Page:The "Trial" of Ferrer - A Clerical Judicial Murder (IA 2916970.0001.001.umich.edu).pdf/11

 is to be found in the anti-religious propaganda and espe- cially in the education given in the lay schools. II. FERRER IN BARCELONA.1 Ferrer has been broadly accused of heing an Anarchist ind a dangerous person (especially by people who know nothing about the subject). In his youth Ferrer was an ardent republican and a follower of Zorilla, the republican leader and revolutionist. He associated with all the ad- vanced elements which in Catalonia form a characteristic mixture of Anarchists, republicans, Socialists, and, in gen- eral, anti-clericals, who always join hands in the frequent revolutions which have taken place since time immemorial in that agitated province. It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to establish whether at that time Ferrer was an anarchist or not. He did have many anarehist friends, but that does not prove anything, especially in a feudal country, wherc all the ad- vanced elements make common eause against oppression. Neither can we decide the point by investigating his ideas at that time, because they were not yet mature nor did he clcarly express them; he may have said or written things during that period which could be interpreted as Anarchis- tie, but such an interpretation is always easy when it is the question of a man with revolutionary opinions. All that can positively be said is that, at that time, Ferrer was an ardent believer in violent revolutions. As a matter of fact, he took active part in several of them, especially in one which took place in 1885. persecution, he had then to leave Spain, and went to To escapa 1 We leave out of acconnt Fer- rer's private llfe, which has noth- îng to do with the pre-eminently political afair we are now treat-. Ing. If the reader is interested, be will ind some detalls In Rn artlcle in McClure's magazine for November, 1910.