her on self-interest or ignorance, and principally upon the
latter. Therefore one of the Socialist leaders wrote: "Those who wish
to understand Socialism will be wise to study Socialist books and
papers. One does not expect a true and fair account of any theory or
cause from its enemies. The man who takes his ideas of Trade-Unionism
from the Free Labour League, his ideas of Liberalism from the Tory
papers, his ideas of South African affairs--or any other affairs--from
the Yellow Press, will be misled into all manner of absurdities and
errors. The statements of party politicians and party newspapers on
most controversial subjects are prejudiced and inaccurate; but there
is no subject upon which the professional misleaders of the people are
so untrustworthy and so disingenuous as they are upon the subject of
Socialism."[26] A leading Socialist organ complained: "Our opponents
decline to deal with the fundamental principles of Socialism--its
unanswerable indictment of the capitalist system, with all its
concomitants of wage-slavery and slumdom; prostitution and child
murder--and prefer instead to indulge in calumniation and
misrepresentation of Socialism. We need not complain about that. It is
a tribute to the soundness of the Socialist position, to the
irrefutability of its principles, the impregnability of the rock of
economic truth upon which it is based, that our enemies dare not
oppose the principles of Socialism, dare not attempt to meet the
charge Socialism levels against the existing order."[27]

There is much truth in these complaints. The general public and most
writers and speakers know very little about Socialism, because this
most interesting subject has been very inadequately treated in the
existing books.

The existing books on Socialism describe, analyse, and criticise the
Socialist doctrines only in the abstract as a rule. However,
Socialism is not only an elaborate economic doctrine, it is at the
same time a complete system of practical politics. Hence it does not
suffice to study the doctrines of Socialism by themselves. In order to
understand Socialism we must also investigate its practical proposals.

Following the methods of our political economists, most writers on
Socialism have, unfortunately, treated Socialism rather as a
scientific abstraction than as a business proposition. Consequently
the most important practical details of Socialism, such as: What are
the views of the Socialist with regard