282 Evolution and Social Refo-nn: 



trol of social functions must, by tlie necessity of the case, 

 be absolute militarism, or be an absolute failure. And be it 

 remembered always that for the pur])ose of doing one i)ar- 

 ticular thing in one particnilar way at one particular time 

 and in one particular place the army is the ideal organiza- 

 tion, and the more complete it is as a machine, the more 

 absolutely individualities must be curbed ; while for the 

 purpose of doing an infinite variety of things in an infinite 

 variety of ways, at all times and in all places (and this is 

 life), the army is the worst possible ideal. 



State Socialism, or Collectivism, or Nationalism, proposes 

 in general that land and capital shall be taken possession 

 of by the State ; that all production for distribution, and 

 all distribution, shall be under the supervision and control 

 of the State ; that every member of the community shall 

 draw from the State his compensation, whatever it may be, 

 for services performed ; and that money and interest shall 

 cease to exist. There may be minor qualifications of these 

 conditions, but I think tliat which I have given will be ac- 

 cepted by collectivists as an approximately correct state- 

 ment of the end which they have in view. The more ad- 

 vanced and consistent of them hold that the scheme 

 necessarily implies international union upon these matters. 

 According to some the establishment of the Socialistic 

 State is to be gained by violence ; according to others it is 

 to be reached by a peaceful revolution. According to some 

 the expropriation of private property is to be made at once 

 and witliout compensation ; according to others a com- 

 promise is to be effected upon some system of terminable 

 annuities, annuities payable in goods, or orders similar to 

 those payable for services, but terminating within a limited 

 number of years. 



Now wliat follows, of necessity, from this scheme ? A 

 vast centralized organization- according to some under an 

 Emperor and State hierarcliy, but according to most writers 

 under a pure democracy- must have control of all labor 

 and of all distribution without distinction or exception. 

 And this means vastly more tlian can be conveyed by these 

 words. It means the control of all varieties of em])loy- 

 ment, the determination of Avhat is to be pnjduced, wliere 

 it is to be ])roduced, how it is to be ])ro(luced, liow miu-li is 

 to be ])roduce(l; the determination tlierefore of the number 

 of laborers, of where tliey sliall labor, and at what they 



