Evening star., 1934-08-05
BY NEIL CAROTHERS,


A BOUT 400 years before the
" birth of Christ Greek named
~ Plato wrote book called The
4 n Republic" Some 1900 years
later an American named
King Camp Gillette wrote a book
called the World Corporation" While
literary critics might emphasize the
differences in the two books, the i'm
portant point is their similarity. They
both represent the wistful aspiration
of men toward an ideal economic
order. In all the ages men have
pursued the irideScent and evanescent
ignis fatuus of an economic order of
security. peace and content.
In the thousands of years since
Plato hundred men have presented
their ideal conceptions of this economic
order. You will find nowhere in his
tory more fascinatingly colorful
group than these men who sought for
a perfect economic system. One you
probably never heard of, named Cam
PAMELA. wrote his City of the Sun"
in a filthy Italian prison. where he
was irnmured and tortured for 81
years. They regimented economic
opinion in Italy in those days as now.
A hundred years before Campanella
that noblest of Englishmen, Sir
Thomas More, wrote his Utopia" and
later went to the block The brilliant
Harrington with his "Oceana," the
half-mad CADET with his Voyage en-
Icarie," the subtle Bacon with his
New Atlantis" the strange Robert
owen with his New View" Edward
Bellamy with his Looking Backward"
even Jack London with his Iron
Heel"-these and many others belong
in this galaxy of imaginative thinkers.
Aspects Are Unorthodox.
1t is not the impracticability of these
plans that is significant, nor their
economic vulnerability, nor their mis-
reading of human nature. These are
obvious. Plato based his ideal state
on the rotten foundation of slavery.
Campanella, anticipating the william
Greens and Stuart Chases of our day
by 800 years, thought four hour day
ample All the plans have queer and
unorthodoX aspects in relation to
sex or religion or crime or social habit.
The real significance of all these
works is this: They are the express
sion of that discomfort with economic
inequality, that resentment of the
injustice of the competitive system,
that protest against the wrongs of
private property, which generous men
have felt throughout history. Every
one of the plans abolishes private
property and economic competition as
they have existed in all historic times.
Only Henry George has been able to
visualize a Utopia without collective
ownership.
AL the proposed systems are child
ishly visionary, with one shining eX-
ception. In the midst of poverty and
exile an extraordinary German Jew,
Karl Marx, wrote the one impressive
outline of a reconstructed economic
order. ''Das Kapital" mercilessly dis
sectS the competitive system, demon
strates its inevitable decline and pre-
diets a cooperative economic order
Three books have altered the course
of history above all others: The
Bible. the Origin of Species and
"DaS Kapltal.'
Book Beyond Comprehension.
Marks vast achievement was ac-
complished indirectly. His three
volume book is one of those great
works everybody talks about and no
body reads. Written in hopelessly
technical German, in translation it
is beyond ordinary comprehension. A
hundred books have been written to
explain Marx and not one has done
it. 1t is almost cosmic irony that
a brilliant EngliShman has Just re-
Gently tried again, IT years after a
nation of 10000, 900 people, in q
bloody ShambleS, was forced into
system of life that was supposed to
be exactly MARKHAM.
Marks economic reasoning was un-
sound. his theory of production in
adequate. his forecast of the social
order incorrect. his philosophy not
even new. But he presented the first
complete explanation of economic
evolution, predicted with inspired
analysis many of the results of me-
chanized industry and offered a
definite program for the complete de-
struction Of capitalism. Disciples have
spread his gospel until MARKHAM so
oialiSm is the only religion of millions
who cannot understand a paragraph
in all Marx wrote.
The central theme of Marx is the
failure Of the competitive system to
provide economic security and JUS
tice. With this premise there can be
no quarrel. The present system Is
deplorahly defective. For q large
minority it means 9 harsh life OF