Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-12
RADICALS UNITE
TO HONOR FERRER
Cosmopolitan Meeting viii Be
Held at the Labor Temple
Thursday Night
HIS SOUL Is MARCHING ON
Simultaneous Gatherings to Mark
Anniversary of the Span
iard'S Death
HIS SOUL is MARCHING ON

ACCOIulIlB 10 tic llilliAGu AiIASA4-@NN
ton 1 myself possess. sixteen cities
in the United States will hold stimuli
taneous Ferrer memorial meetings
Thursday evening next, October l3,
said William c. owen, secretary or
the local branch of the Francisco Fer
rer association. II presume, however,
that there will be many more of when
1 have not heard, as the central as
sociation wrote me that it expected
about fifty to be held. Undoubtedly
there will be a large number In Eng
land and throughout Europe. ] I'M
agine South America, India and Japan
will be heard from also"
THAT points TO an extensive move
ment," said The Herald representa-
tive. "Is 1t preconcerted or sponta-
neous?"
Spontaneous" was the reply, al
though 1 think much of that spon-
taneity is traceabe to the great num-
Der of literary men interested. Ferrer
was the close friend, for example, OF
Ernst Haeclkel, Darwin's great sue
cessor; of Anatole France, George
Brandes and many well-known scient-
lists and writer's. Our New York as
sociation has on its committee Charles
Edward Russell, Jack London, Upton
Sinclair and other noted authors.
These people reach immense audiences
and they took hold of the movement
with great earnestness because they
considered that Ferrer fell in defense
of free speech. Naturally, that makes
it's most powerful appeal to scientists
and men of letters, for without free
speech and impartial investigation
neither science nor literature can ex-
jst. Spain herself, whom we regard
as ,Ferrer's murderer, Is the classical
example.
Moreover" continued Mr.. owen,
"Ferrers execution was the signal Tor
a series of upheavals in Spain and
Portugal which are attracting world
wide attention, since they affect other
countries most profoundly. This in
itself gives the movement spontaneity.
Every civilized country today is the
arena of desperate struggle between
free thought and author1tarlanlsm,
tradition and modernism; in WORD,
the transition from the old and new.
The intellectual Observation-Disclosures
and science-are, of course, the nrst
to sense the coming change, but from
them it is spreading to the masses.
Ferrer's execution happened to be
turning point, and l have little doubt
that it will be celebrated for many
years as october 13 comes round.
Doubtless" he added, you have seen
this months McClure's and noted the
replies to the article in which PerceVal
Gibbon in the same magazine, de-
scribed Ferrer's case as one of Ju-
dIcial murder. McClures IS about to
publish the full report rendered by
William Archer, the noted English
critic, whom 1t dispatched to Spain as
it's special representative. This alone,
apart from the vital issues and inter
ests at stake, insures much additional
discussion"
FREE SPEECH THE ISSUE
Free speech, then, was the real
issue involved in the Ferrer case, ac-
cording to your judgTnent"' said The
Herald representative.
"Unquestionably; and I consider free
speech-absolutely impartial investiga-
ton conducted In that scientific spirit
which has been so fertile of results IN
material affairs-the real issue in all
these social troubles. We are living
in an age of transition, and it Is pat
ent to all that great changes are I'M
pending. Whether they will be for the
better or the worse, ushered in peace
fully or with bloodshed, depends solely
on the amount of intelligence brought
to bear on the problem. Given free
speech and impartial investigation and
the amount of that intelligence will be
large. Suppress free speech and it will
be small, with endless chaos ahead.
This is not Spanish, but a uni
versal question, and perhaps nowhere
is it more pressing than in these Unit
ed States and right here in Los An
geles at this present moment. Ac-
cordingly, we have endeavored to make
our meeting at Labor temple next
Thursday evening nonsectarian and
cosmopolitan. There will be a series
of short speeches in English. Spanish,
Italian and Jewish. We are positive
that Ferrer's soul, like John Brown S,
will go marching on, and we shall
sing the well-known chorus between
the speeches"