The Forerunners

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THE M R E RUN N E R S BY ROMAIN ROLLAND TRANSLATED BY EDEN AND CEDAR PAUL HARCOURT, BRACE AND HOWE NEW YORK 1920 to THE MEMORY OF THE MARTYRS OF THE NEW FAITH IN THE HUMAN INTERNATIONAL. TO JEAN JAURES, KARL LIEBKNECHT, ROSA LUXEMBURG, KURT EISNER, GUSTAV LANDAUER, THE VICTIMS OF BLOODTHIRSTY STUPIDITY AND MURDEROUS FALSEHOOD, THE LIBERATORS OF THE MEN WHO KILLED THEM. R. R August, 1919. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE DEDICATION ....... 5 INTRODUCTION ....... 9 I. ARA PACIS . .. . . . . II II. UPWARDS, ALONG A WINDING ROAD . . .15 III. TO THE MURDERED PEOPLES . ., .23 IV. TO THE UNDYING ANTIGONE . . . 3 2 v. A WOMANS VOICE FROM OUT THE TUMULT, . 34 VI, FREEDOM . . . . . .37 VII, FREE RUSSIA, THE LIBERATOR . . - 39 VIII. TOLSTOY THE FREE SPIRIT . . . 4 . IX. TO MAXIM GORKI . . ., .45 X. TWO LETTERS FROM MAXIM GORKI . . .47 XI. TO THE WRITERS OF AMERICA . . 51 XII. FREE VOICES FROM AMERICA . . . .55 XIII. ON BEHALF OF E. D, MOREL . . .67 XIV. YOUNG SWITZERLAND ., . . .69 XV. UNDER FIRE, . . . .86 XVI. AVE, CESAR, MORITURI TE SALUTANT . . 95 XVII. AVE, C SAR, THOSE WHO WISH TO LIVE SALUTE THEE ..., , , 101 PAGE XVIII. MEN IN BATTLE ., . . .106 XIX. VOX CLAMANTIS . . . . .121 XX. A GREAT EUROPEAN, G. F. NICOLAI . . .140 XXL REFLECTIONS ON READING AUGUSTS FOREL . . 175 XXII. ON BEHALF OF THE INTERNATIONAL OF THE MIND . 185 XXIII. A CALL TO EUROPEANS ... . .195 XXIV. OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT WILSON . . 204 XXV. AGAINST VICTORIOUS BISMARCKISM . ., 207 XXVI. DECLARATION OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE MIND 20p SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE TO CHAPTER XX . .217 INTRODUCTION THIS book is a sequel to Above the Battle. It consists of a number of articles written and published in Switzer land between the end of 1915 andthe beginning of 1919. As collective title for the work, I have chosen The Fore runners for nearly all the essays relate to the dauntless few who, the world over, amid the tempests of war and universal reaction, have been able to keep their thoughts free, their international faith inviolate. The future will reverence the names of these great harbingers, who have been flouted, reviled, threatened, found guilty, and im prisoned, I speak of such as Bertrand Russell, E. D. Morel, I axim Gorki, G. F. Nicolai, Auguste Forel, Andreas Latzko, Henri Barbusse, Stefan Zweig, and the choice spirits of France, America, and Switzerland, who have fought for freedom. To these essays I have prefixed ail ode, Ara Pads written during the first days of the war. It is an act of faith in Peace and Concord. Another act of faith will comprise the final chapter. This time it will be faith in action the faith which, in the face of the brute force of states and of tyrannical opinion, proclaims the invincible independence of Thought. I was half inclined to add to this collection a meditation upon Empedocles of Agrigentum and the Reign of Hatred. But it was somewhat too long, and its inclusion would have impaired the symmetry of the volume. In republishing the articles, I have not kept to a strictly chronological order. It appeared preferable to group them in accordance with the nature of their contents or under the guidance of artistic considerations. But at the close of 1 Published in pamphlet form by La Maison Fran aise, Paris, 1918. d 10 THE FORERUNNERS each essay I have mentioned the date of original publica tion, and, wherever possible, the date of composition, A few more words of explanation will help thereader to understand my general design. Above the Battle and The Forerunners are no more than a part of my writings on the war, writings composed during the last five years. The volumes contain those essays only which I have published, in Switzerland. Even so, the collection is far from complete, for I have not been able to gather together all these writings...