To start, it is important to note that Belloc is considered by many to be a better poet than a novelist. With a wide range of poems covering his faith, his town, his life, and his hobbies, there are surreal writings to be found. For example, one of my favorites is his simple yet beautiful poem titled "A Trinity":
“Of three in One and One in three
My narrow mind would doubting be
Till Beauty, Grace and Kindness met
And all at once were Juliet.”
My narrow mind would doubting be
Till Beauty, Grace and Kindness met
And all at once were Juliet.”
Belloc has a massive portfolio of poems that juxtapose his stoic and serious persona. However, there is one writing that I want to delve into today: The Servile State. Written in 1912, a very turbulent time in the world and a prophetic time for the Church, this work addresses the rise of Communism and Bolshevism, which raised significant questions about property, workers, social life, and money. Belloc sought to answer these questions and issues within the context of the truth taught by the Catholic Church, which he found in Catholic Social Teaching. This led to Belloc coining the term “Distributism.”
The main focus of The Servile State is to lay out the effects of socialism and capitalism and their ultimate outcomes. Belloc offers a third position, which is distributism. To me, this book was quite prophetic in how it describes, a century ago, the instability of capitalism, the influence of big business on legislation, and the depression of modernity. Belloc critiques the loss of freedom that workers face in a capitalist state that reaches its natural end. He argues that while a man may be free to undercut these corporations, he does not “have the freedom” to sustain himself, as these corporations collude with legislation to undermine his freedom and property. He provides this example,
“The legislator says, for instance, “You may pluck roses; but as I notice that you sometimes scratch yourself, I will put you in prison unless you cut them with scissors at least 122 millimeters long, and I will appoint one thousand inspectors to go round the country seeing whether the law is observed. My brother-in-law shall be at the head of the Department at £2,000 a year.”
Belloc raises questions about almost all social constructs in this book, which really made me reflect deeply.
As it says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God,” Belloc calls for us to live as St. Paul instructs in Scripture. He relates this not only to our prayers and lives but also to our money—how we spend and use it—and ultimately to how we should structure our societies to ensure that Christ is at the center. This will allow all that is good to flow through society. Belloc’s ideas, of course, relate to and flow from Pope Leo XIII’s call for workers and laborers in Rerum Novarum. We spend our days giving money to companies and people that are ultimately trying to destroy morality, Christ, and His kingdom.
This becomes increasingly clear every day as legislation is passed that limits ownership, as senators become some of the greatest stock traders we have seen, and as we witness individuals being pushed into “forced labor” to sustain “property” they do not own. I will avoid delving deeper into these issues here and instead implore you to read The Servile State and consider these ideas yourself.
To wrap up, I want to leave you all with a few quotes from Belloc himself:
“The internal strains which have threatened society during its Capitalist phase will be relaxed and eliminated, and the community will settle down upon that Servile basis which was its foundation before the advent of the Christian faith, from which that faith slowly weaned it, and to which in the decay of that faith it naturally returns.”
August 25, 2024