THERE are two mighty forces in the world struggling for supremacy, politically and religiously, namely, Roman Catholicism and Socialism. The claim of Roman Catholicism is centuries old. The pope is the head of the church, and, as Roman Catholics view it, the power to which all religions, all kings and rulers, should be subject in all things that pertain to the support of the church, the promotion of her objects, the propagation of her work, and the extirpation of heresy. For that she works; for that she ever will work till the end is accomplished, and she perishes in the ruins her own doctrines have wrought.
Her chief opposer in these lines to-day is Socialism, not as a theory so much, but as a definite propaganda, rapidly taking shape as a world power. Socialism, to judge by many of its adherents, probably most of them, is not a religious cult. Many of its ardent promoters are evolutionists or atheists, irreligious and non-religious. Many others profess to be Christians ethically. Yet underneath it all there is a dominant religious tone, the worship of an ideal state, or commonwealth; and it is safe to say that every religion which opposes that would find little tolerance in the Socialist régime.
Roman Catholicism is essentially imperialistic. Socialism is democratic. The iron of the one will not mix with the clay of the other. Roman Catholics recognize this. The wild onward march of the Socialists in Europe, especially in Germany, is like the onslaught of the Northern Barbarians upon Rome in the earlier centuries. Rome then felt, as she feels now, that she must both conquer and win them.
Rome's feeling over this matter is revealed in an article in the Catholic Mirror, of March 26. It sets forth the increase of Socialism in Germany, declaring that over 3,000,000 votes were cast in the last election for Socialist candidates, more than twice as many as were cast for any other party in the German Empire. We quote further:—
The strength of German Socialism lies in the cities among the workingmen. Berlin gave Socialism 212,000 votes against 100,000 for all other parties combined. Hamburg sent a solid delegation of Socialists to the German Parliament. The Socialists carried the six largest cities in Germany. Of the thirty cities with a population of 100,000 and over, the Socialists carried twenty.
After showing that the Socialism of Germany is in its essence and fundamentals the same as that in the United States, the writer says:—
While Socialism has not grown so rapidly in the United States as it has in Germany, almost every day marks the growth of Socialistic sentiment among the masses of workingmen in the great cities. Some of the trades-union are going over to Socialism bodily.
The Western Federation of Miners, composed of metalliferous miners of the West, recently declared for Socialism. The American Labor Union, which is the Western rival of the American Federation of Labor, is a Socialistic organization. The International Association of Machinists, which, ten years ago, was a conservative body, decided a few months ago, to a referendum vote, to instruct its delegates to vote for Socialistic resolutions, which were to be offered at the recent convention of the American Federation of Labor. "To pretend that social life is undisturbed, or is but superficially agitated, is simply to confess that one had been caught in an eddy of the age, and does not feel the sweep of its main current," writes Professor Peabody, of Harvard University.
It is in view of this rapid advancement, and of the nature of Socialism, that this Catholic writer declares, "Socialism has come to be a factor in world politics." And it is not a factor because of its mere political propaganda, but because of its religious element. This writer, contrasting it with true religion, says:—
We have nothing to do with the economic value of Socialism. It is mentioned in this connection for another purpose. Socialism has become to thousands of workingmen a substitute for the church. This was brought out very plainly in the answers received from a series of letters which I sent out some months ago. Socialists boldly declare that Jesus Christ was a Socialist. They insist that their system is nearer the ideal presented by Jesus Christ than is Christianity, so-called. It may be true that a man may be a Christian and a Socialist too, but Socialism is avowedly materialistic. Its leaders despise the church, because, they declare, the church stands for the present social system, and that it is a barrier in the way of advancement of Socialism. At a recent convention held in Dresden, the victorious Socialists passed a resolution that no member of any church be permitted to hold any office in the gift of the Socialist party. It was declared, further, that Social Democracy supplied all that religion proposes to give. The temper of the American Socialist is similar to that of his German comrade.
To meet all this the writer urges that the Roman Catholics "must begin a propaganda which shall at least equal the efforts of the Socialists in their endeavor to win workingmen. It would be a safe thing to say that the Socialists have as many open-air meetings in our cities and country towns as the churches support. In some cities they are even more active. We can well afford to increase our efforts in this direction. Furthermore, the Socialists are getting out a literature, written in the language of the people, with which the printed matter issued by the church does not begin to compare."
But Romanism may teach as assiduously and faithfully as she will, she will not convert Socialism until Socialism comes to that place where, to maintain itself, it must have the aid of the greatest organization of the world religiously—the Roman Catholic Church. Then, when the Socialistic powers of Europe can not control themselves, they will call to their aid the Church of Rome. But that is only for a little while, and then the perishing of the order they have created, at Christ's coming. See Revelation 17.
