Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-06-03
tDR. BUFFERS DEFINITION OF
- .---- SOCIALISM
! By Dr.. Frank Crane

One of the Ways-tIe college man can be
of service to the community is by clear
thinking. Being outside of the struggle, a
spectator in the great game, he ought to see
things more clearly than those in the tur-
MOL of doing. He can give us an occasional
definition
And OF definitions. the world is in sore
hunger ... .l..
Nicholas Murray Butler president of Co.
lumbia, in a recent speech with clarity de-
fined socialism; whether with truth is for
each to judge
But certain it is, that what we need most
of all, in these postwar days of unsettled
ideas, is to know precisely what socialism
means.
SOCIALISM, he said, Gin the large, gen.
eral, and vague sense OF the word, means
simply social reform. In that sense every
intelligent and forward-stepping man Or
woman is Socialist
When we are discussing the question let
us be sure what we are talking about. Is it
this, or the following?
Socialism, in the strict and scientific
sense of the word, is, however, something
quite different from this. 1t involves not
luton 1t is the name for a definite public
policy, which is in fiat contradiction to
American policy and American faith
Socialism, says Dr. Butler, rests upon three
assumptions.
"First, that all of mans efforts, both past
and present, are to be interpreted and ex-
planned in terms Of his desire for wealth.
Which, of course, is Grass materialism.
Second, in the struggle for wealth men are
divided into permanent classes, those who
employ and those who labor, and between
those classes there is and should be a class
war, to be carried on to the bitter end.
This doctrine of class struggle is the savage
teaching of Karl Marx, man whose consum-
ing passion was hate. 1t is the extreme form
of the doctrines of Marx which Lenine and
TrOtzky have been applying in Russia for a
year and half past, with such terrible re-
suits.
And third, that under the present capital
istic" system "the rich are getting steadily
richer and steadily fewer, while the poor are
getting steadily poorer and steadily more
numerous This assumption he goes on
to say, sis easily disposed of by the facts
which show that as applied in America these
| two statements are absolutely false. Ours
is land in which more than 10000, 600 of
men, women and children have just now sub
scribed to Liberty Bonds 1t is land with
more than 100000 dwellings occupied by
about 21,000,000 families. 1t is a land in
which fully 100000 families own their
own homes without incumbrance, while g.
100000 own their homes subject to mort
gage. 1t is a land whose total wealth is
now not less than 1925, 1000, 100000 and in
which the distribution of that wealth is stead
! lily becoming more equitable and more sat
| isfactory under the operation of principles
that have guided American life so long and
| so we'll
| So there you have it. IF what DR.. Butler
says is not true, at least it is plain, definite
and understandable, which is the first essen
! tial in the intelligent discussion Of any sub
| ject whatever, and quite unusual in the dis
cussiOn of this one.
! Copyright, 1919, by Frank Crane)
vince him you were out if I went to him
smoking one of your best cigars!"
A laugh is going the rounds over the an
swer made to question by a girl at Poly
technc. The question was
"Supposing that by some conyulson of ma
ture, certain land which now forms the bed
LIZ Inn nic.c1