not
to imitate, the generous and brave.

The great Revolution of 1793 abounds in examples of this kind, and it is
always during such times of spiritual revival--as natural to societies
as to individuals--that the spring-tide of enthusiasm sweeps humanity
onwards.

We do not wish to exaggerate the part played by such noble passions, nor
is it upon them that we would found our ideal of society. But we are not
asking too much if we expect their aid in tiding over the first and most
difficult moments. We cannot hope that our daily life will be
continuously inspired by such exalted enthusiasms, but we may expect
their aid at the first, and that is all we need.

It is just to wash the earth clean, to sweep away the shards and refuse,
accumulated by centuries of slavery and oppression, that the new
anarchist society will have need of this wave of brotherly love. Later
on it can exist without appealing to the spirit of self-sacrifice,
because it will have eliminated oppression, and thus created a new world
instinct with all the feelings of solidarity.

Besides, should the character of the Revolution be such as we have
sketched here, the free initiative of individuals would find an
extensive field of action in thwarting the efforts of the egotists.
Groups would spring up in every street and quarter to undertake the
charge of the clothing. They would make inventories of all that the city
possessed, and would find out approximately what were the resources at
their disposal. It is more than likely that in the matter of clothing
the citizens would adopt the same principle as in the matter of
provisions--that is to say, they would offer freely from the common
store everything which was to be found in abundance, and dole out
whatever was limited in quantity.

Not being able to offer to each man a sable-lined coat and to every
woman a velvet gown, society would probably distinguish between the
superfluous and the necessary, and, provisionally at least class sable
and velvet among the superfluities of life, ready to let time prove
whether what is a luxury to-day may not become common to all to-morrow.
While the necessary clothing would be guaranteed to each inhabitant of
the anarchist city, it would be left to private activity to provide for
the sick and feeble those things, provisionally considered as luxuries,
and to procure for the less robust such special articles, as would not
enter into the daily consumption of ordinary citi