to wreck cities, spread devastation, destroy life, and go in for universal loot. This is to be the triumph of Anarchy-when there is no majority rule, no representation rule, no laws to interfere with " personal and local autonomy," when "individualism" prevails and every one acts according to his own sweet will, or as opportunities offer. The doctrine has already been adopted, as we shall see, by some of our real Anarchists among themselves. Another apostle of anarchy who is largely responsible for the propagation of truculent ideas is Prince Krapotkine, "Peter" Krapotkine, as he is familiarly and affectionately known among his followers, a leader all look up to with respect and admiration, not, of course, because he was born a prince. Krapot kine has, undoubtedly, paid in his person for his extravagance, and can claim to have borne much in his unstinting support of the cause. He is also an ideal Anarchist; one with a kink in his mind, born under a despotism which he confounds with all other forms of govern. ment. From his birth, the position he once held, and his readiness to face the consequences of his cult, he has given great impetus to the movement. His most important contribution to the cause of Anarchy is the handbook of anarchic morality of which he is the author. Some of the guiding spirits of the movement appear to have been both shocked and surprised that the tenets they inculcated should have borne such malignant fruit. It would indeed have been strange if the persistent preaching of murder and revolution had not developed the criminal instincts of the worst of their followers, to many of whom the prospect of cataclysm and chaos is the most attractive part of his anarchic programme. Prince Krapotkine was called in to reconcile the discrepancy between teaching and practice, and he has ingeniously pointed out how morality (of a kind) might be maintained while no laws were obeyed. An Anarchist must, of course, be prepared, he says, to treat others as he would wish himself to be treated; but as accepting this is submitting to a rule of law-the thing of all others most abhorrent to anarchic ideas-" Peter'' Krapotkine has to offer some compromise. He does this by declaring that an Anarchist may, with a clear conscience, plunder or kill any one who offends against the anarchic code, provided he admits that he is equally liable to such treatment if he himself so offends. We may kill vipers or tyrants, because every man of worth expects to be killed if he degenerates

into either of these despicable forms of exist

ence.

There is little cohesion, too little, indeed, among the Anarchists themselves. They have no fidelity to each other, their society is always undermined and honeycombed with treachery; spies, indicators, dog their footsteps, reveal their counsels. The want of definite organization is somewhat of a danger to the State. The public safety would be better assured if there was more of a close brotherhood among its foes. A body-a collective united party-can be better watched, its proceedings better known, than the schemes and contemplated acts of isolated individuals. There is a strong tendency among the more desperate Anarchists to work single-handed, and this, as has been said, is the worst danger to anticipate. It is not always easy to tell what a single individual may be at. Modern science, modern commerce, offers readiest and most dangerous facilities to the reckless irreconcilable bent on murderous destruction, Very little time, the very simplest materials, purchasable almost at any corner, and for small sums, will suffice to equip the social wreckers with effective weapons of offence. The case of Vaillant, the latest operator in explosion, clearly proves all this. He planned his attack upon the French Chamber upon the "accursed bourgeois deputies" alone. A common saucepan, a handful of nails, a few pennyworths of chemicals, and his murderous, death dealing weapon was complete. As has since been said by an eminent chemist, a bomb the size of an orange will suffice; an empty sardine box will make an infernal machine. There is no difficulty, no mystery about the manufacture of these modern explosives. The lesson is easily learned; it has been frequently inculcated in simple language. The dangerous knowledge has been spread broadcast by pernicious teachers, whose implacable animosity against society inspires them to extend the science of destruction. Of these Herr Most's work is one of the most dangerously complete. It is entitled "Scientific Revolutionary Warfare," and is published in New York, where it was first printed in German, English translations having since been made. This noxious handbook-which should be forthwith suppressed, burned wholesale, its mere possession deemed a felony-sets forth explicitly the proper method of using and preparing nitro-glycerine, dynamite, gun-cotton, mercury fulminates, and bombs of all descriptions, with further

instruction in the making of" carcano composite poison."-New Review.

