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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300 SOCIALISM IN ENGLAND. benefits are remote and doubtful. Of course, this does not apply to the case of new countries making grants of land in the first instance. It certainly seems desirable that our colonies, for example, should not part with the fee simple of their lands, and the Land Nationalization movement, which is active in New Zealand and New South Wales, is more likely to succeed with them than with us. There is much to be said, too, in favour of the “ municipalization ” of lands in the neighbourhood of growing towns, where the unearned increment is often enormous, and where it is particularly important not to allow private rights to grow up which interfere with the good of the community. Into this question, however, I cannot now enter, but must pass on to the second socialistic movement which I propose to consider. Christian Socialism may be said to have originated in England in 1848, when Charles Kingsley, Frederick Denison Maurice, Tom Hughes, Mr. Ludlow, and some others started the Christian Socialist newspaper, issued a series of tracts, and formed a society for promoting co-operative associations. The leaders of the movement do not appear to have been influenced by the writings of Lammenais, who was one of the first Christian Socialists of modern times, and whose burning denunciations of the capitalistic system have never been sur passed ; still less can they be connected with the Utopian Reformers, such as Cabet and St. Simon. The idea of intro ducing Christianity as an active factor and guiding principle in business life, appears to have suggested itself spontaneously to an earnest band of noble-minded and unselfish churchmen, as a means of coping with the wide-spread distress and discontent which existed in England at the time, and which had raised a threatening voice in the Chartist agitation. They had no definite socialistic scheme in view, but they were profoundly impressed with the evils of unrestricted competition, and dreaded above all things the ascendency of the Manchester School with—to use Kingsley’s extravagant language—its “ narrow, conceited, hypocritical, anarchic, and atheistic scheme of the universe.” “ I do not see my way further than this,” said Maurice; “competition is put forth as the law of the

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