E VANGELICAL SOCIALISTS. 
11 I 
and on his left the literature of Scientific Socialism, and must 
keep the New Testament open before him.” Political Economy, 
he adds, plays the part of anatomy : it makes known the con 
struction of the social body. Socialism is the pathology which 
describes the malady, and the Gospel is the therapeutics which 
apply the remedy. 
Is it not remarkable that the Christian countries are pre 
cisely those which have evolved Socialism ? What is the reason 
of that? According to Herr Todt, it is because Socialism has 
its root in Christianity : only it has gone astray from it. It is 
the fruit of the Gospel, but it has become corrupt In reality, 
according to Herr Todt, Socialism springs from the sentiment 
of revolt, produced by the sight of the contrast between the 
existing economical constitution of society and a certain ideal 
of justice and equality. Hence arises the desire to remove this 
contrast by a radical reform of the social order. Christianity 
also condemns the present world, where selfishness and evil 
passions prevail, and announces the “new kingdom” where 
the first shall be last, where charity shall make all men brothers, 
and where the earth shall belong to the peaceful and lowly. 
The true Christian endeavours to correct himself and reform 
his surroundings according to the divine command. Whoever 
then asserts, like the Positivist or Economist, that the actual 
course of events is necessary, fatal, and conformable to natural 
laws, places himself in opposition to the teaching of Jesus. 
He, on the other hand, conforms to that teaching who aims at 
improvement and perfection in everything. Moreover, accord 
ing to Herr Todt, every Christian who is in earnest with his 
faith has a Socialistic vein in him, and every Socialist, however 
bitter his hatred of religion may be, has an unconscious Chris 
tianity in his heart. Radical Socialism, however, preaches 
atheism and communism, and in so doing is far off from the 
Gospel. 
We must, not, however, deceive ourselves, says our author : 
Socialism IS not, as is commonly supposed, a mere passing 
malady which will disappear as it came. It will grow and 
spread. There have been outbursts of Socialism at different 
epochs, when the sufferings of the people became intolerable.