The Socialism of to-day

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 835096955

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-28834

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Laveleye, Émile de

Title:: The Socialism of to-day

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: Field & Tuer

Year of publication:: 1884

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (XLIV, 331 S.)

Collection:: Economics Books

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282 THE SOCIALISM OF TO-DAY. Schmoller advocates a system of corporations of working men that many of the others attack. Two points, however, are to be found in the programmes of all : first, the increased inter vention of the law or of the State in the economic world ; secondly, the intellectual and material elevation of the labour ing classes. “When men of science,” Held truly remarks, “ concern themselves warmly and in an entirely disinterested way with the good of the labourers, ought not their action to be taken in good part, especially in the face of the indifference or even hostility of public opinion? It is too common for the privileged classes to consider the labourers as born to serve them, and to nourish in their hearts the sentiments of the Brahmin towards the Pariah. From want of thought and from never trying to look at the matter from the labourer’s stand point, employers are apt to be hard and unjust. Have we not done a useful thing in showing that there is nothing immoral nor revolutionary in the desire of the labourers to get an increase of wages and a diminution of the working hours ? ” At the opening of the session of October, 1882, Professor Nasse, an Economist whose learning and moderation are recognized throughout the scientific world, sums up the work of the new school in the following terms :—“ Ten years have passed away since the ‘Association for Social Politics’ assembled for the first time at Eisenach, in order to devote itself to the study of the social question. Its object was to oppose the tendencies which had theretofore prevailed, in the press and in public opinion, on economic subjects. The formation of our Association was a protest against that narrow individualism which thinks that the most difficult problems of economic legislation may be solved by simply invoking the most complete freedom of action to individual interests, and which ignores the mission of moral culture incumbent on the State in the region of Political Economy. The Association was specially directed against that optimism which shuts its eyes to the urgent necessity of examining this formidable problem known as the social ques tion. It was an appeal and a warning which issued from the juridical and moral conscience of almost all Germany, and which, I think I may safely assert, has completely modified the ten-

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