SOCIALISM—WHAT IS ITS MESSAGE?
By B. G. Wilkinson
[From our European Correspondent.] The other night I passed by the door of a large lecture hall in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. An immense crowd was gathered before the door, the foremost of which was strenuously holding on to the door-handle. It was only 6:30 P.M., while the posters announced that the meeting would be at 8:30. One of our noted French orators on socialism was to speak. In this case it may have been the man who drew the crowd, rather than the subject. But, nevertheless, the present position, and teachings of socialism are such as to call our attention to the raison d'être—the reason of its existence. Socialism in its work does not stand alone. With it there are a thousand other confederations and societies throughout the world seeking ultimately the same end. But the methods are different. Socialism points out the distress and misery which exists in the world, and places itself forward as a movement destined to ameliorate affairs. It does not put itself behind the suavity of the would-be wise, and say that all this cry about troubles and sorrow is nonsense. It comes forward with the flat-footed, positive statement of the crying evils which exist. It brands as an infamous crime the cry of “peace and safety,” when all the world knows that the present condition of affairs is anything but a condition of “peace and safety.” Thus far we agree with it. We, too, recognize that the battle for right and equality is far from ended. The great God of heaven created men the possessors of the earth under Him; but what do we see men now?—The majority of them beggars, not owning a foot of land to call their own. We know from the priceless value of his peerless mind, that man is rightfully the sovereign of himself, but behold the masses who grovel as perfect slaves. The tender trust and sweet friendship which still is manifested among men tell us that equality and love ought to be the common possessions of all. But such is not the case now. Abused confidence, maltreated affection, and heartless oppression are producing wrongs more numerous and more terrible than those of which fiction ever dreamed. We stand face to face with these conditions. It will not remedy them to avoid them, nor will it make them any less the truth to pass them off as unreal. Socialism says that a revolution is needed. It says that the theory which produces all this misery is the economic theory of competition, and competition must be replaced by association, or socialism. The economist of the modern type says that the sole object by which man is urged to produce good is competition. Man wishes higher wages; therefore he will work harder than his brother, to gain more. He wishes to hold a higher position than his brother, to have more honor; therefore he will seek to produce better work. And thus throughout the wide realm of life one principle only urges man to good and that is the principle of competition. But this is grossly an error. How will the advocates of competition attempt to explain the man who leaves a beautiful home, surrounded by all that contributes to ease and enjoyment, possessed of all the prospects for wealth and fame, and goes to benighted lands to suffer trials, loneliness, hunger, and perhaps death, a missionary for God. There is no competition there. The good of humanity inspired that action and left behind competition to do its nefarious work. Again when Luther was struggling against the gigantic wrongs of his day, had competition been the motive, how easily he would have secured his end by accepting the cardinal’s hat offered by Rome. He would have secured his higher position and avoided the slander, the anguish of soul, and the dark hours through which he passed. But a nobler principle than competition stirred his soul. It was the love of right. Here is an evil which can not be too thoroughly exposed. The results of competition are too terrible to give it a moral or a legal standing. Competition is simply another name for selfishness; and the fact that selfishness has secured a strong support in the arguments of the learned and rich of earth to justify it, is a remarkable state of affairs. So strongly is selfishness guarded in the ranks of society under the name of competition that it needs a special organization like socialism to arise and expose its nefarious existence. It is a startling sign of the times in which we live. And in it we can read the words of Scripture fulfilling before us which said, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves.” 2 Tim. 3:1. Therefore socialism says that a revolution is needed. Doubtless a revolution must come. Yea, more, a revolution will come and that soon. But will that revolution be in the order of Providence? There are two kinds of revolution. There is one which first acts upon the mind. Then when the mind or reason has been convinced, the outward acts are performed which reverses the preceding state of affairs. Such was the Reformation. For long years Luther and others preached against the worship of images, when behind them as they preached the images still stood against the wall. They waited until the mind was convinced, the spirit ready to act, and then the images were destroyed. But there is another kind of revolution. It is that which smashes the images before the mind has been convinced, before the reason decides upon the change. Such a revolution is to be dreaded. It works upon the passions of men; it urges them forward to deeds of public violence, when if you were to demand of the crowd to give the reason for their violence, no reason could be given. Then when that sort of revolution has passed, what are the results? Blood has flowed in torrents. Property has been destroyed, finance is shattered, trade ruined, and homes and humanity wrecked. Yet, the heart remained the same. The revolutions may change the outward structure of society, so that it looks different than it did before, but in reality there has been no change. The same evil principles exist in the heart, and the same evils which were attacked by the revolutionist will reappear. In other words, after the revolution has passed by, we return to essentially the same condition we were in before it came. The difference between the two revolutions is this. One considers man as a creature of circumstances. Change the circumstances and you will change the character and lot of men. The other considers circumstance as the creation of man. Change the man and his circumstance must necessarily change. In this is where socialism will make its mistakes. It is doing a great work in keeping before our minds the evil circumstance in which man now finds himself,—those evils which ease-lovers wish to belittle. But it makes its mistakes in considering that it is circumstances, not men, which produce the evil in the present condition of society and which embitter men’s hearts. No; their remedy will not meet the demands. But they say, “Something must be done. The evils are here, are they not?”—Yes, and they are terrible, too! “And the gigantic combination of capital is too strong to change things by simply teaching.”—Yes, that is also true. “Therefore,” they say, “we must attack the present order of society, overthrow it, and equalize things.”—And we reply, No. But something must be done; and something will be done and that, too, right speedily. But it is not man that will do it, it is God. He has waited patiently through the long ages for man to reform. Man has not reformed. Rather, he has abused the long-suffering mercy of God, and used for himself the blessing heaped upon him by his Creator. But the cup of sin is about full. The cries of the oppressed are entering the ears of the Lord of Hosts, and soon He will arise to do what no man or association of men can do. “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. . . . Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the Just; and He doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.” James 5:1-7.