Christian Socialist Volume 9; A Journal for Those Who Work and Think (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1891 Excerpt: ...open to objection. Socialism does not, as he affirms, deny " individual private property." It does not demand that " the State should own all wealth, direct all labour and compel the equal distribution of all produce." The writers on Socialism are generally careful in the use of words and it is somewhat surprising that after so much has been published on the subject they should be so often misunderstood. Socialism only objects to private property if used for a Capitalistic purpose, in other words, if employed for the sake of exploiting labour. The State will therefore only own the wealth used in production, and other property will be left to the control of individuals. Nor will it seek to direct all labour. Everyone as a social being will have definite work to do, and the State will not only provide him with it but see that he does it in a proper manner, surely a happy contrast to our present disorganised existence. We are in hopes, however, that such work will neither consume much of one's time nor exhaust much of one's energy, so that one will be left free to spend most of the day according to his pleasure. Should this prospect of ample leisure and glorious liberty look so very dreary to the pinched seamstress and the weary mill worker, to our railway guards and tramway conductors? They would sometimes fain strike for fewer hours, but shrink from the conflict lest it might mean less pay. Socialism, according to Bradlaugh, promises "the equal distribution of all produce." Professor Flint, indeed, confesses much of it does not go this length of communism. The fact is the two systems are distinct in theory and should not be confounded. Many of us are willing to admit Socialism is only preliminary to Communism, and that from the f...