannot
tolerate the existing system under which
the manual workers are marked off from
their fellow citizens by peculiarities of
speech and department. by uncouthness or
lnharmony, even if not actual poverty of
dress; by all or any of the limitations due
to lack of such advantages as we have
cited above, advantages which TO-DAY are
the monopoly Of the so-called "upperv
classes, but are in reality the birthright
of all.
That, and nothing more and nothing
less, IS what we mean by the abolition or
the proletariat.
How is this to be done? First and
foremost by the increased production Of
wealth.
Secondly, by raising the standard o{eI