her long, but it was never published and I
think it so important, as showing how his mind was moving, that it
cannot well be shortened. It is a document of capital importance for
the biography of Chesterton.

Now, for my own part, I cannot in the least agree with those who
see no difference between Christian and modern Socialism, nor do I
for a moment join in some Christian Socialists' denunciations of
those worthy middle-class people who cannot see the connection. For I
cannot help thinking that in a way these latter people are right. No
reasonable man can read the Sermon on the Mount and think that its
tone is not very different from that of most collectivist speculation
of the present day, and the Philistines feel this, though they cannot
distinctly express it. There is a difference between Christ's
Socialist program and that of our own time, a difference deep,
genuine and all important, and it is this which I wish to point out.

Let us take two types side by side, or rather the same type in the
two different atmospheres. Let us take the "rich young man" of the
Gospels and place beside him the rich young man of the present day,
on the threshold of Socialism. If we were to follow the difficulties,
theories, doubts, resolves, and conclusions of each of these
characters, we should find two very distinct threads of
self-examination running through the two lives. And the essence of
the difference was this: the modern Socialist is saying, "What will
society do?" while his prototype, as we read, said, "What shall I
do?" Properly considered, this latter sentence contains the whole
essence of the older Communism. The modern Socialist regards his
theory of regeneration as a duty which society owes to him, the early
Christian regarded it as a duty which he owed to society; the modern
Socialist is busy framing schemes for its fulfilment, the early
Christian was busy considering whether he would himself fulfil it
there and then; the ideal of modern Socialism is an elaborate Utopia
to which he hopes the world may be tending, the ideal of the early
Christian was an actual nucleus "living the new life" to whom he
might join himself if he liked. Hence the constant note running
through the whole gospel, of the importance, difficulty and
excitement of the "call," the individual and practical request made
by Christ to every rich man, "sel