Church-burning Carefully Planned.

Both Mr. Hilaire Belloc and General Reed are convinced that the destruction of churches, convents, and charitable institutions had been carefully planned. It seems clear that if the revolutionists had captured the public buildings and banks they would have proclaimed a republic of some kind at Barcelona, after which the destruction of sacred edifices could be leisurely accomplished. Foiled in the first part of their programme, they went systematically to work upon the second.

"When the ferment in Barcelona," observes Mr. Belloc, "had reached a certain degree of anarchy, there was suddenly delivered a carefully organised attack upon the property of the Catholic Church. Barcelona is full of Jewish usurers, detested by the poor of that city. It is the typically capitalist town of Spain, crammed with warehouses and with merchant palaces, which those who had for years declaimed against capitalism were now free to attack. Not a hair of the head of any individual, whether Jewish usurer among the poor, or capitalist exploiter in his great house; not a pennyworth of the property of either class (the two classes against whom the populace of Barcelona most continually declaim) was destroyed!

"What happened was this. Picked men were seen going from place to place, bearing petroleum, giving orders, and organising an attack upon convents, monasteries, and churches. No distinction was made. Wealthy monasteries and the poorest parish churches, libraries of European significance and the most insignificant and pathetic of little popular shrines were equally attacked. Whatever was of the Church was looted, or its loot attempted."

The exemption of the Jewish usurers is a very notable and significant fact. It recalls the immunity enjoyed by the Jews during the Paris Commune. The burning of the convents and churches was evidently part of the premeditated violence, for General Reed, who was an eye-witness of these revolting scenes, thus describes the method followed: "A comparatively small army of men presented themselves simultaneously at each of several convents or churches. They were provided with kerosene and implements of destruction. Having entered, by force if necessary, the kerosene was thrown on inflammable material by some, while others ransacked the building for valuables, in which they were aided by a lot of women, who followed on the heels of the incendiaries. The sacking concluded, the match was applied, usually before the city guards were aware of the attempt."

The Anarchist rioters were fully prepared for these deeds of sacrilege, robbery, and incendiarism by Ferrer's doctrines: "Religion is an appalling falsehood! There is no God, no Christ, no future state! We must expel and exterminate all monks and nuns and priests! Men can be freed only through the extermination of Kings and priests!" These hideous doctrines were carried into hideous execution by Ferrer and his followers. Their deeds form merely a part of that universal war on God to which Paul Lafargue referred when, at the Congress of the "International" at Liege, in 1865, he thundered: "War on God! Hatred for God! In these sentiments all progress consists. You must demolish Heaven as though it were a ceiling of paper!" At a similar congress, held at Chaux-de-Fonds in 1879, the Anarchist Kropotkin declared: "We stand against God and the State. page 25 Hitherto we have talked; we must now begin a propaganda of ideas by means of acts!" The Anarchist Ferrer, in like manner, stood against God and the State. Let us see how he carried on the "propaganda of ideas by means of acts" during the Anarchist revolution.