The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-01-13
ANARCHY IN HIGH PLACES.

1t is to be hoped that the current stories
about the completely Of the Reclus family
with the anarchist Valiant will turn out
to be baseless gossip. The world cannot
afford to spare the author of the Geo
graphic Unversele."
And yet the antecedents of Reclus have
always been a source of anxiety to his
friends. He comes of family of cranks.
His father was for a time Protestant
minister in France, but abandoned his
pulpit on some difference with his cOngre-
CATION and left his children to be educated
by charity. Elysee was an astonishingly
bright boy and obtained admission to the
college at Berlin, where he attracted the
attention of the faculty. He was under 20
when he graduated and EN- braced the call
ing Of journalism at Paris. He was one Of
those whose hopes were crushed by the
coup d'etat of 1851. Unlike some of his
comrades he succeeded in making his
escape from France, and spent several
years In this country and in South and
Central America. In 1857 lie returned to
Paris the most learned living geographer
and one of the most rsbid socialists in
France. 1t was under the empire that he
issued his great work "The Earth" and
began the Geographic Universelle."
Napoleon would have bestowed on him
the honors due TO his learning. But
Reclus was irreconcilable. He was not
merely republican. He believed that all
law and authority were contrary 10 rea-
son. Aud he had the courage of his con-
victiOns.
In 1871 he took up arms with Caussidiere
and the other communists and W as taken
prisoner. He was caught sword in hand.
could offer no defense before the court
martial and was sent to New Caledonia.
where his splendid mind was devoted to
raising yams. The world of science pro-
tested, aud made such strenuous appeals
to NJ. Theirs that the sentence was COM
muted to Punishment from France. He
settled in Switzerland and only returned
to France after the general amnesty if
teen years ago. Since then he has occu-
pied his time with his geography, of which
seventeen or eighteen octave volumes have
appeared.
1t might have been supposed that the
study of hard science would have awak-
ened him from the political dreams of his
youth. But it seems that while he is past
master in all the fixed sciences he is as wild
a crank as ever on politics and human in
stitutions. When his two daughters mar
ried he insisted on their forming consent
marriages, without solemnization by priest
or Mayor, and be has written articles TO
prove that marriage of any kind is mis-
take, and that there should be no such
thing as husbands or wives. These 3D.
dities have barred the way to his employ
ment as professor at high institutions of
learning, and hence led many 10 under
value his special attainments.
1t IS now said that the bomb-thrower
Valiant was supplied with funds for his
nefarious enterprise by the Reclus family.
A guilty knowledge of the intended crime
is alleged to have been brought home to
the geographer. Ii these facts are proven
by testimony it will 70 hard with Reclus,
eminent as lie is. a knowledge of geogra-
ply. however profound it may be. cannot
excuse an attempt to blow people up with
dynamite, nor can assassins be allowed to
go round unmoIested because they happen
to have attained eminence in an important
branch of knowledge. But the facts, as
alleged, are almost incredible. In the old
days, when alchemy was practiced, sayants
who spent their lives in the laboratory
trying to traDsmute iron into gold often
went mad, and in our time prolonged study
of the mysteries of psychic science not un-
frequently unsettles the reasoning faculty.
But man who devotes himself to the study
OF arcs Of the meridian, and lOngitudes, to
climates, and deep-sea sOundings, and
mountain ranges and national boundaries
ought to grow more hard-headed as his
knowledge expands. 1t will be well to
suspend judgment on Elysee Reclus until
we get more information on his case.