Comm6-RNE3: Happiness not earthly things, Word of God only; “Johann the Soap Boiler”; against unjust rich and Socialists

     This continues from Part 5 (Table of Contents in Part 1), a series presenting a new translation of C.F.W. Walther's Communism and Socialism from 1878. — We hear the familiar story of the simple "Johann, the Soap Boiler" who, having been given riches to quit singing happily, returned the money to gain back his happiness.  Then Walther cries out, as a Christian teacher, against the unjust rich, making him sound more "liberal" than the wild-eyed Socialists.  But Walther's teaching is spiritually based, not worldly, and is therefore much more effective against the oppressive rich. [Continued in the next Part 7]

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Translation of Walther's 1878 Communismus und Socialismus by BackToLuther primarily using DeepL online translation service; highlighting and bolding are my emphases, red text within square brackets [] are my comments, underlining is Walther's emphasis. Red highlight indicates omitted in 1947 translation.

C.F.W. Walther's Communism and Socialism, (Part 6, p. 20-25)

3. it is a fact that happiness does not consist in earthly advantages.

Even a Communist must admit that external equality would not make all people happy, since the needs of the human heart are quite different. The one is only happy when he is in this situation, the other when he is in that situation. He who has not known the many imaginary needs, and has his cup of coffee and a sandwich in the morning, and his simple meal at noon, and his faithful wife and obedient children, and his potato soup in the evening, and holds his home service, does not only think himself happier than a king, — he is also a thousand times happier. Happiness does not live in palaces, it lives in hearts. Give one man all the riches on earth, it won't make him happy. It is a madness in which almost all people are stuck, that they think: if we had as much as others, then we would be happy too.” As soon as one gets a great deal, then worries come on too. One should move from castle to castle, and one should be allowed to enter the rooms where princes and emperors live, then one would see how happy these are, one would see that if they lack the Christian faith, they are unhappy, despite their power and despite their wealth and despite the honor they enjoy. In all these things happiness is not at all present, but we only imagine it. It is his mind that either makes a person happy or not. You can fill a man's house with gold and diamonds — it never fills his heart. This heart has a very different desire.

But even if you say these things, it's mostly talk in the wind, people don't believe it. They say: “O, if only I had a lot of money, I would feel quite happy”; these are enthusiasts who say that. [page 21] But if only a person is to put himself to the test, he will see that, on the contrary, with a large lump of gold a terrible burden falls on the heart. Gellert beautifully depicted this in the poem “Johann the Soap Boiler”. [Christian Gellert may have been mistaken for Friedrich von Hagedorn.] There he depicts a soap boiler that sang merrily day and night. He has his dear bread, he likes to do the work. Next to him, however, lives a rich gourmet who is terribly annoyed that Johann woke him from his sleep so early. He therefore made a contract with him, [1947-33] that he would give him a thousand dollars if he kept quiet. The latter said: “Oh, I can keep quiet for a thousand dollars.” He carried the money home. Now he was silent, but the peace and joy of his heart and mind was gone. When he lay in bed and something rushed, he thought, “Stop! There are thieves here! In short, his happiness was at stake. At last he packed his money together and carried it back to his rich neighbor. He preferred to sing happily again. This is a poem, of course, but it is deeply drawn from the experience of millions of people. That is why it is completely against all nature to want to make people happy by the ways of Communism.

True happiness can only be given by the Word of God. One can be intoxicated for a short time by things that one succeeds in and feels very happy. Oh, but these are only short periods! But a Christian is always happy, even when he has to cry. When he lies before his God, he must say in truth, "Oh, what a happy man I am! because he knows that he has enjoyed the goodness of God, because he knows that weeping lasts only a short time. He comes to his God and Father, and will stand before His throne forever, once the deceptive game of this life is played out. A Christian knows this and this is what makes him happy. Of course, such a person does not always have a sweet feeling; O no! Christians often look very sad, they usually feel very bad, and the better the Christian one is, the more he is plagued by bad feelings, because he notices every movement of the flesh. This causes him distress and misery. But no one can take this one thing away from him; he has a merciful God in heaven; he has found the pearl, and when this life is over, he can confidently close his eyes; for he has nothing to fear from death or hell, not even from nothingness, of which atheists are always afraid.

