102 THE UTOPIAN COMMUNIST
and still deeply affected by his prison experiences, clung stub
bornly to his role as a prophet and proclaimed a religious, sen
timental, primitive-Christian brand of communism. Whereas
Schapper's group became increasingly opportunistic, and was
content to accept a slow and gradual evolution, Weitling contin
ued to advocate revolution to change the whole structure of so
ciety in one brief cataclysmic uprising against property and the in
equalities of the existing order.
The discussions sponsored by the society resulted in a sharp
clash between the newly arrived leader of Continental commu
nism and the group already established in London. Weitling re
fused to give ground. He emphasized the emotions and the
primitive-Christian virtues as important factors in social reform,
and insisted upon his plan to crush the old order by a temporary
dictatorship of a well-organized revolutionary minority. Schapper
took sharp issue with his former Paris colleague about religion, and
Weitling resented all attacks on Christianity, especially by those
who rejected faith and relied wholly on cold science.
Only Hermann Kriege, whom Weitling met in London and
whose friendship was to prove important for his later career, sided
with him in shouting "down with reason, if it means the suffoca
tion of all feeling." Schapper favored the slower processes of
education; Weitling maintained that the times already were
rotten-ripe for change and he would wait no longer. "Revolu
tions," he argued, "come like a thunder storm, no one can foretell
their effects." He insisted that enlightenment by peaceful means
did not make for unity but that revolution, with its appeal to the
heart for sympathy for suffering brothers, did! "Reason," he
added, "will play a pitiful role... the greatest deeds will result
from the power of emotion." "It is nonsense to preach enlighten
ment to the hungry." "The crown of thorns of the martyrs wins
more hearts than all the laurel wreaths of poets and orators,"
whereas "the eternal propaganda for peaceful evolution merely
stultifies men's courage and zeal" for reform. Weitling defended
his position with all the eloquence he could muster and professed a
barré
(Barré)
#1