CIVILIZATION— WARD AND DIETZGEN 171 



is the religion of ignorance and vice versa, 

 ignorance is their religion and science." 



The use of science and philosophy by the 

 ruling class as a pretence for the appropria- 

 tion of the lion's share of the wealth produced 

 by labor does not prove that workingmen 

 should abandon philosophy as useless to their 

 cause. On the contrary, as Dietzgen says: 

 ''Philosophy is a subject which closely con- 

 cerns the working class," and he adds : "This, 

 of course, does by no means imply that every 

 workingman should try to become acquainted 

 with philosophy and study the relation be- 

 tween the idea and matter. From the fact 

 that we all eat bread does not follow that we 

 must all understand milling and baking. But 

 just as we need millers and bakers, so does 

 the working class stand in need of keen schol- 

 ars who can follow up the tortuous ways of 

 the false priests and lay bare the inanity of 

 their tricks." 



It is quite clear that working men, instead 

 of underestimating the value of mental train- 

 ing, should remember what a terrible weapon 

 it has proved in the hands of their enemies. 

 It is precisely because the workers have lack- 

 ed this weapon, that in spite of their over- 

 whelming numbers and physical strength, 

 they have always been outwitted. "The eman- 



