THE.. OTHER SIDE.
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sin,—Colonel H. C. Elwes appears to have mistaken the object of my letter, which was to refute Mr. Massingham's dangerous assertion that Socialism " is a religious idea." I certainly maintain that Christ did not and could not, in His times, teach the modern science of economics. So far as I am aware His only incursion into the field of political economy was to give strong support to law and order as then represented by Roman rule. I resent the imputation of " separating Christian conduct as taught by Christ from human conduct as applicable to economics " or to anything else, which Colonel Elwes regards as the " mentality " of the " tall hat on Sundays."
The historical fact, which I indicated briefly in opposition to Mr. Massingham's—to me—monstrous thesis, is that organized political Socialism has always " been associated with blatant irreligion." Anacharsis Clootz, who only repeated earlier formulas, proudly described himself as " the personal enemy of Jesus Christ." From his times to the present doh,. distinguished by the erection of a statue to Judas Iscariot by a Socialist Government, there is an unbroken record of Socialist hostility to Christianity, reasons for which can easily be assigned. .
The hideous performances of the French revolutionary Socialists have been exactly paralleled by the shockingly blasphemous orgies of the Bolsheviks last Christmas and Easter. The astute promoters of Socialism have, however, as a means to power, striven to secure Christian allies, and have obtained considerable success with the assistance of Mr. Massingham's theory. As I said, I have no intention of troubling the Spectator with my views on the economics of Socialism, to which Colonel Elwes appears to think that the discovery of " a real unit of natural value or wealth " would be a clue. That Socialism, the attractive basis of which is loot, is and always has been the deadly enemy of Christianity is my strong contention.
I rate incidentally that the " Prospective Labour Candidate for Gillingham " is singularly ill-informed as to the aims of the Socialist Party, but this is irrelevant to the issue raised by Mr. Massingham's second article.—I am, Sir, &c.,
SYDENIIAM.
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