New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-04-22
THE SPIRIT OF REVOLT.
Paris as a Breeding Ground of
Anarchy.

PARIS AND THE SOCIAL REVOLUTION By
Avian Francis Sanborn. With seventy-one Illus
trations from drawings by Vaughan Trowbrldge.
Svo PIP. AK. 4O4 Boston: Small. Maynard q Co
Three years Of life in Montmartre and in the
Latin Quarter brought Mr.. Sanborn in close
touch with the spirit Of social unrest which per
vades the French capital. and It has qualified
him to write entertainingly of the men and
methods employed in keeping alive the spark
of revolution, which sometimes shoulders but
never goes out in Paris. Prefacng the volume
with a disclaimer Of being in any sense a revo-
lutionist he at least possesses sufficient SYM
pathy with anarchists and socialists, if not with
anarchy and socialism. to write about them with
entire dispassionateness and even with friend
Illness
Mr. sanborn is most instructive when he
treats OF the avowed anarchists and socialists
the revolutionists in esse; most diverting when
he deals with the bohemians Of the Latin Quar-
ter and Montmartre the frequenters of the
cabarets-the revolutionists in posse; and most
suggestive in his chapters on the revolutionary
spirit in literature, music and art. He quotes
at length from Jean Graves "LAnarchie: SEES
Butts, ses Moyens' summarizing the anarchistlc
ideal. This is. more briefly. that since laws, even
when representing the viii Of the majority,
inevitably fetter the wills and the development
Of the minority, by perpetuating "a social or
ganiZaton which is conditioned by the narrow
ness OF conception Of the average intellect" the
world viii only arrive at the highest stage of
development, '1individu libre dams Thumanit6
hbre," by abolishing the present order. The
difficulty Of attaining this aim is necessarily in
creased by the fact that the anarchistio princi-
pie precludes the use Of either organization or
authority in carrying Oh its propaganda. which
resolves itself into four methods. These are the
do do ,a
propaganda by example. and the propaganda
par le fait" The first of these is carried on by
groups" which are constantly changing their
names and membership; the second, by means
Of placards and newspapers. sometimes the
mouthpieces of groups and sometimes Of indi-
viduals; the last two methods being purely in
dividualstic. All anarchists agree IN approval
OF the first three methods. but divided in
opinion as 10 the ACCESSIBILITY and efficiency of
the last. and the author gives il as his opinion
that the overt acts committed in the name of
anarchy the assassinations. bomb throwings
thefts and counterfeitings. are rarely or never
the result Of group conspiracies.
Lack of means and the interference of the
police cause the editors Of the anarchical jour
nails TO have recourse to strange shifts to dis
seminate their views Whenever the issue of a
periodical is stopped by the law it can come out
is. to say the least. confusing 10 its readers,
some OF the more persistent having appeared.
with Interruptions under fifteen twenty titles.
Jean Grave who conducts what is now known
as Les Temps Nouveaux" issues each week a
literary supplement made up in considerable
part Of selections rom the French and foreign
ssics and from the writings OF contemporary
scientists and Iitterateurs, not avowed anar-
chsts. which arraign the evils Of society or
support any Of the articles OF the anarchistc
creed You may seize our journals our bro
chures. you viii not prevent the camarades from
reading what the bourgeois authors have writ
ten on the rottenness and abJectness Of the pres
ent hour. This alone is more terrible than all
the revendications and threats we can accumu-
late" triumphantly exclaims the editor. The
organ OF the cabinet makers. lie Cole
(."The Glue Pot'O attacked a firm of manufact-
urers, and found its circulation entirely bought
up by the firms business rivals 1t accordingly
attacked them all In turn and reaped a hand
some profit which enabled the editors 10 con-
tinue publication for a long time thereafter.
Mr. Sanboru quotes with approval NJ. Ha-
mons standardization Of the anarchist as "a
person rebellious. liberty loving, at once In
dividualistic and altruistic enamoured Of justice
and imbued with missionary zeal" and adds
that he has. as rule. these sterling qualities
A rare love OF animals SURPRISING sweetness IN
all the ordinary relations Of life. exceptiona
sobriety Of demeanor. frugality and regularity
austerity even, Of living and courage beyond
compare" While Il may be difficult for the
average reader 70 reconcile this estimate viii