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THE  SOCIALISM  OF  TO-DAY.

Socialism  is  invading  the  country  parts  ;  an  exceptional  thing
in  Europe,  save  perhaps  in  Spain.  The  peasantry  are  reduced
to  extreme  poverty  through  excessive  rent  and  taxes.  Wages
are  entirely  insufficient.  The  agricultural  labourers  live  crowded
together  in  straggling  villages,  and  obtain  only  an  intermittent
employment  Thus  a  rural  proletariat  is  formed,  more
miserable  even  than  that  of  the  industrial  centres.  Shut  out
from  ownership  by  the  latifundia,  they  become  the  enemies
of  a  social  order  which  is  crushing  them.  Elsewhere,  and
notably  in  France,  in  agricultural  gatherings,  in  assemblies  and
in  the  army,  the  country  folk  are  the  mainstay  of  the  existing
régime.  In  Italy  a  serious  danger  will  arise  when  revolutionary
ideas  shall  have  been  carried  into  the  army  by  the  sons  of  the
peasantry.
Some  recent  trials  show  clearly  the  two  aspects  of  Socialism
in  Italy,  namely,  the  rural  Socialism  produced  by  poverty,  and
the  cosmopolitan  Socialism  of  Nihilism.  The  first  occurrence
was  as  follows:  At  the  beginning  of  April,  1877,  some  thirty
persons,  who  came  nobody  knows  whence,  used  to  meet  every
evening  in  a  house  which  they  had  hired  at  San  Lupo,  a  village
in  the  province  of  Benevento.  On  the  night  of  the  6th  of  April
the  carabineers  who  were  watching  the  house  are  fired  at,  and
two  of  them  fall,  severely  wounded.  After  this  exploit  the  band
advance  towards  the  neighbouring  village  of  Letino,  with  a  red
and  black  fiag  at  their  head.  They  take  possession  of  the
town-hall.  The  councillors  demand  their  discharge  ;  it  is  given
to  them  in  these  terms  :  “  We,  the  undersigned,  hereby  declare
that  we  have  seized  the  municipality  of  Letino  by  armed  force
in  the  name  of  the  social  revolution."  Then  follow  the
signatures.  They  carry  out  to  the  market-place,  to  the  foot  of
the  cross  that  stands  there,  the  cadastral  surveys  and  civil
registers,  and  set  them  on  fire.  The  peasants  quickly  crowd
around,  while  one  of  the  insurgents  makes  a  great  speech.  He
explains  that  the  movement  is  a  general  one,  and  that  the
people  are  free.  The  king  is  fallen  and  the  social  republic
proclaimed.  Applause  follows.  The  women  demand  the
immediate  partition  of  the  lands.  The  leaders  reply,  “You
have  arms,  you  are  free.  Make  the  partition  for  yourselves.”