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The object of the following short treatise on the Principles of Social-Democracy is to afford students and expositors of the subject a comprehensive view, such as we are bold to say has not hitherto appeared in this or any other language, at least in anything approaching the same compass, if at all. The little Socialist Catechism, by our deceased comrade and friend, James Leigh Joynes, is now nearly twenty years old; and was, from the first, never intended as anything more than an elementary guide to the “man in the street” on the more salient points of Socialist economics. It therefore bears no sort of relation to the present work, which, though necessarily much less elementary, aims at giving a complete view of modern Socialist theory and practice in all their bearings. While the economic basis is dealt with at sufficient length, and, we hope, with the necessary clearness and thoroughness, we have not confined ourselves to this alone, but have endeavoured to show the bearing of Socialist principles throughout all the main departments of human thought and action. Our sketch in this respect has necessarily been slight, but we venture to think that the suggestions embodied in the following pages will be sufficient to enable any intelligent reader to follow them up for himself. We have not attempted to deal fully and completely with any one of the points treated of, but we have aimed at giving, as briefly and concisely as possible, the chief arguments in support of the Socialist view, and at pointing the general trend of the Socialist movement. Experience has frequently shown us the need for such a work, and it is in the hope that it will accomplish the useful end we have set ourselves to serve that we commend it to the active propagandists of the Social-Democratic Party.
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Last updated on 16.6.2004