Historically society has been organized in a class-labor form in three different ways,—as follows: (=1=) CHATTEL SLAVERY, instituted thousands of years ago, was a _class_-labor system,—an organized, legalized opportunity for wholesale class robbery; and under that form of class-labor system, with class robbery legally _arranged_ for, class robbery was, of course, respectable, profitable and easy—and therefore inevitable. Peace was impossible. The _purpose_ of this form of society was _unsocial_. Under this form of society the masters were in legal possession of the means of production and also of the forts, courts, and legislatures (such as existed); and were thus _in perfect position_ to defend and extend their industrial robbery. The chattel slave owners were thus parasites, aggressive social parasites. That is admitted.[308] (=2=) SERFDOM, common in Europe only a hundred years ago, was also a class-labor system—an organized, legalized opportunity for wholesale class robbery; and under that form of class-labor system, with class robbery legally arranged for, class robbery was, of course respectable, profitable and easy—and therefore inevitable. Peace was impossible. The _purpose_ of this form of society was _unsocial_. Under this form the masters were still in legal possession of the means of production and also of the forts, courts and legislatures, and were thus _in perfect position_ to defend and extend their industrial robbery. The landlords-and-masters of the ancient serfs were thus also parasites, aggressive social parasites. That is admitted. (=3=) CAPITALISM, the present system, is also a class-labor system, an organized, legalized opportunity for wholesale class robbery; and under this form of class-labor system, with class robbery legally arranged for, class robbery is, today, of course, altogether respectable, abundantly profitable and temptingly easy—and therefore, naturally, inevitable. The purpose of the present capitalist form of society is the special welfare of only a part of society, the capitalist class, and is, therefore, an unsocial purpose. Peace is impossible—while capitalism lasts. Under this form of society the masters, the capitalist class, are in possession of the means of production; that is, in legal possession of the industrial foundations of society, and also in legal control of the arsenals, cannon, soldiers, forts, courts and legislatures, and are thus _in perfect position_ to defend and extend their industrial robbery. The capitalists (_so far as they receive social incomes without rendering equivalent social service_) are thus parasites, aggressive social parasites. (See footnote, pages 298–99.) That is admitted. That is admitted, explained and condemned even by the President of the American Sociological Society, Dr. Lester F. Ward, Professor of Sociology in Brown University.[309] _This parasitism of capitalism is easily seen in this way_: