| <trailer><p> <Socialist 28 May 1909> <pb n="1"> </p></trailer>
| <headline><p> <At the Bijou. Empire Day and Imperialism.> 
| <Striking Addresses. Imperialism an Economic Programme.>
| </p></headline>
| <p> The Bijou Theatre held a large gathering on Sunday 
| night, when a couple of excellent addresses were given 
| covering the Empire Day celebrations. Mr Percy Laidler 
| presided. The vocalist of the evening was Mr Percy 
| Robinson, whose resonant voice was heard to advantage and 
| with acceptance in <title rend="PRE lsquo POST rsquo"> "The 
| Diver." </title>  The numbers by the choir and orchestra 
| were finely rendered and splendidly applauded. Miss Young 
| and Miss Paxton accompanied. </p>
| <p> Mr J. Thorn, from New Zealand, in the space of twenty 
| minutes, dealt with his own experiences as a soldier and 
| of Empire-building generally, He was cleverly satirical in 
| connection with jingoism, and as graphically earnest in 
| reciting the horrors of war. The address was both gay and 
| grave, concluding with a peroration of force. It was 
| frequently applauded and loudly so at its conclusion. </p>
| <p> Mr J. Curtin, who was enthusiastically received, at the 
| outset disclaimed any intention of devoting time to the 
| Empire humbug now in the air. He reminded his hearers that 
| the history of England was not the history of the world. 
| The acceptable purblind view of English history was 
| entirely deplorable. He proceeded to refer to the Empires 
| of antiquity, contending in passing that all empires had 
| rested on an economic basis. Rapidly he brought his 
| audience to the Western movement in Imperial ascension. 
| His historical sketch took stock of medieval empires and 
| their Italian nature. Of the Venetians he pointed out that 
| they were traders only, and not conquerors. The discovery 
| of America by Columbus had a disastrous effect on Venetian 
| prestige. The Portuguese took the lead and developed a 
| Maritime service. Their insistence on all trading being 
| done via Lisbon largely accounted for the rise of Holland 
| and England. Portugal and Spain went down before their 
| keener rivals, but Spanish colonisation in South America 
| was noteworthy. The Dutch colonised Java, Batavia, etc, 
| and the Dutch-India Co. wielded vast influence. Meanwhile 
| England was undergoing a remarkable transformation. 
| Drake's circumnavigation of the world, supported by those 
| qualities of Empire-building in which England had never 
| been deficient and with brilliant Statesmanship, gave 
| encouragement to handicraft. Then Cromwell's Navigation 
| Act contributed to England's superseding of Holland. It 
| was notable that no nation was ever great because it 
| produced and consumed; it became great as it established 
| auction marts for the world. England became a nation of 
| shopkeepers. The establishment of the British-India Co. 
| and the Bank of England immensely aided its commercial 
| development. All through the struggle for national 
| supremacy commercial necessities determined the course of 
| events. </p>
| <p> Incidental reference was made by Mr Curtin to the 
| effect of the French Revolution and of the English 
| Industrial Revolution in regard to trading, and tracing 
| from these he found that today Empire existed solely to 
| further the capitalistic system. That was why Empire 
| became a matter of moment to Socialism. The wars of the 
| nineteenth century had been wars for markets, or for 
| strategical positions necessary to commerce. These wars 
| were clearly explainable by their material interests. 
| Capitalism was the root of Imperialism as we knew 
| Imperialism today; and there was now no fundamental 
| difference between Empires <mdash>-</mdash> each 
| represented one class organisation, Capitalism. Today 
| there was perhaps a score of Empires; previously one 
| Empire at a time dominated, and once it fell it fell 
| forever. </p>
| <p> The lecturer proceeded to analyse capitalistic 
| conditions, and claimed that Imperialism was the only 
| policy by which they could prolong their existence. As to 
| the scares re "Englishman's homes" and foreign balloons, 
| these things were but the paraphernalia of the policy. The 
| bulk of Englishmen had no homes. </p>
| <p> The speaker affirmed that England would not be overcome 
| on the battlefield, but by human intelligence. England was 
| not going down because of any superior rival, but because 
| her interests were merging into the interests of all 
| capitalistic nations, One or two things there had to be ~~ 
| either a federation of Empires under capitalism, or a 
| federation of the working-class under Socialism. Marx had 
| said Capitalism must nestle everywhere. And so it wasn’t 
| today a question of national supremacy, but of class 
| supremacy. Imperialism was an economic programme. But 
| inasmuch as Imperialism didn't feed its people 
| <mdash>-</mdash> and they had been fed in ancient Empires 
| <mdash>-</mdash> and didn't need to feed the human machine so 
| much as the iron machine, it must fail. The Socialist system 
| was possible, as brotherhood was possible, because alone 
| in accord with the industrial requirements of the 
| time. </p>
| <p> The lecture was a scholarly and effective one, as 
| marked for its depth in conclusion as its research in 
| realities. Naturally, and before so intellectually alert 
| an audience, it won an attentive hearing, ending in 
| unstinted applause. </p> <p> On Sunday night next Mr Frank 
| Anstey, MLA, will lecture on <title rend="PRE lsquo POST rsquo">
| "The Martyrdom of Man." </title></p>