Although many say: “There is no God,” there are fewer atheists than we usually think, even in our times. In the daytime many a man is a terrible atheist, and when he lies down in bed and it is dark around him, he hears a soft voice inside: “There is a God, it is at least uncertain whether there is not a God, and if there is a God, what is to become of you?” It takes a satanic obduracy and hardening of the heart for this voice [1947-34]  [page 22] to stop completely. One can deliver a fiery speech in a society against the existence of God, but one must not think that he really means it. There are so many braggarts [Bramarbasse] who want to prove a strong spirit by speaking against God in this way. And then when they come home they think: “Oh, what have you done!” They themselves do not believe what they say. The dear God Himself has written it into their hearts and no one can wipe it out: “There is a God, and you are responsible to God, He will drag you before His judgement seat. Woe to you if you do not have a savior. He will judge you strictly according to His holiness and righteousness.” —

Therefore, also because it is a fact that happiness does not consist in earthly advantages, it is folly to want to make men happy by making them equal. [page 23 [1947-35]  ————————————————

Reason, Nature, Experience, continued (Lecture II.)

O God, it was not for the short span of his earthly life that Thou created man. The immortal spirit of man is not bound to time and earth like the soul of the irrational animal, but rises high above all that has been created, even into unbounded eternity. The heart of man cannot be satisfied by temporal and earthly things like the blind instincts of the animal, but hungers and thirsts for eternal, perfect goods. In this present world, therefore, Thou want to first prepare man for his goal, in another world he is to achieve it; here he is to sow, there he shall reap; here he is to work, there he is to receive his reward; here he is to be tested by suffering, there he is to enter into glory; here truth is to fight with lies, justice with oppression; there truth and righteousness are to triumph and be crowned.

O help us not to seek our happiness, our rest, our peace, in the transitory things of this world; we would not find what we seek. Help us also that we do not despair in the distress of this life, but that we fight the battle decreed for us with strength and manliness. Above all, help us that we do not waver in our faith in Thy Holy Word in this time of apostasy and unbelief. Thy only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, comfort us and by His grace go there in peace and see Thee face to face in eternal joy and blessed light. Amen.

Anyone, my friends, who thinks that this is why we Lutherans do not participate in the agitations of the Socialists and Communists, but oppose them, because we did not know the plight of the workers, or because we had no heart for the plight of the workers, or because in all circumstances we were in favor of the rich, the so-called noblemen and the rulers, is quite wrong. First of all, we know quite well the plight of the workers, especially in the present, for how could we not know it? The vast majority of the members of our Lutheran congregations consists of just such people who are oppressed by the general misery of the workers. Especially among us Germans it is a real rarity when a rich man or a man of position [page 24] should once join one of our congregations. We also know quite well that the terrible misery that has come upon the workers, especially now, is by no means due solely to a natural necessity, [1947-36] but rather that to a certain extent, indeed probably to the greatest extent, the source of this misery lies in self-interest, in stinginess, in selfishness, in cruelty, in heartlessness, yes, that I am only just stating it, in the blood-sucking and drudgery of the rich. Nor are we heartless in the face of the plight of the workers; no one believes that. When we read about the heart-rending scenes that take place daily, especially in the big cities, in the huts of the workers, our hearts truly bleed, and we are willing and ready to contribute our own, however little it may be, to making the poor worker’s lot a better one. It is also not the case that we wanted to go with the rich and the influential at all costs. No, if the rich act unchristian against the poor, if they only look at them for people who are there to exploit them, if they treat them like a cow that is only milked and then pushed into the bush, if they do not want to give the worker his due wages, if they will not, where they can do so, if they do not want to give the worker who has had an accident in their service his remuneration, if they do not want to keep the sick worker with his family, if they want to live heartlessly while the worker is starving: then we are not their friends but their principal enemies.

