The Labor enquirer., 1886-08-14

4
certain time, SO as to allow the Revo
lutronary idea to spread itself, to germin
ate and to bear its fruit. For, let us no
forget it, it is not by Revolution of
day or two that we can arrive at tn,
transformation of society in the sense O
Anarchistic Communism: though a rIs
ing of short duration may be amply suf6
clent to overthrow a government anc
put another in its place. 1t may substi
tute Jules Favre for NAPOLEON, but
it changes not one whit the fundamenta
institutions of society. 1t is a complet
insurrectional period of three, four, five
years perhaps, that we shall have t.
traverse to accomplish one Revolution
in the regime Of property and th'
method of grouping society. IG required
FIVE years. of permanent isurrection
from 1888 to 1898, to bring down in
France the regime of feudal property
and the omnipotence of royalty it viii
require fully three or four wears to brinf
down the bourgeoise feudalism and the
omnlpotence of the plutocracY.
Well, it is above all during this period
of excitement, when the mind works
with accelerated speed. when all the
world. in the sumptuous city as in the
gloomy cabin. is taking an interest in
what concerns everyone, is discussing it
talking about 1t and trying to convert
the other side, that the Anarchist idea,
s0wn today bv the people now in exist
ence, will be able to germinate, to bear
its fruit, and TO give itself definite
shape in the great mass of minds. 1t IL
then that those who are Indifferent to.
day will become the convinced partisans
of the new Idea.
Such has always been the march OF
ideas, and tie great French Revolution
may serve for an example.
Certainly, that Revolution was not as
profound as the one of which we dream.
1t only succeeded in overturning the
aristocracy, to put the bourgeoisie in its
place. 1t did not touch the regime OF
private property; Oh the contrary it re-
inforced it it is that which inaugurated
the bourgeois system Of exploitation.
But it attained an immense result by the
definite abolition of serfage, and it abol-
ished that serfage by force, which Is far
more etiicacous than the abolition Of
ANYTHING by law, l care not what it be. {.
Itopened the era of Revolutions which
have since succeeded one another at
short intervals, as they draw nearer and
nearer to the Social Revolution, 1t has
given the French people that Revolu-
tionary impulse without which peoples
may crouch for centuries under the
most ablect oppression. 1t has be-
queathed to the world quite stream of
ideas fruitful for the future; it has
awakened the spirit of revolt, it has
given the French people an education in
Revolution. If in 1871, France sat up
the Commune, if to day she accepts will
lingly the idea of Anarchistic Commu-
nism, while the other nations are in the
or the constitutional stage,
Ia stage which France passed through
before l848, or indeed even before 1881,
it is because at the end of the last CEN
tury she passed through the four years
of the great Revolution.
Well, let US recall to mind the sad
picture which france presented for some
years before that Revolution, and what
a feeble minority were those who were
dreaming of the abolition of royalty
and feudalism.
The peasant was plunged in misery
and ignorance of which it would be diff
cult indeed for US to form auY idea to-
day. Lost in the village, without regu-
lar communications, unconsci us of
what was taking place at distance of
twenty leagues, these being bowed
down beneath the plow and imprisoned
in their pest stricken novels seemed
doomed to an eternal slavery. A COM
mon understanding was impossible, and
at the least insurrection the military
troop was there to sabre the insurgents,
and to hang the ringleaders near the
fountain to gallows eighteen feet high.
1t was with difficulty that few obscure
propagandists secured the villages, fan
ming the peoples hatred Of their oppres-
sors, and awakening hope in the occa-
sional few who dared to listen to them.
1t was with difficulty that The peasant
could be brought to risk demand for
bread and tri1ing diminuion of the
taxes. You have only to glance through
the village records to convince yourself
upon this point
AS for the bourgeolse, what above
everything else characterized them was
their cowardice. A few isolated indi-
yiduals, a very few, occasionally ran the
risk of attacking the government, and
reused the spirit of Revolt by some bold
act. But the great mass of the bour-
geoise bent the back shamefullY before
the king and his court, before the noble,
before the mobiles servant. Let man
but read the municipal statutes of the
times, and he will see with what vile
baseness we're the expressions of the
bourgeoise lmpregnated prior to 1889.