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THE  SOCIALISM  OF  TO-DAY.

The  principles  which  used  to  insure  the  obedience  of  the  masses
lose  their  sway.  Everything  is  examined,  and  scepticism  prevails, ­
  This  unfettered  examination  ends  in  the  denial  of  all
supernatural  sanctions,  of  the  personality  of  the  Deity,  and  of
the  immortality  of  the  soul  (to  mention  only  these  points),  and
leads  to  the  affirmation  of  materialism.  Then,  personal  interest
becomes  a  stronger  force,  with  an  ever-increasing  number  of
individuals  than  ideas  of  order  and  of  devotion  to  principle,
and  a  situation  is  brought  about  thus  defined  by  Colins  :  “  An
epoch  of  social  ignorance,  in  which  immorality  increases  in
proportion  to  the  growth  of  intelligence.”
As  pauperism  simultaneously  increases  in  the  same  proportions, ­
  it  follows  that  the  bourgeois  form  of  society  cannot  last.
In  one  way  or  another  it  soon  falls  to  pieces,  and  the  supremacy ­
  of  divine  right  is  restored,  until  a  new  revolution  ushers
in  once  more  the  triumph  of  the  bourgeoisie.  Society  cannot
escape  from  this  vicious  circle  in  which  it  has  revolved  from  the
first,  until,  as  the  result  of  the  invention  and  development  of
the  press,  and  of  the  absolute  impossibility  of  restricting  the
examination  of  old  beliefs  consequent  thereon,  all  reversion  to
the  theocratic  form  of  government  has  become  radically  impossible. ­
  When  that  time  comes,  humanity  must  either  perish
in  anarchy,  or  organize  itself  conformably  to  scientific  reason.
It  is  then  that  humanity  will  enter  on  the  last  period  of  its
historical  development,  the  period  of  “  knowledge,”  which  will
endure  as  long  as  the  human  race  can  exist  on  the  globe.
According  to  Colins,  then,  a  theocratic  régime  is  order  founded
on  despotism,  a  democratic  régime  is  liberty  engendering
anarchy,  while  the  rational  or  “  logocratic  ”  régime  would
secure,  at  the  same  time,  both  liberty  and  order.
Hereafter,  according  to  the  Belgian  Socialist,  society  will  be
definitively  organized  as  follows  :—All  men  being  by  right
equal,  they  ought  all  to  be  placed  in  the  same  position  with
regard  to  labour.  Man  is  free,  and  his  labour  should  be  free
also.  To  effect  this,  matter  should  be  subordinated  to  intelligence, ­
  labour  should  own  both  land  and  capital,  and  then  wages
would  be  at  a  maximum.  All  men  are  brothers,  for  they  have
a  common  origin  ;  hence,  if  any  are  unable  to  provide  for  them-