The Commonweal/Volume 1/Number 2/Editorial

EDITORIAL.

The reception, favourable and unfavourable, that has been the lot of the Commonweal and the variegated criticisms that have been forthcoming on the Socialist League serve to show that League and Journal, in the familiar phrase, “meet a want.”

The “want,” we may be pardoned for once again saying, is that of an English paper and of an English organisation which will preach in season and out of season Socialism, pure and simple, without any admixture either of political opportunism or bourgeois sentiment or national Chauvinism. The uncompromising nature of our antagonism to the capitalistic system of to-day is gatherable from the contents of our manifesto and of our journal; whilst as a particular indication of the completeness of that antagonism we may point to the resolution passed by the Provisional Council of the Socialist League in respect to the British crimes in the Soudan.

The League is, as far as we know, the only public body that has, in the very fever of the crisis due to the death of Gordon, denounced the war as in reality one of capitalistic greed. To their honour be it said that some few journals and some one or two men have tried to hush the wild and wicked cry for revenge that has gone up from a country stricken with panic and the lust for blood. But neither these journals nor these men have stripped bare the hideous monster of Capital that underlies all the fine phrases as to heroic deeds of which there is such a surfeit at this hour.

In a special article the subject that is in all men's mouths is dealt with. Every word of that article we endorse. Although we believe that in this we stand almost along amongst English-speaking peoples, although we are sorrowful at the death of our brothers, Arab and British, yet we cannot join in the strained and pitiable cry of a false sentiment over the death of any man who has died in doing all another country, and thus all countries, an irreparable wrong. Few things tell more sadly, more bitterly, of the depths of our ethical degradation, outcome of our capitalistic degradation, than the heroification of Gordon. We recognise the ability of Gordon as a soldier, the purity of his character as a man. But we cannot forget that he was the chief opponent of the rising of an oppressed people, that on the head of the popular leader he set a price, that he promised with the cold-blooded deliberation of a military despatch to sack Berber. That civilisation to-day can find no higher type to worship than this, speaks ill for civilisation. We refuse to name Gordon as a hero. The best he can be called is “unhappy.” An unfortunate product of our terrible system that manufactures criminals at one end of the social scale and patriots at the other.

The necessity of making the position of Socialists clear on the Egyptian business and the number of contributions from foreign Socialists welcoming the formation of our organisation and the foundation of our paper, determine in some measure the character of this second number. Our educational articles are not, as will be seen, forgotten, and in ensuing numbers they will be yet more to the fore.

In connexion with the subject of education, the first attempt of the League in that direction has met with an agreeably surprising success. The lessons in Socialism that have been given up to the present time have been productive of good audiences and good work. The four to be given on the Thursdays in March at South Place Institute at 8:30 p.m., deal respectively with Labour, the Factory Acts, Manufactures, Machinery, from the Socialistic point of view. A series of pamphlets under the general heading “The Socialistic Platform” is in contemplation.

Again we remind our leaders that this paper is under the direction of the whole of the Provisional Council of the Socialist League, whose servants the editor and sub-editor are. That Provisional Council will cease to exist as soon as a general Conference of the League is called. The number of members that have already given in their adhesion and their names warrants us in saying that such a Conference will be summoned in a very short time, and a Council no longer provisional elected.

To those who have our principles in their heads and the cause of the workers at heart, we appeal once again. Join the League, or better still, form branches of it in your various localities, read and circulate our paper, attend our lessons, discuss with your fellows the social question. For there is but one, that, Aaron's-rod fashion, swallows up those of all the magicians.