THE DEVIL PLANT OF MISSISSIPPI, -There has recently appeared in this vicinity a most peculiar growth known as the "devil plant," which is so deadly as to render all insect life and vegetation in its neighborhood lifeless. It is most innocent in appearance, being of a tender green, clinging close to the earth, and sprinkled with small red blossoms, cup-shaped, and holding in their hearts a single drop of moisture. It is in this singular dew, which the sun has no power to dispel, that the plant's most blighting influence is said to lie. Bees by the hundreds have been found dead in the blossoms. Indeed, the hives of the neighborhood are nearly depopulated by the noxious flowers. A gentleman who is noted as a botanist in these parts tasted this dew, and declared that it was of a sickening sweetness, without odor, and viscid like liquid gum. It was allowed to dwell on his tongue, which soon began to burn him so as to raise a blister, and the member swelled up and became discolored and very painful. The bees have not been the only sufferers by this growth, but every insect approaching it seems to become paralyzed, and after a beat or two

of the wings above this creeping upas drops dying among its cruel leaves. Cattle which have eaten of it die in a few hours in the greatest agony, with a sort of exaggerated tetanus, the skin drawn tense and the eyes protruding from the head. All ordinary remedies fail to restore one in these attacks. Vegetation also seems to shun the "devil plant," and whole tracts of meadow are now lying scorched and dead from the insidious approach of this unknown growth. Under the microscope the leaves exhibit innumerable little mouths, or suckers, of such tenacity as to sting the hand on which the leaf is laid, leaving a dull, red mark, like the wound of a scorpion. The people of the vicinity say this plant is the forerunner of disaster, it having made previous appearances just before the outbreak of the war, and on each occasion of the coming of yellow fever. An effort has been made to burn it out, but, protected by its singular dew, this has failed. The dead bodies of cattle which have died of eating it on being examined show that the digestive organs are swollen to four times their natural size, and look as if they had been burned; the heart is congested, and the blood of a dark, unusual tinge, with an odor like benzoin. The plant is of rapid

growth, covering acres in a few days, requiring little hold, and going over every obstacle in its way, the roots being of thread-like fineness, and extending only an inch or two be. low the surface of the ground, but exhibiting extraordinary tenacity once they seize hold of a spot, enwrapping pebbles, old roots, etc., like clinging fingers.-Philadelphia Times.

THE NEW CLOCK AT ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL was made by Smith & Son, of Derby, and is fitted with the double three-leg gravity escapement designed by Lord Grimthorpe, which has proved to be the best choice of the kind for large clocks. The pendulum is 15 feet The old bell, known long, and weighs 7 cwt. from the name of the maker as the Phelps

bell, is again used for striking, and the old bells for the quarters, but they have been raised higher in the lantern. The Phelps bell weighs 5 tons 4 cwt. The hammer weighs 2 cwt. There are now three faces to the clock, a new one having been inserted to look down Cannon Street. The full diameter of the dials is 17 feet, and the central part-that is, the The space within the figure ring-is 10 feet. figures are 2 feet 9 inches long, and the hands are of copper, specially shaped to resist wind and snow. The minute hand is 9 feet 6 inches

long, and the hour hand 5 feet long. The weights are carried on steel ropes, and weigh half a ton each. The clock requires winding every day, and by an ingenious arrangement the clock itself stops the winding when about to strike.-English Mechanic.

INDIA'S HOARD OF GOLD. -The latest testimony to India's inveterate propensity to hoard gold, remarks the Mexican Financier, is furnished by the American lecturer, Dr. Rudisill, who has spent many years of his life in that country, and has made a careful study of the inhabitants and their customs. No Hindoo," says the doctor, ever dreams of depositing his gold in a bank." He can never be persuaded to believe in the honesty of bank directors, particularly if they are of his own race. When the native agriculturist is paid for his produce in gold, he either buries it or takes it to the jeweller to be worked into ornaments, which are only displayed on rare occasions. A gold coin is never seen in circula. tion. Thus the gold sent to India year by year in settlement of her handsome trade bal. ances never again enters the world's commerce. It becomes as unavailable for currency purposes as if it had never been taken from the mines. When treasure is buried a descrip

tion of the hiding-place is committed to a piece of parchment, which the possessor always carries on his person. Sometimes the wearer of one of these records is lost or devoured by tigers, and when this occurs his wealth is often never found again.

