Communism and Socialism.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 6258, 3 July 1890, Page 3

Communism and Socialism.

p—(A Review).

There has recently been published in pamphlet from a series of articles, reprinted from the Lyttelton Times, under the title o f “ Communism and Socialism : Their Dreams, their Experiments, their Aims, their Influence; By Pharos.” The writer deals with his subjects under the three principal heads, firstly, the Utopias, next, Examples of Communism, and finally, Socialism, in his opening article “ Pharos ” says : “To write a full or even reasonably adequate history and exposition of Socialism is not, of course, my hope. Such ata k would be the task of a lifetime. But even a dozen short newspaper articles can give some information, and may perhaps bo the means of sending on a few readers to make fuller search into matters of great, immediate, and vital public importance. If I succeed in turning the interest of even half-a dozen readers into a practical channel, I shall indeed be well repaid. My work, such ss it is, can make, of course, no pretence to originality. It will consist of giving the briefest of brief abstracts of books whose names at least, are well-known ; and of giving necessarily meagre accounts of institutions, events, and persons already described more or less fully and well by the writers whose descriptions I have read. I am not going to air opinions of my own, or argue for this side or that. However strong and pronounced my sympathies, I shall keep them to myself. 1 do not write to make converts but to attract students. I may venture to trust, therefore, that readers of a conservative turn of mind will find little here to irritate them or to provoke envenomed criticism." The articles amply fulfil the promise of the first of the series.. The condensation is necessarily extreme, but nevertheless, by very skilful management, “ Pharos ” gives intelligible and highly interesting outline sketches under each of his divisions. The Utopias include Plato’s “Republic,” More's “ Utopia,” Oampanella’s “ City of the Sun,” and Bellamy’s “Looking Backward.” As examples of Communism he gives the Spartans and Cretan’s, the Early Orislians and the Essenes, the Empire of the Incas, the Jesuit Communes in Paraguay, the Russian Mir, and the Communistic Societies of the United States. Under the final heading, Socialism, “ Pharos ’’ has four articles, 1. Voluntary Co-operation, 2. The Socialist, 3. German Socialism. 4. Socialism in England. The pamphlet has only forty-nine pages, but the space has been made the most of, and we can confidently recommend the perusal of the articles to those in search of general information on a class of subjects which at the present day are continually attracting more and more attention. Even readers who are acquainted with the systems and tho books on which “ Pharos ” has based his work, will find much to interest them in these pages.