PILLARS OP SOCIALISM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 221, 19 September 1938, Page 13

PILLARS OP SOCIALISM.

Advocates of Socialism continually attempt to base their claims on scriptural authority. The outstanding mark of Christianity is that it "discovered the individual." It pave to him a preeminence and right which no State could ever overthrow or rival—so lon<r as it claimed to be Christian in act o? theory The present wave of Socialistic legislation a* advocated on the Continent and in New Zealand meets implacable resistance where it would fain have it* chief support. Socialism in some form has always been a characteristic of primitive races. So much «o that one can mark the advance in the civilisation of peoples according as the emphasis shift* from the right of the multitude to that of its units. Further wars and national Antagonisms will pass away only when men will cease claiming to apply Christian principles to the State first and through it rule the individual and adopt the exactly reverse process. Our politicians keep ranting to utter boredom, about the claims of the "ninety and nine" to the overwhelming obscurity of the "one," for in politics what could be of more importance than the counting „f heads? A s for humanitarian legislation, our politician* could go beyond the present era for supportto Confucius or Epicurus, and find themselves in harmony with a very ancient world. But the pillar the Socialist may rest on for support—which will not fall upon him and crush him like the Christian one— to Communism. Socialism mav be said to be related to Communism in many points, as the lamb is to the sheep *or proof of the closeness of the tie one has only to know that "to a man" the largely increasing number of Communist* amongst us will vote "Labour" at the next election. For the issue will be decided not at all bv the Social Security Bill, but by whether we are willing to sink still further our individuality— to be a more fettered or freer people. . j. BUCH\N