26
likely to be narrow; he knows little of the great world, and cares less. He is mastered by the forces of nature, depends on them and lives in awe of them, thus being a ready subject for the belief in the supernatural. He gets his living by his own exertions on his own bit of land; the idea of association with his fellowmen can scarcely enter his mind. The idea of collectivism, of common ownership, at once conjures up to him the idea of losing his all, his plot of land on which his whole life depends. He would quite naturally not readily risk so much for what must seem to him a mere chimera. He is evidently not very suitable material for socialist propaganda. (Of course the case is different with the hired peasants on large farms, where the land is being worked on capitalist lines.)
Now take the small shopkeeper. While his mind may be somewhat broadened by the fact that he lives a more social life than the peasant, nevertheless he is not ready material for the socialists. The small property he possesses gives him a certain sense of a stake in the existing order of things. He is living in daily dread of being hurled into the working class, but, on the other hand, he is also living in hopes of increasing his property and thus lifting himself up to a higher social order. It is true he hates the large capitalist, but there is more envy than distrust in his feeling towards the latter. He may even rise up against him, but it will be for reactionary purposes, to stay further progress, and he will not go too far, lest the horny-handed sons of toil also lay their grimy hands on his property. That is why, as a class, the small bourgeoisie has always proved a treacherous ally of the working class. That, of course, does not mean that individuals of this, or a higher class may not join in the struggle for the emancipation of the workers, and may not by their greater opportunities and knowledge render great service to the movement, providing always that they quite de-class themselves intellectually, i.e., providing they adopt in its entirety the ideals of the class conscious workers.
Lastly, let us take the factory worker. He has no private property; his attachment to it, is therefore, comparatively slight. Of course he believes in it and stands in awe of it, and wants some, and so on, but his attachment
