Exquisite Rebel: The Essays of Voltairine de Cleyre— Feminist, Anarchist, Genius Sharon Presley Crispin Sartwell Editors State University of New York Press Exquisite Rebel Voltairine de Cleyre, Philadelphia, 1901. Exquisite Rebel The Essays of Voltairine de Cleyre— Feminist, Anarchist, Genius Voltairine de Cleyre Sharon Presley and Crispin Sartwell, editors State University of New York Press Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2005 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, address State University of New York Press, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207 Production by Michael Haggett Marketing by Michael Campochiaro Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data De Cleyre, Voltairine, 1866–1912. Exquisite rebel : essays of Voltairine de Cleyre : American feminist, anarchist, genius / Voltairine de Cleyre ; Sharon Presley and Crispin Sartwell, editors. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-6093-2 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7914-6094-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Anarchism—United States. 2. Feminism—United States. 3. De Cleyre, Voltairine, 1866–1912—Criticism and interpretation. I. Presley, Sharon. II. Sartwell, Crispin, 1958– III. Title. HX843.D43 2005 335(cid:2).83(cid:2)092—dc22 2004059138 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Crispin Sartwell dedicates his work on this volume to his daughters Emma and Jane. May they live freely. Sharon Presley dedicates her work on this volume to the memories of her mother Geneva Presley and her friend Arlen Riley Wilson, each remarkable women in their own way. Voltairine de Cleyre, Chicago, 1910. Contents Foreword by Candace Falk ix Acknowledgments xiii Part I Biographical Essays: Three Views of Voltairine de Cleyre “Priestess of Pity and Vengeance” by Crispin Sartwell 3 “The Exquisite Rebel: The Anarchist Life of Voltairine de Cleyre” by Sharon Presley 17 “Emma Goldman’s ‘Voltairine de Cleyre’: A Moving but Flawed Tribute” by Sharon Presley 27 “Voltairine de Cleyre” by Emma Goldman 29 Part II Loving Freedom: Anarchism without Adjectives Introduction by Sharon Presley 47 “Why I am an Anarchist” 51 “Anarchism” 67 “Events are the True Schoolmaster” 83 “Anarchism and American Traditions” 89 “A Correction” 103 Part III Wild Freedom: A Passion for Liberty and Justice Introduction by Sharon Presley 109 “The Dominant Idea” 111 “Crime and Punishment” 125 “In Defense of Emma Goldman” 147 Part IV Neither Gods nor Superstitions: Freethought and Religion Introduction by Sharon Presley 161 “The Economic Tendency of Freethought” 165 “Secular Education” 179 vii viii Contents Part V No Authority but Oneself: The Anarchist Feminist Philosophy of Autonomy and Freedom Introduction by Sharon Presley 191 “Those Who Marry Do Ill” 195 “The Case of Woman Versus Orthodoxy” 207 “The Woman Question” 221 “Sex Slavery” 225 “The Political Equality of Women” 239 Part VI Not Another Brick in the Wall: Nonauthoritarian Education Introduction by Crispin Sartwell and Sharon Presley 247 “Modern Educational Reform” 251 Part VII Breaking the Chains: Changing Society through Direct Action Introduction by Crispin Sartwell 269 “Direct Action” 271 “The Eleventh of November, 1887” 287 “Our Present Attitude” 295 “McKinley’s Assassination: From the Anarchist Standpoint” 299 Part VIII The Political Is the Personal: Anarchist Esthetics Introduction by Crispin Sartwell 307 “Literature the Mirror of Man” 309 Index 325 Foreword The winds of turmoil and labor strife that ushered in twentieth century America were countered by extraordinary visionaries—women and men for whom the concept of complete freedom held the alluring promise of social harmony. Anarchism, a philosophy often considered on the outermost edge of possibility and conflated with chaos, attracted many remarkably eloquent and lucid thinkers. Voltairine de Cleyre (1866–1912), recognized in her circles as “the most thoughtful woman anarchist of this century,”1on a par with Emma Goldman, her more florid Russian immigrant counterpart, has yet to be given an appropriate place in the permanent record. A long standing prejudice among American historians against a serious study of anarchism, combined with a frequent dismissal of women as an intellectual and political force consigned de Cleyre’s legacy almost exclusively under the guardianship of subsequent generations of anarchist followers, with few ‘non-believers’ among them. This, coupled with her untimely death at the age of forty-five, obscured her memory and threatened to diminish her importance. According to Paul Avrich, de Cleyre’s dazzling biographer, traces of the life and work of one of “the movement’s most respected and devoted representatives” left “the glow of legend”—“a brief comet in the anarchist firmament.” The publication of this new volume of Voltairine de Cleyre’s selected writings allows for the permanent historical record to stand corrected with an elegance and clarity fitting to its subject. The editors, Sharon Presley and Crispin Sartwell, chose representative essays that track the development of de Cleyre’s thought against a backdrop of ideas central to anarchist theo- rists and activists. Set in an anarchist frame, the collection offers the reader an opportunity to sample and engage in the flavor and content of debates on a variety of issues including the political equality of women, the economy, the social order, violence, religion, criminal justice, education, and aes- thetics—tracking the emergence of de Cleyre’s ideas as they were influ- enced by the works of others. Pieced together, her writings and accompanying introductory notes present bold patterns and surprising tangents to the broad, vibrant social and intellectual fabric of her time. ix