ELI SEE RECLUS AND HIS OPINIONS. 405 



tically Reclus never meddles with politics, he cares only for social 

 questions outside, of course, the range of his geographical work. 

 He holds that the Revolution of 1789 destroyed the privileges of 

 the nobles, but that humanity has not advanced at all, never- 

 theless, because the bourgeoisie has disadvantageously taken the 

 place of the aristocracy and usurped their privileges ; hence, that 

 the people are rather more unfortunate than formerly, because 

 they know now that they are so. He considers that the state of 

 society in which there are only what he calls " les satisfaiis " and 

 " les miserdbles " is a most abominable state of things, and he and 

 his friend ardently hope that their doctrines will prevail sooner 

 or later and change the face of things entirely. From every 

 point of view Reclus is a most sincere, good, and excellent man, 

 who would not hurt a worm, but would not budge an inch from his 

 opinions. He has two daughters, and, as he considers marriage a 

 bondage, he has united them himself to the men they loved. They 

 were married by him in his own fashion, without any religious or 

 civil ceremony, in the presence of witnesses. They have children 

 who bear the father's name, as they also bear it themselves, but 

 it does not appear that any steps have been taken to legitimize 

 these children according to the laws of the state. Rumor has it 

 but for the accuracy of this rumor we can not vouch that Reclus 

 has had to suffer for his departure from the recognized social 

 forms, for it is said that recently one of these illegal husbands 

 abandoned the wife thus given to him. 



In order that his ideas may be spread among the masses, for 

 whose instruction they are primarily intended, Reclus has writ- 

 ten a little pamphlet, which is included in the publications of La 

 ReVolte, a weekly communist anarchical organ published in Paris. 

 Among the contributors to this series we find Louise Michel 

 and the German Most, whose pamphlet bears the uncompromis- 

 ing title The Plague of Religion. If Reclus, who is now no longer 

 young, and who less and less likes to be disturbed in his life of re- 

 tirement, is asked to explain his ideas on social subjects, he has of 

 late invariably referred his interlocutors to this little booklet, say- 

 ing that if any one would know exactly what he thinks about 

 the present state of things, and what he hopes for in the future, 

 they must read what he has written there, and also read the con- 

 tribution to the same series of his friend Prince Kropotkine, for 

 he entirely shares his views. Evolution and Revolution is the 

 title of Reclus's pamphlet ; Anarchic Morality, that of Prince 

 Kropotkine. The price of these small pamphlets is ten centimes. 

 They are bound in a glaring pink cover and printed on villainous 

 and utterly abominable paper, making us feel that, if this be a 

 specimen of the aesthetics of the future, we rejoice to think that 

 that future will not be ours. The matter is in both cases, f ortu- 