Ah, my brothers, what would we be if we wanted to be on the side of the bloodsuckers and not on the side of the oppressed? We would be the most infamous and despicable hypocrites that the earth has ever carried, that the sun has ever shone on, if we still pretended that the Holy Scriptures were our book of religion. No, it is precisely the Holy Scripture which not only says that the highest and first commandment is to love God above all else, but also adds: “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” [Matt. 22:39]; for it is precisely the Holy Scripture which says: “All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets,” [Matt. 7:12] that is, the Law and the Prophets, this is the short content, the summa, the core and star, the heart of the whole Holy Scripture according to its legal part. It is the Holy Scripture, after all, which, that I express myself in this way, cries wrath on the unjust rich, which brings a thousand times woe upon those who [1947-37] have their wealth only to increase it, or to prepare for themselves a leisurely life in this world, who do not ask about their neighbor, do not think of the fact that they have their wealth above all for the sake of the poor, who therefore leave poor Lazarus lying at the gates of their palaces and live in their palaces every day in splendor and joy. No, we are not on their side. We renounce them, and if now the [page 25] Socialism and Communism makes them afraid and distressed, they deserve nothing better. The Socialists will be the scourge of God for them.

But in spite of this, my brothers, we cannot go with the Socialists or the Communists, mainly for two reasons: first, because they are striving for a goal that is too far, which they cannot and should not achieve, and second, because they want to use means that no God-fearing person can use. If, for example, the Communists and Socialists want to make everything in the world equal, to introduce the community of goods, no one should be rich or poor, or, if they want to use bloody violence when necessary to achieve this goal, then we cannot side with them. For we know that God's order is such that we human beings are equal to one another in the spiritual realm, that is, in our relationship with God, for God is no respecter of persons, but that there should be a difference for this world, both in possessions and in the position a person occupies, without which difference the world cannot exist. On the other hand, Scripture tells us that it is not the private individual, but the authorities who have the power of the sword. Therefore, when the Apostle Peter himself drew the sword to defend his Lord, for which he seemed to have the highest right, who has ever been violated more shamefully and unjustly than our Lord Jesus Christ? — Christ said to him, “Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” [Matt. 26:52] Yes, even when the LORD stood before Pilate, before this most unjust of all unjust judges, he conceded to him, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.” [John 19:11] Pilate was an authoritative person, he had the power. By the way, even if the Communists and Socialists reached their goal to some extent, they would not only reach it only by the shedding of blood, but the glory would last only a very short time, and they would soon realize that they had bitterly deceived themselves [1947-38] and others. And that is what we now want to treat a little more extensively. —

We are at the fourth subdivision of the first part of our presentation. The first part reads: “No sensible person, let alone a Christian, can take part in the efforts of the Communists and Socialists, much less become a member of one of their associations, because they are against reason, nature and experience.” There it says then:

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Comm5-RNE2: Men are selfish by nature; Fourier's Phalanxes

 

    This continues from Part 4 (Table of Contents in Part 1), a series presenting a new translation of C.F.W. Walther's Communism and Socialism from 1878. — Walther keeps his narrative simple – no academic terms – he just speaks to the heart when he says that we are selfish. If people are honest with themselves, they must admit this. But in so admitting, the wishful thinking of Communists falls to the ground. We see the first of Walther's many examples of this in this installment. I made a note in red below where the Wikipedia article was deficient on the history of Charles Fourier's Communist experiment. [Continued in Part 6]

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Translation of Walther's 1878 Communismus und Socialismus by BackToLuther primarily using DeepL online translation service; highlighting and bolding are my emphases, red text within square brackets [] are my comments, underlining is Walther's emphasis. Red highlight indicates omitted in 1947 translation.

