The Gavelyte, April 1907

CEDARVILLE COLLEGE. 74 What Socialism Is. BY LEROY ALLEN, Ph. B. Harper Pr fessor of Economi ·sin erlarville Colleg ·· oci :1li.·111 mean!-', or wi sheK to menn ('O·OpC'ralion 1111<1 c·n111mtt1tity ol' i11lr1·– c>~ts, :<ympathy : the giving to th h1ttHls, not Ko lnrgp n ,;harrns lo IIH• hrnin, hut :L largC'I' Kh1t1'1' th1111 hithC'rln, in Ill<' WC'ILlth lhc>y lllUKI ('Olllhilll' t o prnduer: 111Pnns, in is hnrt, thP pn1etic·tl applicn lion ol ('hri s linnity lo lif<o , and ht~ in it tlw ~<'·r<'t of':111 onl!'rly :tn<l i>Pni~n re<·n11'-'tl'tt('(io11 ." -.llllllPH Rt1:,;H<' li Lo\\ Pl I. Fifteen or tw nty years ago, one attempting to explain th meaning of the term Socialism, woul 1 have been compelled to hav shown first that Social– i-,'11 is neither anarchy nor communism. It would have been n ces ary for him to have pointed out that, whereas anarchy demand the abolition of all govermr.ent, Socialism demands its extension; that, while anarchy means disorder and chaos, Socialism means nothing, if it d s not mean order and system: that while anarchy relies upon force and dynamite for the inauguraticn of its reign, Socialism relies pre-eminently upon logic and the ballot. On the other hand, it would have been equally incumbant upon him to have made clear the fact that communism and Socialism are two entirely different things; that, while communism demands the .abolition of all private property, Socialism objects to no private property ex<.;ept that used for the exploitation of others; that whereas communism alls for the collective ownership of everything except the clothes a man is actually wear– ing and the dinner he has actually eaten, Socialism ask only for the collec– tive ownership of those things that must be used collectively, namely those means and instruments of production and distribution which, owing to th ir _immensity and complexity, hav~, unlike the simple tools of a century and a half ago, become too unweildy for individual use. These things, says Social– ism, which on account of their ownership by private individuals, who have managed them for their own profit and not for the public good, have become weapons for the oppression of the people, instead of tools for the allevia- - tion of their toil, must be owned and controlled by the whole people. nder , ucialism, the same principle of human selfishness will prevail, but it will he c.:ollective, and not individual, selfishness. The means and instruments of production will be operated for the same purpose and with the same motiv s as under the present system, namely for the profit of the owners, ]mt, i:;inC'e the owner8 are the whole people, their profit will coincide with