BOLSHEVIST THUNDER.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 15203, 16 October 1919, Page 2

BOLSHEVIST THUNDER.

WHENCE IT WAS DERIVED. ;; OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLES. '" < It's the same old world, with the < same old gang of human beings trying \ to live in it. Albert A. Boyden, an ] American writer, recently came upon ' the following, which seems one of the J best presentations of Bolshevism —r'the ••' great new idea in the world." lie ' quotes: 1 P.—l toll you that we are all to share 1 alike and have every£s?hg in common, ' instead of one being rich and another ! poor, and one having hundreds of acres, i and another not enough to make him a ; grave, and one a houseful of servants ; and another not even a paltry foot-boy. ' lam going to introduce Communion t and universal equality. !• ]J.—How Communism ? \ P.—That's just what I was going to ■ tell you. Firs*- of all, everybody's money and land, and anything else he \ may possess, will be made common pro- v perty Then we shall maintain you all ' ont *of the common stock, with due re- I gard to economy and thrift. ; B. —But how about those who have no land, but- only money that they can < hide? * • ] P.—lt will all go to the public purse. ' To keep anything back will 'be perjury. y B.—Perjury! Well, if you come to jthat, it was by perjury it was all acquired. P.—And then, money won't be the least use to anyone. B.—Why not? P.—Because nobodr will be poor. Everybody will have everything he i wants—.bread, salt fish, barley cake, \ j clothes, wine, garlands, and chick-peas, j ISo what will the good of keeping anyj thing back? Answer that, if you can? i i B.—lsn't it just the people wSo have < all these things tfiat are the greatest < thieves ? t P.—No doubt, under the old laws. < But now, Avhen everything will be in common, what will be the good of keep- i ing anything back? "" 1 B.—But what about the clothes ? How 1 are they to be provicleO ? < P.—-What you have now will dj? to ] begin with, and afterward we shall make < them for you ourselves. < B.—Just one thing more! Supposing ] a man were to lose his suit in the 1 j courts, where are the damages to come j from ? It would not be fair to take the public funds. . ] P. —But there won't be any law-suits i at all! * j B. —That will mean ruin to a good i many people! • Bystander.—-Just my-idea! j P.—Why should there be any ? ■': B.—Why! For reasons enough, heaven ■ knows! For instance, a man might re- " pudiate his debts. '. P.—ln that case, whore did the man : who lent the money get it from"? Clear- ; ly, since everything is in common, lie .: ftiust have stolen it. B.—So he must! An excellent idea! ' But now tell me tliis. When fellows '. come to blows over their cups, where } are the damages to come from? '. P.—From the rations! A man won't j be in such a hurry to make a row when his belly has to pay for it. : B.—One thing more! Will there Le no more thieves ? < P.—Why should anyone steal what is < his own? " ] B.—ind won't one be robbed of one' 3 i cloak at night ? P.—Not if you sleep at home! ! 8.-—Nor yet if one sleeps out, as one ] used to do? P.—No, for there will Be enough and '• to spare for all. And even if a thief does try to sti'ip.a man he will give up ! his cloak of his own accord. What ' would be the good of fighting? Ke Has < only to go and get another, and better, ; from the public stores. ■ B.—And will there be no1 more gambling? j P.—What will there be to play for? ': B.—And how about house accommoda- ' tions? . P.—That will be the same for all. 1 tell you I am going to turn the whole c^ty into, one lnige house, and Break down all the partitions, so. that every one may have free access to every ono else. "Who wrote it? Lenin, Trotsky, or some of their satellites in America, John Eeed or Max Eastman"? No, none of those, nor yet any of the modern satir- ' lists of their ■■pet theories," says Mr Boyden, and adds, "I have quoted '.exactly, with only one omission. The - intbor of this skit on this brand new Miing in the world—the 'thing that's th-o 'nsjical. carrying out of Karl Marx's ideas, etc. —the author is Aristophanes, and the ploy is the comedy of 'EcclesiaKiisae.' " i