A futile organisation
The celebration of the Cavendish Assn, (which has been inaugurated for the purpose of impressing upon public and university men the claims of municipal, national, and social service) was held recently. Meetings ia different parts of the country were addressed by such well-known men as Lord Selborne, Mr. Asquith, and Sir E. Grey.
Lord Selborne said : “The Association was making an appeal to men to enlist an army which was to fight materialism.” Of course the noble lord was only trying to pull someone’s leg. University and public men are not going to fight materialism. It is materialism they live for, and it would be what they would die for—if necessary. They, like the rest of the capitalist class, live on the three things which Lord Selborne tells us the association wants to fight—Rent, Profit, and Interest,
The weapon his lordship tells us they are going to use is the weapon of duty—duty to God and duty to their neighbours. The former has been a very effective weapon to keep the workers down, but it is losing its power through capitalist development and Socialist propaganda, so the noble lord will have to try something else. Duty to their neighbours is simply a plea for honour among thieves, for the capitalist recognises no neighbour but those of the members of his own parasite class.
The Archbishop of York said : “There was no one there who could not feel deeply conscious of a deepening and widening chasm between the wealth and opportunities of the few, and the poverty and lack of opportunity of the many.”
That should be clear to any one. It is inevitable under the existing system of society. The few have wealth and opportunity because they own the means or life. The poverty and lack of opportunity of the workers can only be the result of the master class monopolising the good things of life for themselves.
“If men of leisure,” said Sir E. Grey, “did not use those opportunities which leisure gave for some form of public service, it was a loss to the State and a loss to themselves as individuals.”
Fancy the absurdity of the workers putting these men, who cannot realise life from tke standpoint of the workers, who are your enemies, into power to represent you ! That is not the way to emancipation. Emancipation can only come about through our own efforts. We want no “men of leisure” to lead us. They would mislead us. We have to carry out our own work, through our own class. We can do it, and we will do it with you on our side.
J. G. STONE