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  construction ­
  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  precisely ­
  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,  according ­
  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  Christianity ­
  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.