Mutual Work

Mutual Work. Questions on the Senior Manuals. As to Socialism. — A Mutual Improvement worker, in a letter to the Era, complains that the words in the Senior Manual (p. 40) "Socialists, it must be remembered, include anarchists and nihilists at one extreme, and so-called Christian socialists at the other," are unfair, and that there is no authority quoted for the definition. Our correspondent is in error on both counts. The footnote to the preceding page gives Professor Nicholson as authority for the whole paragraph on socialistic remedies. Professor Nicholson's exact words are: "From the nature of the case, the meaning to be attached to socialism is extremely elastic and indefinite. It would probably be impossible to give a definition that would cover all the various schemes which have been styled by their authors, or their critics, socialistic. At one extreme we have anarchists and nihilists, and at the other so-called Christian Socialists; and between them are endless varieties. Accordingly, nothing is easier than to accuse the critic of fighting a creature of his own imagining, and not 'true' or 'actual' Socialism." (Principles, vol. 1, p. 426. No higher authority than Professor Nicholson can be given, when it comes to quoting authorities on economic questions. But this quotation needs an additional word of explanation. Professor Nicholson (and, of course, the Manual) takes a point of view outside Socialism. A point outside of Socialism must be selected from which to view the doctrines of socialists. Otherwise some one of the various forms would have to be chosen as the representative of the socialistic group — which would give the author of the Manual all sorts of trouble, and lay him open a good deal to the charge of either being "ignorant" or of wishing "to misrepresent." The widest latitude in definition was chosen in order to satisfy the largest number of persons. Play and work. — Another Improvement worker wishes to know why professional base-ball playing is labor, and the efforts of a boat's crew not labor?" The first paragraph, in Lesson 4, explains this point on a close reading. However, we add another word to try to clear up the matter. The professional ball-player gets money for his ball-playing. Hence his exertion is labor. If he did not get pay for his service, it would be play. 'Likewise, the boat's crew, if they get money for their rowing, are working. If they do not get pay, they are not. That is the whole point in brief. The Manual assumes, of course, that the latter do not obtain money for their physical exertion, which is generally the case. That is why the word "professional" is left out of the sentence about the boat crew. Gate receipts cut no figure, for the reason that those who receive them do not live by that means, and so are not professionals — no matter whether it is in boat-racing or ball-playing. No utilities are created.