Review

“The Sham of Christian Socialism,” by Sir Guildford Molesworth, K.G.I.E., with an introduction by W. Lawler Wilson. Westminster: St. Stephens Press. 2d.

The above pamphlet is the outcome of a quarrel between anti-Socialists, wherein ye pot calleth ye kettle black. Ye pot (in this case Sir Molesworth, with Lawler Wilson as the lid) accuses the Reverend Maxted (S.D.P. “Christian Socialist”) of being as self-contradictory as a “Christian Atheist”—all of which is perfectly true.

Ye kettle (yelept tho Rev. Maxted) accuses Sir Molesworth of ignorance and misstatement, at the same time pointing out that the many quotations the doughty knight adduces against him are “simply a compilation from anti Socialist publications.” All of which in equally true. Indeed, that is obvious, for the authors include Hyndman, Quelch, Blatchford, Lord Meath, Lecky, Bakunin, Bernard Shaw, Schäffle, Oscar Wilde, Hobhouse, Lloyd George, Mr. Ure, and Sir Guildford Molesworth ! I cannot explain the omission of Lord Rosebery from the list.

In his foreword Mr. Wilson begins with a general abuse of Socialists, which looks odd beside the succeeding paragraph, wherein he attempts to display a touching air of injured innocence.

I was, moreover, somewhat shocked at first on reading that Mr. Wilson accuses the Rev. Maxted of being the “flame of the Countess of Warwick,” but on getting down the dictionary I found that it might be worse.

It is also worth noting that Mr. Wilson tells us in his introduction that “Sir Guildford Molesworth’s quotations are not only damning, they are genuine.”

This is undoubtedly a very necessary addition, for it has hitherto been a speciality of Anti-Socialist “facts” to be “damning” without being in any way genuine.

F. C. W.