A REVOLUTIONARY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7448, 24 May 1911, Page 11

A REVOLUTIONARY

Constance Clyde, one of our Now Zealand women writers, long resident in London, contributes an interesting sketch under the above title to the "Ladies’ Realm.” As a type of woman with whom wo dwellers in a surpassing-, ly free and democratic land have no experience, and of whom wo are. apt to paint strangely lurid "fancy portraits,” this study-at first-hand worth quoting from. ’ - Though so advanced in many ways. Englishwomen are behind rather than before their prototypes in other countries in regard to cerrsur phases bf life. Thus one does not expect to hear of a nest of women revolutionaries in- England; or if there are suon wovjen one imagines they will be anaremsis by accident, drawn into tho cause oy relationship, to some man. Very tar is this from being the case. The woman anarchist is a personality hersek, and does not owe any of her enthusiasm to husband tor son. . .. - It is in historic Whitechapel, to which alien races give such picturesque colouring, that we find the anarchist woman. She is often an alien herself, but sometimes she is English. She may be wife and mother, devoted to her (sometimes) tenement home; she may be also factory worker or needlewoman. Whatever else she be she is usually a great reader, with tho fiercely-won knowledge of those who have little leisure. She is neither’ fierce nor tragic in manner, however, bht rather low-voiced and serious, as she tells what anarchy is, explaining how it has been misunderstood, and tho ideals of its upholders misrepresented. Such, at .least, is, the belief of -Mrs Rokker, chief of tho revolutionary women, herself an intellectual, whom I interviewed in her flat in the great block of buildings where w.orkers live. Mrs Rokker is the wife of a revolutionary who edits a Yiddish paper, which is published in Jewish Whitechapel. Only the name is in English; the rest being in his native tongue. Mrs Rokker herself, is Jewish, with tho typical Jewish face, but tho eyes of a visionary. She is young, and comes from a village -near Kieff (Russia) that has known some historic massacres. . . . This anarchist centre at Jubilee street has been in existence twenty-five years, and, unlike many other causes, women have.'been in - it from the beginning. Several institutions embody its ideals; clubs have been formed, and weekly lectures have been given. Mrs Rokker speaks at some of these, and tho famous Louise Michel has held court. At one time evening socials were held, analogous probably to the revival tea-meet-irgs. but these have been dropped. There is an anarchist Sunday school, however, bub necessarily no religious creed is taught, for all ore freethinkers, Tlie distribution of literature is perhaps tho most important part of tho work, and in this the wom-in take full share. AH the work is done gratuitously, and all pay a little towards the fund—just what they can afford. The surroundings of Mrs Rokker herself shows this. "It was the study of history that made me

vliafcd am/" she said, "the history of the French devolution and of other out* hi oaks. X sasv then tho nature of nian and what his- -future. might bcu • 1realise this at sight of the many she!ve» of hooks in the simple apartment-hooks in French and German, as well as # the Russian of her own revolutionary 1 1 vince Kropotkin, "at 'With bis noble relatives because of his anarchist beliefs. ~, ~ _ r "Wo aro misunderstood, said Airs Rokker, "but so were the early Christians. Terrible accusations were burled against thorn, but they grow, now their creed is recognised and has inilnence. -So will ours grow and dominate the world, and all these slanders be forgotten/’ , But anarchy differs from others creeds in this, that it wants no converts. *Wo ■desire no followers, no disciples/* says Mrs Rokker; ‘‘every oi us is priest and prophet himself, his .own' counsellor, his own ruler. The ideal anarchist h he who. situated awav from our influence, discovers anarchy in his own soul. He is a little society of anarchism in himself and is merely pleased, not at all morally aided at finding that there are other anarchists in the world." .It is probably this appeal to individuality that calls women into the movement, such women as this, with their hope for the future and their desire'for that better state'of things which, is the true meaning o'i that misunderstood word—Anarchy, ,