Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 1.djvu/73

 Rh socialists are spiritualists while socialists are materialists. The following characterization by Kaufmann elucidates this distinction: "Christianity endeavors to work from within; socialism from without. The former would, if possible, persuade; the latter is ready to compel man to treat his neighbor as himself. Religion would make the love of Christ the spring of human effort; socialism makes the force of central authority the lever of social action. Religion aims at building up the social edifice on the model of the Christian household; socialism is destructive in its tendency to organize society on the principle of Rousseau's Social Contract. Religion aims at improving first the individual and thus eventually hopes to purify society. Socialism on the contrary demands radical changes in society to increase the sum of happiness in each individual. Socialism requires the use of the legal straight jacket to enforce comparative equality; religion prefers the constraining influence of Christ to draw together the members of Christian brotherhood." Thus Christian socialism is seen to work by internal spiritual forces, while socialism employs external material forces as means. Christian socialism is primarily reformatory and hence reconstructive; socialism on the contrary is revolutionary and hence destructive. Kingsley had pointed out this general distinction in Politics for the People, the first organ of the English school. "God will reform society," he wrote, "on condition of our reforming every man his own self, while the devil is quite ready lo help us mend the laws and the parliament, earth and heaven, without even starting such an impertinent and personal request as that a man should mend himself." This is what Kingsley meant by saying to the Chartists that the Charter did not go far enough.

But all has not been said. Whether society is to be reformed only by reforming the individual units or whether the individuals are to be reformed by reforming their environment, may not be the only alternatives. The truth may lie in the reciprocal relation of these principles. In fact it is in the