KNOCKS AT NORTON.

NZ Truth, Issue 509, 20 March 1915, Page 5

KNOCKS AT NORTON.

and Socialism. \ Dear "Truth":—; With your permls'rition *I. would''like to "hold the towel" for F. R. Hayes m his bOut with John Norton on the subject of Democracy and-^Socialism. .. First, let me. tell F.R,H. that John Norton must have read as much on this debateable subject as the next man. Also if F.R.H. will. f look up "Truth", of February 20, he will find a .verse which runs, thus: yin short, I firmly dv believe •' Irt humbug generally, ;-,' (-Ferit's a thing that I perceive.To have a solid vally; ■'» This heth my faithful shepherd been,. ■;;. In pastures sweet heth led me, - ;•■', An" thls'll keep the people green'v V' /• To feed as they hey fed me. ',■}■ '•'"'- '.Now, dear>Jbhn, or Cheap Jack, whichever you like, fit the risk of being-num-bered with "the pulverescent ' pimp .pen-pushers, .whose pustulatous peris' '/arc putrid with poisonous pus of puru- •', lent politics," let me tell you thatMVith .•alf'jpur greatness as a "pen-ptis'her" you are not immune from the operation -of the. Law pf I Economic Determinism, '• and; 'squib like, you "heed^ not try' to \* drown anybody that cares to differ from you with a copious flow of ink. Like "F.R.H," I enjoy reading anything from your pen, especially if it be, a historical subject, though, as m the getting of precious" metals such as gold >r diamonds, there has to' be. a hell of a lot) of muck shifted, the reward' repays tor the time so spent. "No one thinks so true as he who thinks as I do," and as . you do not think the same as I do on the subject '.of' Socialism I would just like you to ; re-read Darwin, then if you can prove \ to your intelligent readers, and they '•■ 0.1% numerpus,- that "there is only one, ; way towards; a regeneration "of man- ■ kind and that is by education" and ' not by a change m, the basis of society - from private property, to common property, we will have "Darwin" erased 'from the "scroll of fame" and "John Norton" substituted. You need ridt be afraid to publish this as the, biggest part of the unthinking mob, thanks to their environ- , ,ment, are just beginning to. wonder I what the cow landed on after safely negotiating the moon. You say that ' "Socialism is impossible." Had you been v Feudal Baron you would have said that Capitalism was impossible. As Socialism is only a new system of society based t i on common owner•filp.'in contraldlstincJtlon 1 to the pre«nt system of private ownership, "of the^means of' life, • and as' the present flystehi evolved out of Feudalism, so will Socialismßevolve out of Capital-, lsml ' From 'my scljooi history book 1' learned that "the more we read history the njore we find It is a tale of continual change, things must either grow or die." Now, John, as you have a :soctarlan bee m your bonnet, you wljl probably say that my history book vi'ds jvrltte'.n' bjr a bigot. ''But bee or bug, you "ca!hri'ot? refute the truth confalhcftl' in' the quotation: Suppose 'a| broody hen sat on" a "fertile egg for twenty-one days, what, would you expect? "A copy of "Norton's Truth" or a' chjck?, NjaturiM lows do not take cognisance" of' such common things' as Editors, Emperors, Popes, Socialists -■* either' scientific or, Utopian, riot even ) scribblers like me, and as Economic , Laws are responsible for the present type of "genus^omo," both mental and. p.hyflicaly so. will it be m the future. t / " What would be more natural to ex- • : pect after a period of social production ■; with private ownership than social pro|'d\\etibn and social ownership? Social production has proved i.tself to be m accord with natural laws and! as, m tho caso of.the! chick, the shell of the egg became a hindrance to its further development, so it smashed tbe shell! Even so .will, the man made laws of existing society have to give place to ' rules, m conformity, to, the economic • basis. No, John, this discussion is % confine^ to master minds like you and • mo, • Jesus Christ, Billy Napoleon, Old Julius Caesar, and, oh, yes! "F.R.H." ' • the gent that I am'holding the towel • forl. j I can see you dipping your pen deep '' m tho ink-pot to write "Anothor fanatic with a hallucination" simply becauefe I had not touched on the educational phase of the question. A great number of intelligent men have the same.idea about education as had tho older economists, and somo of the now, 6rt supply and demand m their , gelation to the value of commodities. „. .Because supply and demand were the most prominent factors m tho value of '.' commodities they said that these were tho determining factors and consequently got themselves Into a "swan«elian" circle. You may have this consolation "that every little holps," as the old woman said when she emptied .< her pannican of water m the sea. The present educational institutions, In- ; . eluding universities, churches, tho , press and even the W.E.A.. have their , roots deep m the present system, and are not to educate, but to prevent, so far as m tholr power, the "masses from learning the lessons that mother nature l» trying to teach them. Consider , . the Hies how they grow* they are not

pestered by Solomon and all his precepts. What educational institution did the whale attend preparity to taking to the water? J would make this letter too long to deal with your statement, that "Socialism and Christianity are idealisms m direct conflict with realisms'." Lord Rosebery said that "Socialism was the end of all things," while Napoleon, like Constantine, embraced all ; the idealisms "that were for the benefit of the people!" Ha! ha! Dear John, you were surely afflicted with temporary mental aberration when you wrote that sentence, or our rulers are insane "for keeps." Now I will have to stop else you will be thinking ,-that 1 and hot you "own "Truth." Hoping you will emulate Jonah and swallow the whale.— Yours, etc., ATOM. [As this letter requires Mr. Norton's personal reply, we have forwarded him a copy to Melbourne. — Ed. T.]