Page:Friedrich Adolf Sorge - Socialism and The Worker (1876).djvu/18

 majority of the working-class succeed in seeing their efforts crowned, they lead a happy family-life. If they do not succeed—whose fault is it? Is it the fault of the Socialists?

If a rich man keeps a mistress, if his gold enriches the keepers of bad houses, is it the fault of the Socialists that his family-life is destroyed?

Immorality elevates its head, to day, nursed by the passions and lust of rich idlers. It will be the task of the workers to extract humanity out of that filthy pool. In this case it is also communism, which will bring a remedy. When the working people enjoy the protection of their property, when nobody is under the ban of want, if he is willing to work,—nothing but mutual inclination will unite husband and wife, nobody will be able to buy love,—mistresses, and prostitutes will disappear. If, therefore, there is a crime in Socialism in this regard, this crime 1s not directed against morality and the family, but against prostitution in all its phases, against the community of women, which is not unknown in our existing society; it is not exercised openly, but is not unfrequently even covered by the black robe.

This is, what we have to answer to the incriminations of our antagonists with regard to property, marriage and family. But before we lay down our pen, we must mention a few other points closely connected with the foregoing.

If the Socialists had nothing to offer to the suffering people, but the consolation, that Communism will bring help at some future time, when the conditions for life, nearly unbearable now, will have become quite so, this consolation would be poor. Long enough a future state of bliss has been held out to suffering mankind, in which they would be rewarded for all the wants and sufferings and pains of this world, and the time has come, when most people have lost confidence in such empty promises. They demand an amelioration, not words, not promises, but facts. They do not want to expect with resignation what may come after death, they demand a change of their unfortunate situation, while living on earth.

The Socialists and they only promote, as much as possible, the interests of the workers. It would surpass the limits of this little pamphlet, to develop here the platform of the Socialistic party, but we will have to consider a few prejudices, which are in vogue against the activity of the Socialists.

If workmen embrace the opportunities for getting higher wages, it is especially the petty-manufacturer, who thinks his interests hurt by the demands of the wages-laborers. He totally mistakes the real cause of the difficulty he is in. Overlooking the competition of large capital, which puts him into his precarious position, and against which his is a hopeless struggle, he turns against the wages-laborers, and finds fault with high wages. If he would reflect a little, he would soon discover his mistake. If wages are high, the prices of manufactures must be high; for if manufactures are cheap, no manufacturer will pay high wages; or: high