I IO 
THE SOCIALISM OF TO-DAY. 
party in a most delicate and difficult position. Its founders 
were court preachers. How could it refrain from applauding 
the employment of the most stringent means against savages 
who were impelled, by a barbarous and stupid fanaticism, to 
commit a crime, abominable in itself and, in any case, useless 
for the furtherance of their designs ? The Staats-Socialist had 
proclaimed itself monarchical and conservative. Could it reject 
a law presented in the name of the very principles which it 
had undertaken to defend ? It actually did so, nevertheless ; 
and in so doing it showed both foresight and courage. It saw 
in the outrages a proof that it had not exaggerated the danger 
to be apprehended from the Socialist demagogy ; but it rejected 
the Anti-Socialist law, because, without removing the evil, it 
would cause it to disappear from sight, and thus postpone the 
application of a remedy, and because it would have the dis 
astrous effect of hindering the upper classes from doing their 
duty to those dependent on them. It may be questioned if 
the Staats-Socialist and the Social Evangelical party, in spite 
of the ties connecting them with the Court, will escape the 
rigorous measures which are striking in all directions associa 
tions and papers concerned with the social question. The 
object pursued by the Government is, apparently, to enforce 
complete silence on this subject, in order that the police may 
be able to boast that they have established order and peace. 
Silentium pacem appellant. 
To get a complete idea of the tendencies and principles 
that presided over the formation of the Social Evangelical 
party, one should read Herr Todt’s book on “ Radical German 
Socialism and Christian Society.” * It has had a great success, 
and two editions of it were sold off in a few months. It would 
be interesting to compare it with the book of M. François 
Huet, Le Hègne social du christianisme, published in 1852, in 
the same spirit and on a similar plan. Herr Todt places the 
following epigraph at the head of his work : “ Whoever would 
understand the social question and contribute to its solution 
must have on his right hand the works on Political Economy, 
* Der radikale deutsche Socialismus und die Christliche Gesellschaft, by 
RoclolfTodt, Wittemburg, 1878.