TRUE AND FALSE SOCIALISM 213 



Socialists direct their vigour to the land ; let their forces 

 be directed against the destruction of those terrible foes 

 to the people, which have been their real tyrants — igno- 

 rance, APATHY, INERTIA — let them war against these 

 and the individualism of political parties and the 

 baneful influence they exercise over the people's inte- 

 rests, and they will accomplish more in a year than they 

 will, by their present methods, even at the wane of the 

 twentieth century. 



But in this, as in all things else in life, don't let us 

 accept what we are told too readily ; let us put it to the 

 test of experience ; let us cite a case in proof of what we 

 are contending. 



Germany, again, will furnish us with a recent and 

 most striking example of how much good can be done by 

 the peaceful industry of the people, and how little by 

 rabid, spurious Socialism. 



In January of last year a great battle was fought at 

 the hustings in Germany between Socialism and Impe- 

 rialism, and, as everybody knows who reads the news- 

 papers, the Socialists were so badly defeated that it is 

 doubtful if ever they will recover from the crushing 

 blows dealt out to them. Socialism had been making 

 headway in Germany for some years, and it was confi- 

 dently expected, at least by the great Socialist leader, 

 Herr Bebel, and by the Socialists themselves, that the 

 General Elections in that country would reveal an 

 enormous development of the Socialistic spirit, but a 

 huge surprise was awaiting them, and they found that 

 Socialism was not popular with the masses, and that it 

 had received a very serious check. 



