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Contr'un

An embarrassment of riches, redux

February 2, 2007 Shawn P. Wilbur
This the sort of problem we should have—so much new, interesting anarchist material coming out of the archives that it’s nearly impossible to keep track of it all. I’ve been trying to work through roughly a roll of microfilmed periodicals each day this past couple of weeks, and I can’t think when I have been so pleasantly overwhelmed. Specifically, with regard to the J. K. Ingalls volume, I’m running a little behind, largely because of some difficulties with interlibrary loan, but I will be able to add a series on “Women’s Industrial Subjection,” from the Woman’s Tribune and a debate […]
Anarchism

At last, “Omega”!

February 2, 2007 Shawn P. Wilbur
There are quite a number of things I didn’t find in my searches through the Boston Investigator this week, but one of the things I did find was “Capital and Labor: Socialism in Massachusetts,” by OMEGA—one of the essays by William Batchelder Greene that was incorporated into his Equality (1849), reprinted from the Worcester Palladium. For some time, I have been wrestling with the question whether or not I could justify research travel to track down these articles, since they, and the book they were turned into, all appear to have been written in a matter of months, late in […]
individualist anarchism

1881 – the first three

January 29, 2007 Shawn P. Wilbur
[Ah, for the settled life of a scholar, where I could tackle my 1.104 issues of Liberty each day, and keep a regular schedule, rather than the constant fire-fighting and scrambling that goes with part-timing. But the show must go on, however fitfully.] So what actually appears in the pages of Liberty? The staple, stable source for Tucker’s opinions remained, from first to last, the “On Picket Duty” column. From the first issue, of August 6, through the remainder of 1881, this occupied the first two columns on the front page of nearly every issue, while a collection of clippings […]
Anarchism

Eliphalet Kimball on Anarchy, part 2

January 29, 2007 Shawn P. Wilbur
Here’s the second half of Eliphalet Kimball’s essay “Civilization–Anarchy,” from the August 26, 1863 Boston Investigator. There is a great deal here that may seem naive, and out of step with the anarchist movement generally. This shouldn’t surprise us. In 1863, it would be hard to say that there was an anarchist movement, particularly in America, where most of the strong proponents of libertarian thought still avoided the term anarchy. Ten years later, things would be different, but Kimball, writing in the period of the Civil War, is really pretty well out on his own in celebrating anarchy. Primitivists and […]
Anarchism

Eliphalet Kimball on Anarchy, 1863

January 27, 2007 Shawn P. Wilbur
Here’s another mid-19th-century anarchist, writing in the pages of the Boston Investigator (XXXIII, 15, Aug. 18, 1863, p. 114). I’ll post the second half soon, along with some additional material from Eliphalet Kimball. For the Boston Investigator Civilization—Anarchy. The word civilization from the Latin word civitas, “a city,”—or civis, a “citizen,” and signifies Government, and its effect on society. The effect of government is ignorance, falsehood, luxury, inequality, aristocracy, crime, and unhappiness. Such, then, is civilization. It is evil and progress in evil. Culture of science, enlightenment, and progress in agriculture and art, are not effects of made-Governments. They are […]
Anarchism

Anarchist Church, Anarchist State. . . Anarchist Inquisition?

January 25, 2007 Shawn P. Wilbur
Related links: The Pantarchy [main page] Constitutions and Organic Bases of the Pantarchy and New Catholic Church (1860) Stephen Pearl Andrews, “Andrusius,” The Pantarch — The history of radical reform in the United States is full of colorful characters and extravagant projects, but Andrews and his Pantarchy (complete with the philosophy of Universology, universal languages Alwato and Tīkīwā, and New Catholic Church) stands out, even in a crowd which includes Lewis Masquerier and his “compulsory homestead” scheme or Edgar Chambless’ Roadtown. In anarchist circles, Andrews is probably most respected and best remembered for his advocacy of Josiah Warren’s cost principle […]
Anarchism

Armies that Overlap – Tucker on Anarchism and Socialism

January 25, 2007 Shawn P. Wilbur
Here’s another statement from Liberty on the relationship between anarchism and socialism (the topic of this weekend’s Carnival of Anarchy), which originally appeared in the issue of March 8, 1890 (p.4). Armies that Overlap. Of late the “Twentieth Century ” has been doing a good deal in the way of definition. Now, definition is very particular business, and it seems to me that it is not always performed with due care in the “Twentieth Century” office. Take this, for instance: A Socialist is “one who believes that each industry should be coordinated for the mutual benefit of all concerned under […]
Uncategorized

Milo Hastings entry at Wikipedia

January 23, 2007 Shawn P. Wilbur
Congratulations are in order to the very busy editor who has been working on the Milo Hastings article on Wikipedia. I did a little work on it back in December, shortly after my post on Hastings here. The original editor, who has access to family pictures and other material, has now worked the page up into something very nice. Among the new details: Hastings was the grandson of abolitionist preacher Pardee Butler.
Anarchism

Ernest Lesigne on “The Two Socialisms”

January 23, 2007 Shawn P. Wilbur
The third Carnival of Anarchy, scheduled for the upcoming weekend, is on “Anarchism and Socialism.” I’ll probably be posted related items off and on all week. Here’s an important item from the pages of Liberty. Ernest Lesigne wrote a series of Socialistic letters for Le Radical, and Benjamin R. Tucker printed some in translation. This one is certainly on-topic this week. Socialistic Letter[Le Radical] There are two Socialisms. One is communistic, the other solidaritarian. One is dictatorial, the other libertarian. One is metaphysical, the other positive. One is dogmatic, the other scientific. One is emotional, the other reflective. One is […]