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CHAPTER XXII 



True and False Socialism — Tyranny of 

 Individualism 



ANOTHER matter for earnest consideration is the 

 attitude of that body of " ardent patriots " which 

 loves to pose before the people as Sociahsts; and here, 

 as in other directions, we must learn to make up our 

 own minds or we may be led away by what may prove 

 to be a very ignis fatmis of politics. 



Socialism may be good or it may be bad, but we are 

 not going to pass j udgment here on a movement which, 

 while having many adherents, has but little cohesion, 

 and no clearly defined principles to guide it. There are 

 many Sociahsts who, taken as a whole, may rightly be 

 regarded as a new band of political wire-pullers, but 

 theirs is not the Socialism — that is to say true Socialism 

 — taught by such great Socialist philosophers as Ruskin, 

 Owen and others. 



The " Socialism " of to-day is, indeed, so ill-defined 

 as to call forth the question: "What is Socialism?" 

 and it seems as though there can be no reply forth- 

 coming, because every man who professes to be an 

 exponent of Socialism expounds it in a manner to har- 

 monise with his own particular views, and thus the 

 Socialism of one man differs materially from that of 

 another. 



This being so, we, who have our own ideas of what 



