The Watchtower Society and John and Morton Edgar - A2Z.org

otherhood of man!" The indifference to Socialism isconsequently being rapidly overcome. Very soon it willbe completely dissolved, and then, as Daniel foretold whenwriting prophetically of this period as "the time of theend"--the time when "many shall run to and fro, andknowledge shall be increased," that is to say, the timewhen there will be free intercommunication between thevarious peoples and a general increase of knowledgetherewill be "a time of trouble such as never was sincethere was a nation "-Daniel XII, 1-4.(b) The other difficulty is an even greater obstacle toSocialism becoming established. It is the opposition ofvested interests. By vested interests I mean everythingwhich certain people believe to be their rights, whether itbe rank, or property, or land, or money. The man whohappens to be a king or peer, considers the rank his byright. The man who has inherited or bought property orland, claims that it belongs to him by right; and the sameis true with regard to money. More and more oppositionwill be offered by those who possess vested interests, forvery few will give up what they believe to be their rightssimply that I he community may benefit. All men do not yetlove their neighbours as themselves. Before such a changecan be effected, there must be a moral revolution. Men'shearts will first require to be changed.It is the poor who experience most the hardships of thepresent system, and it is they, as they get enlightened, whowho are daily swelling the ranks of the Socialists, becausethey think they see in Socialism their only hope of relief.The poor say to the rich: "It is all very well for you tospeak about your rights; but look at us, see how we aresuffering! You have no moral right to the land, or to somuch money. It is not fair that any man or womanshould possess so much when we are denied even thenecessities of life."While the Socialists are increasing in number, and theoutcry against the rich is swelling in volume, the men with6