Ellsworth American., 1881-03-31
q sfsllansous.
Nihilism.
rnK philosophy " ~ rIoN.

Iilt fHliAt~hfhh bf NJ AlhN.
Mr.. Charles Nordhof. who has made
special study Of Communis,ic socirties.
sends the following account Of the NihilIsts
10 the New York Herald:
Michael Bakunin. a scion OF noble and
wealthy Russian family, vas born IN 1914.
and begAn life IN the manner bcfitting hi.
station-=s a lieutenant ia the Guards But
he soon tired of army life, resigned in 1886.
and retired TO his estates near Moscow to
devote himself TO the stady Of the German
philosophy Of Hrgel. Completely capti-
,aied BY this system. he soon ~eni To Ger
many in order TO hecone intimately aoquaini-
ed with Hegefs disciples. Here. 4; the age
OF twenty eight. he vas philosopher in full
standing. and a regular contributor TO the
Hegelian pamphlets and magazines. He
then travelled over Europe. making tn. ae-
quainiance Of the men vhose minds were
brooding Cn the thoughts which found utter
anoe in lsis. He took part in the reSolu-
ton in SaXony. was captured. sentenced 10
death. delivered up 10 the Russian author
tiles and sent To Siberia, his punishment
being committed 10 imprisonment for life.
Ten wears later he escaped from Siberia
and made his way gradually, via Japan and
America, TO London, where he became edi-
tor Of journal published in Russian. called
the Kolokol, which from being radical soon
became revolutionary. This paper gradu-
ally became unpopular even with the class
20 whom il vas addressed, and il died in
1865. Bakunin then went to Switzerland
and became an active member Of the Work
ingmen's International society. before whom
be expounded the philosophy OF negaiion.
But the Internaiionals repudiated him and
his philosophy. and he therefore conspired
against the society. This conspiracy against
4 conspiracy was harmless, and he continued
his futile rawlings a, Berle until his death
IN 1873. Ten years previous to his death.
however, he delivered an elaborate speech
10 the Congress of the international at
Berne. which, although rejected BY the In
ternational became the gospel of faith OF
the Nihilists, and was Incorporated into the
catechism Of revolution, which has been
printed in enormous numbers and penetrated
TO nearly every palace and hut in Russia,
despite the censors.
The principles Of this philosophy Of mega
ton NAV be gathered from the following ex-
tracts
This gospel admits of no half measures
and hesitations. The old world must be de-
stroyed and replaced BY a new one. The lie
must be stamped out and give way TO truth.
Ii is our mission to destroy the lie, and to
effect this We must begin at the very COM
mencement Now the beginning of all
those lies which have ground down this poor
world in slavery is God. Tear out of your
hearts the belief in the existence of God. for
as long as an atom Of that silly superstition
....l. A
what freedom is. When YOU have got rid
of the belief in this priest-begotten God, and
when. moreover, YOU are convinced that
your existence and that of the surrounding
world is due TO the eonglomeration Of atoms
in accordance with the laws Of gravity and
attraction, then and then only you will have
accomplished the first step toward liberty,
and YOU will experience less difficulty in
ridding your minds of that second lie which
tyranny has invented. The first lie is God,
the second lie is right. Might invented the
fiction of right in order TO insure and
strengthen her reign. Might, my friends,
forms the sole groundwork Of society.
Might makes and unmakes laws, and that
might should be in the hands of the ma
jority. Once penetrated with a clear con-
yiction of your own might you will be able
TO destroy this mere notion Of right. And
when you have freed your minds from the
fear Of God and from that childish respect
for the fiction of right, then all the remain
ing chains which bind you and which are
called science, civilization, prosperity, mar
riage, morality and justice, will snap asunder
like threads. Let your own happiness be
your only law. But in order to get this law
recognized and to bring about the proper
relations which should exist between the
majority and minority of mankind, you must
destroy everything which exists in the shape
of State or social organizations. Our first
work must be destruction and annihilation
of everything as il now exi1ts. You must
accustom yourselves to destroy everything
the good with the bad. For, if an atom Of
this old world remains the new will never
be created. Take heed that no ark be al
lowed TO rescue any atom of this old world,
which We eonsecrate to destruction"
Such are the principles of nihilism. Ideas
at once so devoid Of reason and so full Of
crime must find a peculiar soil to take root.
They took root in a certain portion of the
Russian people, comprising both sexes,
among mobiles. officials, journalists, students,
merchants and peasants, because Of two
facts-frst, the enormous reforms Of the
Emperor Alexander had unsettled peoples
beliefs and powers of reason 20 that nothing