A BISHOP ON SOCIALISM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13699, 16 March 1908, Page 6

A BISHOP ON SOCIALISM.

" POVERTY CRIES ALOUD."

SITUATION MUST HE FACED. Bismol* Stretch, in addressing the Anglican Synod at Newcastle last week, commented on socialism thus: — "It is curious to watch the change which is coming over people's minds in England. After saying nice things about socialism while it is far oft', some are beginning.to be afraid of it: now it seems nearei. However, there is no use in that; it lias got to be faced and understood. There may be a good deal of exaggeration, but the facts of life are grim enough. Poverty hits found its voice, and it cries aloud; and we have to listen. For the poorer part of society is the more numerous, and in a democracy, which wo have been praising theoretically, we find practically that the power is rapidly passing from the wealthy few to the poorer many; and the poorer many are not always in the best of tempers. It seems to them they have been kept out of the good things too long; and so there are many voices, and some apprehension. In America, Mr. Taft, the Secretary for Wat, is reported as saying:—' Unless effective social and moral reforms were secured, society as at present constituted must- yield to a new order of things on a socialist ic basis.' "Well, the sooner we realise thivsituation, and that there is nothing left lor the few to use but the power of right reason and of truth, if they have it on their side, the better it will be for all. There is no use throwing about ill-defined terms, which only make people lose their tempers; tlieie is nothing for it but patient investigation, and reasonable argument. " Sometimes socialism is used. as a. term of political economy, and is concerned with discovering what is the most economical unit of production, distribution, management, and ft) on. The tendency lias clearly been in many cases to enlarge this unit, sometimes successfully, sometimes with doubtful success. The socialist, as such, will generally be found in favour of the enlargement of the unit. 'J ho larger the better. In many cases he will call himself a State socialist, and urge that the State itself should be the universal working unit. Such was the decision of the Hull Labour Congress, which start'ed England. Practically it will be found that there is no measure common to all. In one case an nidi- : vidual, in another a partnership, in another the company, in another the municipality, now the State, now the Commonwealth, now the Empire, may be found the most useful. For instance, the Empire may be the best unit for defence, but it does not follow that it would be the best for agriculture. Wo ourselves • have lately changed from State control of roads to municipal. Yet Sydney ratepayers would hardly say that municipal control of electric lighting was perfection. The question is clearly empirical, one which can be solved only by experiment. Cost and convenience will decide. There is nothing in this to lose our heads about, and very much to call for cool judgment. " But socialism is also used in a much graver and more debatable sense than this. It often assumes a political shape, and it resolves itself into this question. Suppose the majority of a communion becomes convinced of the usefulness of the largest possible unit, and succeeds in capturing the political machine, to what extent is that majority entitled to force its conviction upon the unconvinced minority by force of legislation, which will necessarily appear to that minority more or less penal and ty-'ui- •• <"ws~ Thinly veiled under the'disguise of the-yilws'e' , that ' v rtaa/orities must rule'— this might be simply reversing proceedings, a ' renewed supersession r>f right by power,' placing in the hands of Abe many the same tyrannical force which wSjts so strongly objected to by the many when in the hands of the few. ' The truth in i both cases being that it is not nearly so important by whom a power is exercised as How the power is exercised. 'Power,' sasd King Alfred "more than a thousand ye.'irs ago, '.is never a good unless ho be gor.vl that- hath it.' A majority is not " necessarily good. The abuse* of power by a majority would as surely bring its' revenges as the abuse of power by a minority. It might take longer, but when the penalty came it might be more terrible and i more lasting. Still, it is not on the face of, it reasonable to take for granted that power will necessarily be abused because it is!in the hands of the many, for it was certjninly not always rightly used when it was] in the hands of the few. It. is no doubt .tru£ that, generally, a system must be judged! by its final term, and that many of the utterances of extremists are so wild and foolish as to be alarming. They are angry, and ' man's wrath worketh not God's righeousness.' The result is that there is a very natural tendency to hold the whole body of socialists ansveerabl'j for the words of the extreme left, aftid to judge from their declared aims the pmbv able result of the whole movement, which ! also makes men angry. "We are no longer dealing with philosophies of government, but with its practice." The days of privileged aristocracies are gone. There is no use nowadays complain- < ing 'This people that knoweth not the law is accursed.' The people make laws, -which i is a far graver thing than theoretic know- | ledge. The only aristocracy that can hope j to stand the final test is one that justifies j its existence, bv showing fearlessly in word j and deed its belief in the victory of what is noblest and best, by proving itself most truly unselfishmost practical for service. " For the socialism, which is an experimental side of political economy, we can safelT trust the brains and the pains' of the world; and to that survival •of the fittest t ) survive, and the death of the unfitting for its purpose which is a note of the stern conditions under which the suitability of a process is necessarily tested before it shows its value, What is proved to be anti-social must go, for the State lives and thrives in virtue of its social forces. But we must not. be in a hurry to decide that what we do not like is necessarily anti-social. We all want what is best; it will not come without our effort, we may make many mistakes —we are none of us' infallible, but in the end the best will carry it own conviction.''