| Because this issue of The Truth Seeker is a historical milestone, a number of the articles celebrate its history, including a reprint of an article by Voltairine de Cleyre published in its pages in 1887. Elsewhere in this issue, I've reviewed a historical anthology of women freethought writers. Why bother to read these musty old essays?, you might ask. Is there really something to be learned from them? I say yes. We all know, of course, the old adage that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I certainly do wish more politicians and policy-makers would read about history--they are the ones who need to learn the lessons the most. They're the ones who keep making the same old dumb mistakes. They might well start with such critical analyses as The March Of Folly by historian Barbara Tuchman, which details government self-sabotage over the centuries . However, the readers of The Truth Seeker are probably not major policy-makers (though the lessons to be learned from Tuchman and others are well worth reading for any layperson).What can people like you and me gain from reading history books or 100-year-old essays? First of all, reading historical material can give us a more balanced perspective on our own political and social context. I have a friend who believes that American society is extremely unjust and, in his words, "squalid." There's no questions that we need a lot of improvement--the courts are frequently unfair, racism and sexism still abound, children still go hungry. But if you think it's terrible now, read about how much worse our society was even a hundred years ago and see how far we've come! In the 19th century women not only could not vote, they had few rights at all. Married women, for example, had virtually no rights over property and children so if they dared to get a divorce, they were likely to lose both property and custody. Most careers were denied to them or pursued only with nearly superhuman efforts. If you held unpopular views--if you were, for example, an atheist or feminist or anarchist--you were in danger, not just from your angry neighbors but from the police as well. "Red Emma" Goldman (who held all three of these unpopular views) was constantly harassed and often thrown in jail for her efforts, (which included distributing birth control information). Moses Harman (also all three), the editor of the anarchist journal, Lucifer, was sentenced to two years at hard labor for publishing a letter from a physician which used the word "penis" while decrying a case of marital rape that seriously injured the wife. Oh yes, we have come a long way. We need to know that, if only to give us hope that what we do today will make a difference tomorrow. History can also help us to better understand today's issues. Why, for example, is it important to limit the power of government? Just read about the abuse of power in earlier times when the philosophy of individual rights was nonexistent. Governments trample over our rights now but nothing compared to what they used to get away with. Or to take another current issue: Why are there so few women composers, philosophers or policy-makers? Is it because it's in their genes to be mothers but not musicians? I think not. The last 3000 years of suppression of women's education, ambitions, and aspirations in most human societies, now detailed in many books, suggest a different answer. Most people--both male and female--pretty much do and believe what they're told--unless they live in an atmosphere that encourages freedom and critical thinking. This excludes most of recorded history! The wonder is that heroic women like Emma Goldman and Voltairine de Cleyre and dedicated men like Moses Harman could break through at all. Their lives are testimony to the strength of the human spirit. And indeed yet another purpose served by reading the writings of these people is to honor the memory of their bravery and commitment. They helped blaze a path that is far less difficult for us to follow then the path they had to tread. Their example may serve as an inspiration to us. Reading, for example, "The Dominant Idea" by Voltairine de Cleyre, an essay which deals with the importance of being true to yourself, infused me with a renewed sense of commitment to my own principles. Just because an essay or account is old doesn't mean it has no analytical value or insight that can illuminate today's issues. Etienne de la Boetie's 14th century observation that tyrants have only the power that we concede to them is as fresh and relevant today as then. If you don't agree, why do you think the Berlin Wall fell or Soviet power crumbled? Not because of guns and force but, ultimately, because the citizens stopped believing in the power of those governments. Voltairine de Cleyre’s essay (reprinted in this issue) of the dangers of religious education on critical thinking is downright spooky in its relevance to the current onslaught of Christian fundamentalism on public education today, as is the 19th century freethought writers’ analyses of the harm caused by the Christian Church. So, yes, it is worthwhile to “bother” with history. We live in a context of time and culture, not just of the here and now. We can gain, both personally and as a society, from contemplating lessons from the past. Recommended Resources: The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse on Voluntary Servitude by Etienne de la Boetie Connections by James Burke Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James Loewen Selected Works of Voltairine de Cleyre Women Without Superstition edited by Annie Laurie Gaylor March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam by Barbara Tuchman |