The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-27
ONE SORT OF ANARCHISTS.
Madmen or Followers of Madmen't
Visionary Theories.


John Gilmer Speed, in the Outlook.
In the talks 1 have had with professed
Anarchists, / have found two kinds of men.
The majority are weak-headed people, or
thinking They have become Anarchists
because they happened to be thrown under
the influence of stronger men who were Aa-
archiStS. We find men similar TO these In
all political parties and also In all churches.
They have not the fainteSt conception why
they are so Jealous. but they are. and that
Is all there Is about IL. They belong TO
that great body that Carlyle, with angry
impatience was fond OF calling fools. This
class OF Anarchists would not be dangerous
In themselves. but the zeal of a fool will
go very far when directed by a mailman
with n purpose The other and smaller
class is composed Of men who have pom
dered much on problems too hard for them,
until their brains have become added. Take
an uneducated man without much mental
a theory of government through which ali
suffering, all crime all unhappiness. all
injustice. would be eliminated and he is
sure to make a mess of it He knows
next TO nothing OF the history of nations
and peoples. and men, and of the expert
eences of the past He has nothing to guide
MN except his own crude notions But
with this sorry equipment ne formulates a
1neory that is TO regenerate the world
In Inc effort, effort male a mailman Of him. and
tne unwthngness on the part of society to
accert his ideas confirms him in his in
sarity; He meets some OF the incapables
is new group of Anarchists BY some
peculiar attraction these men of added
minds come in contact with each other.
AMI there is a bond of sympathy which
unites them in opposition TO ali consti-
tuted authority As matter of fact.
as all OF them differ from the established
governments If by any chance they should
ever be able to oYerturn society they would
surely then turn upon one another with tn.
same mad ferocity which is their present
characteristic .l In common. but which is
These people live in tenement houses
usually and frequently there are little COL
onies of them. But the fact that they at
tach nucn more Importance to their do
lngS than any one else does induces many
OF them 10 make a mystery OF their living
places. Pretty nearly all of them are for.
eigners-indeed, have never happened to
meet one who was not. | am not all,di1c
TO any OF the various kinds of Socialists
but 70 the Anarchists who believe that
society should be overturned nv forca
Many or the SOcialists-eVen American So
,,S,h tnIze. to an extent at least
that they believe that the Anarchists are
entirely wrong in the methods which they
propose to use. No one could see much OF
these misguided people without feeling
profoundly soTry for them. They are not
the wild beasts that they are frequently
represented to be, unless n man no longer
entirely sane Is a wild beast. The strong
among them are merely mad: the weak
are merely misguided fools. No political
crime could be greater than to pander to
this madness; no social crime could be
more cruel than TO condemn these people
as responsible criminals. Enlightened char
ity has erected and supports the insane
asylums for Just such unfortunates as
these. In these days OF distress. these men
and women not enjoying a full equipment
az intelligence are the worst sufferers in
tiie community. They are powerless to in
tuenle the sane and honest poor, who live
Closer 10 them than others and understand
them better. and their condition to-day is
one worthy TO excite only the pity OF those
G9on whom the Anarchists look as their
enemies and the enemies Of society.