The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-08
Male Members of Central Church
Over is Years of Age Eligible
to Membership in Organization
Formed Last Night
ADDRESS BY B. W. POTTER
AT FIRST MEETING
AnarChism Its Meaning and
Dangers and the Remedy,
Treated in an Interesting Man
ner by the Speaker - Must
Rely on Good Sense and Pat
riotism

ri0tiSm
The Mems Association of Central
Church was formed and held its first
meeting last night. The organization
starts with about 60 members.
The meeting was called to order at 8
O'Clock, and George w. Mackintire re-
ported for the committee appointed last
May to formulate a constitution. He
read the draft which had been prepared
and it was unanimously accepted. 1t
explained in general terms the object
of the association to promote a better
social and religious life in the church.
All men over Is years of age are eligible
to membership. A committee consist
| ing of F. Colgrove, Rev. A. w. Hitch
cock and Frank Drew, was appointed
to nominate officers, and brought in the
| following list: President, C. w. Hobbs
secretary and treasurer, F. e. William
son; executive committee, James Lo-
gan Burton w. Potter George w.
Mackintire, George D. Colgrove and
Hobart A. Whitman.
These officers were unanimously
elected, and President Hobbs took the
| chair He introduced as the speaker
of the evening Burton w. Potter, who
gave an interesting address on AN
| dTGIllSll, us NlGdllillS anu lCdll6clSI dilu
the Remedy"
The meetings of the association are
left subject to the call of the executive
committee AS the membership in
creases and interest grows classes are
| to be formed for the study of religion,
literature, history, art, etc,
| Mr.. Potter's address was In part as
| follows:
| The recent assassination of President
| Mckinley by an avowed anarchist has
| focused public opinion upon a group
| of people who believe in ANARCHY. The
| fact that there are such people in the
world and that some of them are will
ing to resort to murder and assassina-
ton in order to hasten the lawlessness
| of anarchistic confusion, adds a new
terror to life, and new peril to gov
| eminent.
1t is difficult for one to state fairly
the belief of his religious or politica
| opponent, and therefore we should be
careful not to ascribe to the anarchists
doctrines they do not advocate, or ac-
cuse them of crimes they are moi
guilty of.
There are two kinds of anarchists
One set believes in moral suasion t
bring the world into anarchy; the 9th
| er set believes that it can be dont
more quickly by destroying by force
the rulers of every nation. The latter
set is known as revolutionary anarch
lists. They are preachers and prac
TIGERS of murder and violence ant
should be treated as lunatics and shu
up in asylums or exterminated by du
process of law, as enemies of man
kind
Philosophic anarchism seems to be {
| dogmatic doctrine of individualism
| with nr lace f11Uqti.
cism the perfectibility Of human ma.
| ture 1t inculcates the doctrine that
| the woes of humanity are brought
! about by the pressure of artificial laws
and restraints, and when 1t is removed
| men will begin to travel toward a po-
litical Eden where all will love mercy
| and live uprightly.
! Proudhon, the ablest of the philoso-
phic teachers of anarchism, believed
that men are made wicked and ignor-
ant by the repressive environment of
| authority around them, and that IL it
were removed they would become
thrifty, prudent and intelligent and
every form of social vice would dis
appear He claimed that the natural
man when freed from compulsion and
given to understand that he alone is
responsible for his acts and must bear
their consequences, he would always
respect the rights of others and act
| Justly under all circumstances. He
would place every one upon his honor
in business and social life. No one
should be compelled to observe the
obliga, ms of contracts or to remain
in any association longer than his in
terest dictated. There should be alb
solutely free play of enlightened inter-
est and then there would be perfect
equality and equitable competition, and
all Industrial enterprises would be car
ried on successfully, either separately
or by voluntary association. The tax
collector would find his occupation gone.
The great army Of legislative and ad-
rninstrative officials who now torment
mankind would disappear. Courts and
police administration would no longer
be needed. The army and navy could
be dispensed with and wars would be
no more. And the state itself as an or
ganized institution could be thrown
aside like an old and WORKOUT gar
ment, and society would be left free to
enter upon new era of progress in a
dispensation of liberty and perfect JUS
tice wherein every individual under
such favorable conditions would speedi-
Iy reach the highest development of all
his powers. The saving of wealth I'M
der such a regime would be so great
and the stimulus thereby given to pro-
duction so strong, that all public and
private debts could be quickly paid off,
taxation reduced and finally abolished,
and poverty itself, the cause of crime,
would gradually disappear from the
world.
There is nothing in this doctrine that
is dangerous to society or organized
government. It is a suggested panacea