C.F.W. Walther's Communism and Socialism, (Part 5, p. 16-20)

That is why it says here in the second place: [1947-28]

2. It is a fact that people are selfish by nature.

The Communists will have to admit: Yes, it is true, people will never agree to be made equal, they will have to be forced. But that would be completely against their own principle if they were to constantly force people to conform to these new conditions. Then the paradise which they pretend to want to build would be a true hell; the conditions would then become worse than they were before. No, man is selfish by nature. He who has not yet received a changed heart [page 17] thinks of himself first. Such a one says all the time: First I come, and then I come again, and then, at best, my neighbor comes a little bit. Man is full of envy by nature, he is full of ambition, full of greed. These are all wild beasts, which are natural in man, and which the Communist will therefore never be able to tame by reorganizing the social conditions. People do not merely want to have as much as they need — for the Socialists would not get any further than that every man has as much as he needs — no, most people want to have more, they want to have much, and the more they get, the greater their lust for riches becomes. The one who has acquired only a little wealth is as if he had drunk seawater, which does not quench his thirst, but only makes it greater, only more burning.

As terrible as the truth is, no man can deny it: Man is selfish by nature, and the selfish man does not want to be like another unless the other is far above him. All those who respond to the new Communist social constitution do so because they hope to get better. It is just that each one, when he considers the experience he has had with people, asks himself whether he believes that many people would be comfortable with the new order of things, if they knew that they would have less there. No, with the exception of a few enthusiasts, only those who think they will improve their situation will want to accept it. Therefore there is no other way that the Communists can achieve their ends, and even then only for a short time, but by bloody violence, by murder and fire.

They still did it that way when they wanted to achieve something. Those who really wanted to introduce these ideas into the world immediately realized that there was no other way than to knock the heads of the opponents off. [1947-29] But this is admittedly the greatest nonsense; and when they knock off thousands and millions of heads, new opponents of this system grow up again and again.

How much blood has been shed in France because of this, even during the first revolution in the nineties of the last century! Streams of blood flow. They started with the king: his head had to come off, his wife's head as well, and the heads of the princesses. Then it went to the bishops, to the priests, to the rich, to the distinguished ministers who had previously been at the helm. But what helps? No matter how much blood might be shed, there were still many thousands and thousands of secret enemies who were just waiting for the hour of redemption from this reign of terror. But is it not frightening that the people who want to make the whole world happy with the establishment of a paradisiacal state should begin to shed rivers of blood? Anyone who disagrees with them will be put to [page 18] death, often under terrible torture and torment!

No, it is a fact that men are selfish by nature, and this too proves that it is foolishness to want to help human society by outwardly making it the same. If one wants to help it, one gets rid of selfishness. Then it works. If the whole world were made up of true Christians, then it could easily introduce a certain Communism. But it would also have to be made up of strong Christians, because weak Christians can't bear it either. But so long as man remains in his selfishness, it is the greatest folly of the world to set the goal that all should become equal to each other, equally rich, equally honored. — Yes, in France, they went so far that they even said: “In education, too, no one may be higher than another;” and to show that equality alone is valid, all tall, slender trees must be cut down. Yes, it was already determined that the steeples should also be knocked down. These, of course, had another meaning because the steeples point up to heaven, and no one wanted to know anything more about it, but wanted to have it already here on earth. —

If, for example, someone has first put a great deal of effort into learning the profession or the art he practices, and now should not get more for his work than the other, who can do nothing more than move his healthy hands, then he will soon say: “I have no intention whatsoever of joining Communist society.” The mere manual worker, on the other hand, will say: “Yes, I want to put myself on an equal footing with the one who has had to prepare himself for many years in order [1947-30] to acquire his artistry.” If, of course, all were true Christians, they would say, “I do not work at all to gain money, but because God has commanded me to do so; but I expect my bread from God, because He has promised that if I worked faithfully He would not leave me or fail to do so.” But only a true Christian thinks like this. The natural man, on the other hand, thinks: “Why shall I work if it brings me nothing?” How many merchants are there who say, “Why should I stock this or that article?” They don't ask whether the public needs the goods, because they serve only themselves, and so it goes through all relations. One does not do only what serves one's neighbor, but that by which one can gain the most. That is the selfish principle of a natural man, as he is born into the world.

