The Common Sense of Socialism is a political science classic text by John Spargo. I presume, Mr. Edwards, that you are not one of those persons who believe that there is nothing the matter with America; that you are not wholly content with existing conditions. You would scarcely be interested in Socialism unless you were convinced that in our existing social system there are many evils for which some remedy ought to be found if possible. Your interest in Socialism arises from the fact that its advocates claim that it is a remedy for the social evils which distress you-is it not so?

Excerpt from The Common Sense of Socialism: A Series of Letters Addressed to Jonathan Edwards, of Pittsburg Socialism is undoubtedly spreading. It is, therefore, right and expedient that its teachings, its claims, its tendencies, its accusations and promises, should be honestly and seriously examined. - Prof, Flint. My Dear Mr. Edwards: I count it good fortune to receive such letters of inquiry as that which you have written me. You could not easily have conferred greater pleasure upon me than you have by the charming candor and vigor of your letter. It is said that when President Lincoln saw Walt Whitman, "the good. Gray Poet," for the first time he exclaimed, "Well, he looks like a man!" and in like spirit, when I read your letter I could not help exclaiming, "Well, he writes like a man!" There was no need, Mr. Edwards, for you to apologize for your letter: for its faulty grammar, its lack of "style" and "polish." I am not insensible to these, being a literary man, but, even at their highest valuation, grammar and literary style are by no means the most important elements of a letter. They are, after all, only like the clothes men wear. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

In this groundbreaking book, John Spargo lays out the case for socialism in a series of letters to a prominent businessman. Written in clear and convincing language, Spargo argues that socialism is the only solution to the problems facing America and the world. A must-read for anyone interested in politics and economics. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

John Spargo (1876-1966) was a British progressivist writer and muckraker whose expose The Bitter Cry of Children explores the living conditions of children in poverty stricken households. As a young man he trained as a stonecutter, and became a lay Methodist minister. He was attracted to the socialist doctrines of early English marxist Henry Hyndman and would serve on the executive council of the Social Democratic Federation before immigrating to New York City in 1901, and to Vermont in 1909. He became a leader of the Socialist Party of America and wrote an early English-language biography of Karl Marx. Later, he formed the Social Democratic League of America. He would become the Director-Curator of the Bennington, Vermont Historical Museum and write several books on ceramics. He researched and wrote a booklet on the history of his family name. He also wrote Socialism: A Summary and Interpretation of Socialist Principles (1906), The Common Sense of Socialism (1908), Bolshevism: The Enemy of Political and Industrial Democracy (1919) and The Marx He Knew (1909).

The book "" The Common Sense of Socialism; A Series of Letters Addressed to Jonathan Edwards, of Pittsburg "", has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies and hence the text is clear and readable.