ELECTRIC COOKING.-The advent of electric cooking apparatus seems likely to evolve a highly scientific species of cook, with, we may be sure, highly up-to-date notions about the "living wage." Cookery," we are told by a daily contemporary in a description of the electric process, "is raised from the rule-ofthumb level to that of an exact science by the use of a graduated thermometer. For bread or puff pastry a temperature of 370° F. is required; for pork, veal, or ordinary pastry, 350°; for beef, 340°;" and so on. All this must mean a table of constants in the kitchen, with possible formula with different coefficients for jam tarts, mince pies, and Christmas puddings. Perhaps some method of integrating the specific heats, latent heats, and density of the heterogeneous mass to be cooked will be found necessary before the temperature can be finally determined. This will mean Royal Society Papers on the subject. Besides all this, the cooking appliances are depicted as being fitted with a whole battery of switches, various combinations of which, like the stops of an organ, will be necessary to produce various effects. ward," says our contemporary, in an account of the destructive distillation of a joint, four of these switches are turned off, and the heat is applied from one side only." Just think of the high scientific knowledge required in order to be able to manipulate these cookery stops so as to produce any given thermal distribution on the three Cartesian axes of the kitchen oven!-Electrician.

"After

THE COMPREHENSION OF BUDDHISM.-What is Buddhism? Buddhism is the doctrine taught by Buddha Shakyamuni. The word "Buddha" is Sanscrit and the Japanese Satori, which means understanding. Indeed, it has three meanings-self comprehension, to let others comprehend, and perfect comprehension. Self-comprehension is to awaken one's self and to attain to the realm of truth by one's own effort. To let others comprehend means the work of transition-that is, to let others understand by one's own wisdom -that is humanity. When wisdom and humanity are developed thoroughly by one he

may be called Buddha, or perfect comprehension. In Buddhism we have Buddha as our Saviour, the spirit incarnate of absolute selfsacrifice and divine compassion, and the embodiment of all that is pure and good. Buddha was a man as we are, but he, unlike us, knew the truth of the universe and cultivated the higher elements of his nature. Buddha was one who was developed from a lower being. So when we attain the ultimate point by gradual development there should be no place that is not lightened by the light of our mind, and we can save the world using our power freely. That being who has humanity and wisdom in perfection is Buddha. — Brooklyn Times.

WOMEN DOCTORS IN RUSSIA. -In all there are about seven hundred women doctors in Rus

sia, and many of these occupy important positions in hospitals and workhouses, in educational establishments, in factories and works of various kinds, and in Government institu. tions, while others hold appointments in the service of municipal bodies. The remunera. tion for these different posts varies from about £200 downward. So far as private practice is concerned, there is one woman doctor who

makes an income of £1800 per annum—a phenomenally good record. But the average income of the woman medical practitioner in

private practice is something under £300 a

year.

RECOVERY.-Canon

MacColl

A CURIOUS quotes, in the Spectator, a remarkable case related to him by a physician who had been a pupil of Sir Charles Bell, the eminent author of "The Bridgewater Treatise on the Hand.” Sir Charles used to tell the following story to his class A surgeon who went over the field of Waterloo after the battle found a man lying with his scalp cut off by a sabre stroke. He picked up the scalp, and finding the man breathing, though unconscious, he ordered him to be placed among the wounded, clapping at the same time the severed scalp on his head, in order that it might be buried with him, for he did not expect that the poor man would recover. The following day, however, he found the man conscious, and his scalp adhering to his head, but with the ends reversed; for the surgeon, thinking the man was dying, took no pains to fix the scalp properly. The man recovered, but had to wear his scalp the wrong end forward.