So if the poor world is to be helped, then, as I said, people must become Christians. That is the only way. Now, however, there are so many thousands who are called Christians, but they are not. Now the Communists see that and say: “What Christians! They are the greatest scoundrels in the world. And we must admit to them, [page 19] yes, indeed; among those who call themselves Christians there are many scoundrels who are not worthy to bear the Christian name. But when we talk about Christians, we are not talking about Christians by name, but about those who not only believe the Bible, but who also show, represent and carry out the principles contained in the Bible through their lives. These alone are Christians, and if all were such Christians, then heaven would already be on earth, and the cross, which of course is not absent, would be easy to bear. But of course no Communist believes this, because he does not know what it means to be a Christian. He is only interested in the mistakes and sins of those who call themselves Christians and perhaps also go to church, and now thinks: “What? Christianity should help the world? Aren't Christians worse than us?” And unfortunately one has to say: “Oh, you poor Communists! You are indeed fearfully offended, and woe unto him through whom this offense comes, for he makes you so stubborn that you now believe all the more firmly that Christianity is nothing. But it is still true: Men are selfish by nature, and they remain so as long as they do not become true Christians; therefore it is senseless to want to create a world in which every one is satisfied that he has no more than the other. [1947-31] 

One should not think that someone who has a lot does not want to have more than the other. One could make the case that there is a man who has $10,000, $100,000, $500,000, or even $1,000,000 in his fortune. Will he be comfortable to enter such a Communist society? The Communist [Charles] Fourier (died 1837) [not mathematician Joseph Fourier] wanted to establish his Communism in France and he got together here and there small Communist communities, which he then called Phalanstères. [Wikipedia] From 1800 to 2000 people had to live there together and had everything in common. There were no authorities, except the so-called “distributors”. For one had to have someone who said: “You get so much and you get so much; there you are to work and here you are to work.” But unfortunately there was only a lack of money. Fourier now announced in all the newspapers that a rich man should give away a million dollars for this purpose out of philanthropy. He (Fourier) wanted to go to a certain place every day and see if such a good man would come. He went there every day for 12 years, — but nobody came. And all his Phalanstères, without exception, have been bankrupted. [This was not reported in Wikipedia article. See also later pages 36-38, Part 10.]

Either these Communists, like Fourier, are enthusiasts, or they are swindlers. Now we would like to believe that those who stand at the top are mostly enthusiasts. Because they do not want to know anything more about Christianity, they have rather been thinking every day: “How do we begin to rebuild the failing world, to make it happy again?” — these are the things they have now thought about. But of course, what does it help? People won't be made happy by this means, but rather [page 20] only unhappy, and, just as the Communists go on and on telling people how terrible the conditions in the world are, so much the more firmly the thoughts set in all men, “How wretched is the world! how unhappy! we should strive for another goal.” This is the poison that the Communists feed the poor people. This is the poison that works all the more terribly, because we know that it will not change. There may be a thousand more Communist newspapers, but they will not turn the world upside down, they will not change it. So what do they gain? Nothing more than to make people feel unhappy. If the poor man thinks, “Well, I am poor, I cannot have it as the rich man can; but I will not worry, but surrender to it, if only I get through the world honestly,” — such a man is a very [1947-32] happy man, however poor he may be. Let us therefore hear now, as it says in the third proposition:

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Comm4: Reason, Nature, Experience 1: Men are not equal

      This continues from Part 3 (Table of Contents in Part 1), a series presenting a new translation of C.F.W. Walther's Communism and Socialism from 1878. — Walther now presents an outline for the points he will cover in the body of his lectures. He begins then using reason, nature, and experience to convince even non-Christians against Communism and Socialism. Even before he uses the Scriptures he uses convincing logical arguments to bring people to their senses in these matters. What makes him so convincing is that he does not mis-state or exaggerate the goals of Communism, he uses their own arguments. — I had to laugh at Walther when he jokingly said, after stating his enjoyment at being a theologian, that others might consider it "a dog's life"! Thank God! for the "dog's life" of Walther!

