SOCIALISM.

Northern Advocate, 15 February 1912, Page 5

SOCIALISM.

MUST BE RESISTED

PASTORAL BY ARCHBISHOP REDWOOD.

WELLINGTON, Feb. 15. Archbishop Redwood has addressed! a pastoral letter on ■ the subject of Socialism to the people and clergy of the Wellington diocese. His Grace says that the subject of the pastoral is Socialism v. the Catholic Church. Socialism assails Christianity, because it is based upon principles, , religious, philosophical, and economic, which are directly antagonistic to divine revelation. It assails the very principle of the authority on which the church of Christ stands. His Grace contends that Socialism would destroy the rights of property, that the experiment would prove a huge economic failure, and that so vast a revolution "could not be effected without the most awful bloodshed ever seen in the world. And for this, all thoroughgoing Socialists —to judge by their publications—seem prepared. a.s though all this were not enough," he continues, "Socialism aims at the destruction of the family. No doubt it is untrue that all who call themselves Socialists preach the abominable doctrine of free love, yet the dissolution of the family is a necessary consequence of their official teaching, and their official demands. Because their tenets are grounded on materialism and atheism, they afford no security for the permanence of the mar-riage-bond, but rather encourage and urge the severance of that bond, whensoever a marriage has resulted in disappointment or disagreement. The unity of the family necessarily requires one supreme head. Socialism would fain abolish all laws subordinating woman to man, in private as well as in public Me. But the Socialist's onxiety and concern chiefly regard the family's offspring, in which he discerns the promise of the future Socialistic commonwealth. So, by a detestable inversion of the order of facts, he claims that the child is born into the State and cor into the family; and, as the child belongs at once to the State, it js for the State to tend and train the child, and to determine both the character and the quality of its education. Thus the chief duty of parents and their main #feht (for what is of duty is eminently of right) are torn from them, in violation of natural instinct, sound reason and plain spoken Christianity." CATHOLICS WARNED.

"Accordingly," he concludes, "we solemnly warn Catholics to keep aloof from all Socialist propaganda. Socialism is—we repeat—founded on a class hatred which is anti-Christian and anti-national. Eschew it in every thape and form, and follow the noble ideal of justice for all, the ideal of Christ and His church. . . He was born into the ltibor world, and in this Re chose to live. It was a school of laborers He drew about Him in the persons of His disciples, and by the mouth of workers did He evangelise the world, having neither hatred towards the rich nor contempt for authority, but justice and love for all. ;iiid the coming of the Kingdom of God/

TELEGRAMS.

(Per Press Association.)