I.

WHAT DOES SOCIALISM MEAN? SOCIALISM is a word which is, by many people, used in senses so vague and so contradictory, as often to deprive it of all arguable meaning. Were the matter one of mere verbal propriety, everybody who is touched by a knowledge of social suffering, and desires to relieve it by organized action of any kind, would no doubt by the derivation of the word be equally justified in claiming for himself the name of Socialist. But it must be remembered that with precisely the same justification we might call a crow a blackbird, or a Newfoundland dog a water-wagtail. The practical meaning of a word is determined, not by its etymology, but its most definite and distinctive use; and the word NEW SERIES.-VOL. LIX., No. 4.

Socialism, as everybody really knows, possesses a meaning more or less definitely fixed; and does not mean merely a desire to relieve social suffering, but a belief that social suffering is due to certain special causes, and a consequent desire to relieve it by special and peculiar methods. It is known, further, that these methods, whatever may be their details, would involve the destruction of institutions and principles which have hitherto been considered the foundations of all society and civilization; and in especial the institution, as it now exists, of private property. much about Socialism the general public knows, and so far as it goes this is all perfectly true; but the general public knows little more than this, and what it does not know it makes up for by guesses and assumptions, which are

28

So

for the most part wrong. Such being the case, I shall endeavor in the clearest, the briefest, and the fairest way possible, to explain what Socialism is, as formulated by its most competent exponents; and having thus set before the reader its main and most essential elements, I shall fix his attention on those of them which differentiate it from other systems; and isolating them from the rest, I shall point out the fallacies which underlie them.

We must begin by observing that Socialism, in a perfectly definite sense, has meant and may mean three different things, which are, however, by no means mutually exclusive-a conspiracy, a party, and a creed. But in this country, at all events, it does not mean a conspiracy; nor can it as yet be even regarded as a party. It is indeed struggling to form itself into a party; but it is doing this by ordinary constitutional means; and so far it is not peculiar, and calls for no comment. There is, in short, nothing peculiar about it except the creed to which, if ever it becomes a party, it will aim at giving effect. Socialism, therefore, as it now exists, may be defined as a body of economic and social doctrines, resulting in certain conclusions as to the future possibilities of society-possibilities which Socialists as a party will endeavor to make actual. It is therefore as a body of social and economic doctrines that we must consider it, if we would understand to any purpose ite character and its prospects.

importance as a practical force may be, are the ablest, the clearest, and most practical exponents in this country of what Socialism really is. The society I allude to calls itself "The Fabian Society"; and it must be known to the reader of The Fortnightly Review by a political manifesto lately published in these pages, even if it is known to him in no other way. Societies for propagating views are apt to seem ridiculous; it may therefore be not superfluous for me to say that the writers of the present volume-for it consists of essays by several writers are persons of high education, and trained powers of reasoning; that they are fully conversant with the orthodox theory of economics; that many of the orthodox doctrines form part of their own system, and have been adapted by them to new purposes in a most plausible and ingenious way; that many of their own views and arguments are highly suggestive and valuable; and that the principal writer, Mr. Sidney Webb, is a lecturer on Political Economy at the City of London College. This volume, then, which is called Fabian Essays in Socialism, may be taken as exhibiting Socialism in its most favorable and most reasonable aspect. To this volume we will now proceed to refer. Between some of the writers there are minor differences of opinion; and some of them on minor points are not quite consistent with themselves. But matters like these are trifles. In dealing with a book of this kind our object must be to criticise not the way in which a case is stated, but the case itself; and any chance defect in the mere statement of it we ought to remedy, rather than dwell upon, if we would criticise it to any advantage. What we want is to see how much truth certain men have got hold of; not to waste time in quarrelling over the manner in which they have managed to express it. II.

INTELLECTUAL LEADERS.

Socialism, then, as these writers are careful to tell us, is "not a religion"it is par excellence "a property-form"; it is the scheme of an industrial sys