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Translation of Walther's 1878 Communismus und Socialismus by BackToLuther primarily using DeepL online translation service; highlighting and bolding are my emphases, red text within square brackets [] are my comments, underlining is Walther's emphasis.

C.F.W. Walther's Communism and Socialism, (Part 4, p. 12-16)

Why should and can no reasonable man, let alone a Christian, take part in the efforts of the Communists and Socialists?

I. Because they are against reason, nature and experience, for

1. it is a fact that men are not equal to each other;

2. it is a fact that men are selfish by nature;

3. it is a fact that happiness does not consist in earthly advantages;

4. it is a matter of experience that the Communists never achieved their goal and caused only misery and heartache. [page 13]

II. Because they are against Christianity, for:

1. What is cited from God's Word by them proves nothing, or proves the opposite. — It is urged:

a) that according to the Scriptures, God gave the whole earth and what is in it to man;

b) that the first Jerusalem congregation had practised a certain community of property;

c) that Christ not only warned against seeking riches, but also commanded: “Sell that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have [1947-24] treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.” Luke 18:22;

d) that according to Christ's teaching the workers in the vineyard should receive equal wages.

2. The aspirations of the Socialists and Communists are also contrary to specific doctrines of Christianity:

a) the doctrine of personal property contained in the seventh commandment and elsewhere in Scripture;

b) the teaching contained in the fifth commandment and elsewhere in Scripture that only the authorities have the power of the sword;

c) the teaching of the sanctity of marriage contained in the sixth commandment and elsewhere in Scripture;

d) the difference among people, as confirmed in Scripture, not only

a. between parents and children, man and woman, master and servant, housefather and day laborer or worker, but also

b. between rich and poor;

e) the doctrine of the Scripture that God wants to draw man to Himself through all kinds of adversity, test him and prepare him for eternity;

f) the doctrine of Scripture that man should eat his bread in the sweat of his brow;

g) the doctrine of Scripture that man should seek his happiness not in this world but in God and in the hope of retribution and reconciliation beyond and for eternal life; and finally

h) the doctrine of Scripture that the source of all misery in this world is sin.

III. Because the accusation of Communism against the Christian religion and Church, that these hinder rather than promote the material well-being of man, is unfounded and unjust: [page 14] 

1. the accusation that she is the ally of wealth, oppression and tyranny, and

2. the charge that she is incapable of relieving the suffering of mankind.

So this is what is important if we [1947-25] want to get a clear picture of our position as Christians towards Communism and Socialism. — We are against the efforts of the Socialists:

I. Because they are against reason, nature and experience.

It is indeed madness to want to carry out something that is against reason, nature and experience. Already the old pagans said: “You can drive out Nature with a pitchfork, but she keeps on coming back.” *) Nature cannot be driven out, it has become identical with us, so to speak, i.e. we ourselves are our embodied nature.

Now, the first thing to consider here is this:

1. It is a fact that people are not equal with each other.

There are no two things in the whole world that are the same. These Communists, of course, do not believe in any god, but they have not yet abolished Him. And this great, almighty, all-wise God has even proved that He does nothing twice in the world. He did not do two identical things. There is not one leaf of a tree equal to another; indeed, there is not one dust particle [Stäublein] equal to another dust particle. Of all that exist, one is different from the other. God is therefore not a maker of things equal, but a maker of things different. Man cannot, to save his life, make two things equal. The principle that everything should be made equal is not founded in nature. We see this also in man himself. The one has a sharp mind, but he has no wealth of ideas, or a fruitful ingenuity; the one is healthy and strong, the other is a weakling; the one has special gifts for spiritual work, the other for mechanical work; the one has inclination for this, the other for a quite completely different thing; One is innately economical, the other innately extravagant; one is inclined to anger, the other to equanimity in all things; one must go a long way before he is angry, the other is angry at the slightest irritation. These are but a few examples; but now let us go through what we ourselves have experienced about the diversity of men, and we [1947-26] will be able to multiply it in terms of the most diverse mutual relations. It is therefore quite unnatural

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*) Naturam expellas furca, tamen usque recurret. (Horatio, Epistles I, x, 24) [page 15]

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to want to create such a human society in which all would be equal. 

