304 Evolution and Social Reform : 



morally enforce everything needful for restraint or encour- 

 agenieut. They believe in government, but not government 

 by physical force for the injury of all, or, to use a common 

 expression which means the same, for unjust purposes. 

 They believe in self-control and mutuality. 



An Anarchist is not one who wishes to separate himself 

 from his kind, to live independently, to lapse into the 

 individual isolation of the Stone Age. He is an individual- 

 ist, but also a socialist, a mutualist. He understands that 

 civilized men must co-operate, that co-operation is a social 

 necessity. But he wishes to co-operate voluntarily ; to 

 have the privilege of declining to co-operate in one or more 

 or all particulars ; of resigning the benefits and obligations 

 of co-operation. He values individual freedom above all 

 other possessions, and protests against any organization of 

 society in which it is not recognized and respected. He 

 does not wish another or a njajority of others to decide for 

 him what he shall or shall not do, unless he agrees before- 

 hand to such an arrangement. If he wishes to live apart 

 from others he desires to be allowed to do so. He believes 

 in society composed of individuals each of whom shall be 

 free from invasive restraints or compulsions. It should be 

 understood that Anarchists abhor the idea of using individ- 

 ual liberty for the purpose of injuring others, and they 

 believe that in society rightly constituted there would be 

 found effective methods of dealing with those who should 

 violate the rights or liberties of others. 



It should be understood from this statement of general 

 principles that Anarchists are not bomb-throwers dyna- 

 miters. There are some persons wlio call themselves 

 Anarchists Xvho believe that circumstances might arise 

 which would justify a resort to destructive warfare, and 

 that good results would follow such a method, l^ut, in my 

 opinion, the clearest thinkers, tlie most scientihc among 

 the Anarchists, understand that what might be achieved 

 by physical force would be siibject to reversal by physical 

 force, and would, therefore, have to be conserved by physi- 

 cal force. In my opinion, the most careful thinkers among 

 the Anarchists uiulerstand that if some transient "tidal- 

 wave" of popular opinion, formed rapidly and by what we 

 call accident, or some sudden uprising of the peo])le, in- 

 flamed by discontent but not educated in economic prin- 

 ciples, as m the case of the French llevolution, should 



