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98 To not a few readers this course of study will no doubt seem ponderous and unnecessarily voluminous. It will probably strike many as being too "academic," "theoretical" and "impractical." The absence of the current and popular works and tracts on Socialism may also seem inexplicable to some and earn for this course the reputation of being too "scientific" or "orthodox." To all these antiquated and well known but superficial criticisms and stereotype platitudes the author has only one reply to make, namely: that the above is to be a course in Marxian Socialism, aiming solely to equip the students with a working knowledge of the fundamentals and basic elements of the Socialist philosophy. It is not to be a course in the various "adaptations" and "practical" revisions or abortions of Marxism, popularly taught to a naive and guileless public as "scientific" Socialism by a set of unscrupulous political fakirs. All the works listed and recommended in this course are recognized classics of Socialism, and can be considered as standing proof for the absolute superﬂuousness of the countless collection of books and pamphlets published on this subject, all claiming to be "popular expositions" of Socialism and "filling a long felt want." Most of these works contain as a rule nothing else but the intellectual drivel of a coterie of, in many cases, well meaning but ignorant pseudo intellectuals, and in other instances may be classified as the output of a set of unprincipled mercenaries, who see in the labor and Socialist movement a lucrative field for the realization of their personal ambitions. Therefore, the author sincerely trusts that the perusal and diligent study of the works listed in this course will assist to create a sound conception of Marxism and a demand for scientific SOCIALIST literature in the Socialist movement.

In the essay entitled "The Constructive Elements of Socialism," the author has attempted to combine Marxism proper with the tactical and constructive phases of Socialism as they exist in