The Communists will not deny that, if they want to establish a Communist state, they may do so in one way or another, but they must establish something that will organize the community of people into a whole. But there must be governors and governed people. Therefore, as soon as they want to begin to realize their ideas, they must begin with the opposite, i.e. they must appoint rulers, and say: “You others must let yourselves be governed by these.”

But, the Communists might object, this is a consequence that is forced on us. We do not want to make people all the same, we just want to have equal wealth, equal pleasure and so on. Otherwise, we want to let people be as they are.

This objection is void. For equality in these things presupposes mental equality. For as soon as this is not the case, the Communists cannot achieve equality in ability and, above all, in joy. For they want equality of property in order to spread equal happiness in the world; but happiness is brought about in quite different ways in the immense diversity of men. The one needs this for his happiness, the other that. Some people think: “if I were in this or that situation, that would be something terrible for me”; and others think: “Well, I don’t want to be in your situation”. I, for example, feel quite happy that I am a theologian; another thinks that if I had to sit over the books from morning to night every day, that would be a dog's life. (Walther’s joke!! ;-)) He doesn't want to be lazy, but he doesn't like this kind of occupation. There are, however, Communists who say: “Yes, if we establish such a Communist state, we would ask everyone what they want to do and what they have gifts for.” Then we would also say: You should tailor for all of us, you should make shoes, you should trade, and the like.” Who's going to say: “I want to sweep the sewers!” Who will say: “I have a special inclination for that!” No one will be able to find such an occupation. Or suppose we have a large hospital in this Communist state. [1947-27] Unfortunately the Communists cannot make people have the same in health. Above all, they should be able to do so, for that is primarily part of the happiness of the community, that one is as healthy as the other. So just imagine: A hospital where sick people are lying in bed suffering from the most disgusting illnesses. Day and night there is a terrible stench. One must fear that if one breathes in this air for only one hour, one will be infected. Now the Communist ruler will say: Who wants [page 16] to go and nurse the sick? Silence will be the answer. Everyone will say: “Why should it be me? There must be equality!” — and no one does anything about equality. Is that not quite foolish? It is easy to write and print on paper what a paradise it will be when everything is equal. That is what the Socialists believe; but only so long as they do not imagine what conditions would arise if their principle were to be carried out. What they imagine is nothing but fantasy.

Communism is nothing other than what Millennialism [Chiliasmus] in the Church. Communism is the Millennialism of the world. It imagines such a land of milk and honey, and thinks: Yes, if property will be common, then everyone has equal right to it, then it will be wonderful in this world. But one does not even consider that many other things are added which do not burden it at all. The Communists want all property to be distributed. But if today, through distribution, all are equal to each other, what will it be like tomorrow? One person locks the money in his dresser, another goes to the grocery store and drinks it, a third person might go to an even worse place and squander the money. Tomorrow, all equality ends.

The poor Communists! They well see that they are unhappy men; they feel vividly the misery of this world, especially now, in this terrible time, when thousands and thousands of people, however faithful they may be to their work, are unable to feed themselves and their own righteousness. They feel this, but they do not think about where it comes from. They have lost God, and with God the highest good, and therefore they have no consolation. Now people want to help the world, and they think that they will be helped by such institutions that all will be made equal, for they think that there is still so much wealth in the world that each one can enjoy life to his heart's content. But what folly! And even if all men were now willing, one would soon see that they would tire of being made equal with others. That is why it says here in the second place: [1947-28]

- - - - - - - - - - - - -  Continued in Part 5: The Third Proposition  - - - - - - - - - - - -