The Shadow On The Dial, and Other Essays: 1909Bierce, Ambrose
Philosophy
The Shadow On The Dial, and Other Essays: 1909
Bierce, Ambrose
Essays
we fondly fancy that the thing he will speak is harmless--that immunity
disarms his tongue of its poison, his thought of its infection. With a
fatuity that would be incredible without the testimony of observation,
we hold that an Anarchist free to go about making proselytes, free to
purchase arms, free to drill and parade and encourage his dupes with a
demonstration of their numbers and power, is less mischievous than an
Anarchist with a shut mouth, a weaponless hand and under surveillance of
the police. The Anarchist himself is persuaded of the superiority of
our plan of dealing with him; he likes it and comes over in quantity,
inpesting the political atmosphere with the "sweltered venom" engendered
by centuries of oppression--comes over here, where he is not oppressed,
and sets up as oppressor. His preferred field of malefaction is the
country that is most nearly anarchical. He comes here, partly to better
himself under our milder institutions, partly to secure immunity while
conspiring to destroy them. There is thunder in Europe, but if the storm
ever break it is in America that the lightning will fall, for here is
a great vortex into which the decivilizing agencies are pouring without
obstruction. Here gather the eagles to the feast, for the quarry is
defenceless. Here is no power in government, no government. Here an
enemy of order is thought to be least dangerous when suffered to preach
and arm in peace. And here is nothing between him and his task of
supervision--no pampered soldiery to repress his rising, no iron
authority to lay him by the heels. The militia is fraternal, the
magistracy elective. Europe may hold out a little longer. The Great
Powers may make what stage-play they will, but they are not maintaining
their incalculable armaments for aggression upon one another, for
protection from one another, nor for fun. These vast forces are
purely constabular--creatures and creators of discontent--phenomena of
decivilization. Eventually they will fraternize with Disorder or become
themselves Praetorian Guards more dangerous than the perils that have
called them into existence.
It is easy to forecast the first stages of the End's approach: Rioting.
Disaffection of constabulary and troops. Subversion of the Government
A policy of decapitation. Upthrust of the serviceable Anarchist.
His prompt effacement by his victorious ally and natural enemy, the
Socialist. Free minting and printing of money--to every citizen a
shoulder-load of the latter, to the printers a ton each. Divided
counsels. Pandemonium. The man on horseback. Gusts of grape. ------?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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