Voices from the Past: John Most's Revolutionary Yuletide Message (1892)
I’m thrilled to announce some big news: my biography of Johann Most—a trailblazing German-born socialist-turned-anarchist who inspired icons like Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman—is finally complete. Slated for release by the University of Illinois Press in Fall 2025, this will be the only English-language scholarly biography of Most, a pioneer of German socialism and American anarchism.
As a preview of Most’s electrifying and controversial legacy, I’d like to spotlight a lesser-known gem: his essay “Gifts,” published on Christmas Eve 1892 in his New York-based newspaper, Freiheit. This spirited piece offers a window into Most’s complex political philosophy and serves as a timely translation to share with you. But before diving into the essay, let’s unpack the man behind the words.
Johann Most was a virtuoso of the German language. With razor-sharp precision, he dismantled privilege, provoked the powerful, and emboldened the working class. His essays burst with wordplay, biting satire, and humor that rival the wit of a Jon Stewart or Bill Maher. But Most’s comedic edge was always in service of an unrelenting commitment to anti-capitalism, atheism, and immediate revolutionary change.
However, to many, Most remains synonymous with the stereotype of the anarchist bomb-thrower, a caricature shaped by his brief—but highly publicized—advocacy for violent revolution. This perception, while not entirely unfounded, overshadows the broader scope of his nearly 40-year career.
Most’s pivot away from violence came in the wake of the Haymarket bombing of 1886 and the execution of four anarchists that followed in 1887. The tragedy forced him to reconsider his stance, and by the early 1890s, Most had become a vocal critic of individual acts of terror. He argued instead for the power of agitation through speech and writing—a transformation many but not everyone in the movement endorsed.
By 1892, the year he penned “Gifts,” Most had distanced himself from his younger admirer Alexander Berkman, who attempted to assassinate industrialist Henry Clay Frick during the Homestead Strike that summer. Most condemned the act as reckless and counterproductive, believing it detracted from the larger class struggle. This stance sparked a heated feud with Emma Goldman, who defended Berkman’s deed as justified revolutionary action. Their public spat came to a dramatic head just a week before Most published his holiday essay.
In “Gifts,” Most reflects on this turbulent moment in the movement. With characteristic wit, he alludes to the debates surrounding revolutionary tactics without naming names. The essay then transforms into a hopeful call to (verbal) arms for the new year—a year that, unbeknownst to him, would inaugurate the worst economic depression in American history up to that point.
Most’s essay is a reminder of his enduring influence as a speaker, writer, and editor of Freiheit, a newspaper that reached thousands of radicals across the United States and beyond. His ability to galvanize immigrant anarchists during the 1880s and 1890s was considerable, and even as his philosophy evolved, his words continued to inspire.
And now, I present John Most’s Yuletide and New Year’s message.
Gifts
A reflection on Christmas is expected at this time from every journalist, especially if he is German. It doesn’t matter whether one is a Christian or a "pagan"; everyone is free to chat about it in their own way, but total abstention is not allowed and, at the very least, is very poorly regarded. Indeed, almost all the ink-slingers who populate the pond of the press have managed to meet the demand. If they don’t engage in hypocritical musings in the style of Christian Matins1, they instead indulge in "liberal" chatter about the customs of the ancient Germans during the winter solstice. If they want to appear especially witty and radical, they lament that the phrase about "peace on earth" and "goodwill toward men" (out of propriety, they refrained from mentioning the "glory to God in the highest"), which is intoned from the pulpits on so-called Christmas Eve and more or less primitively commented upon, stand in stark and dreadful contrast to reality. They console their readers with the notion that, in a nebulously distant future, a time might, could, or should dawn when such things might come to pass.
For our part, we avoid any reflection on these matters. Instead, we take up another aspect of the Christmas frenzy: the mania of mutual gift-giving.
There is no doubt that everyone is pleased when someone gives them a present. But the joy is greatly diminished when one is simultaneously aware that the giver expects something in return and puts on a very sour expression if the reciprocation falls short of expectations.
The whole affair is a rather silly sport. Wealthy people—what should they give each other? They already have everything their hearts desire. Poor devils, on the other hand, bleed themselves dry with this gift-giving and still can’t lure a dog to the stove.2 For our part, we forgo all and any gifts, but we would be very glad if anyone who owes us something took the holiday season as an occasion to settle their account. On the other hand, we won’t be giving out anything either—not even one of those so-called illustrated New Year’s greetings, which are little more than a veiled solicitation of newspaper vendors.
If we could, of course, as we might wish, we would send everyone something appropriate to their homes.
We would delight emperors and kings, whether clad in ermine or tailcoats, with elegant fancy boxes that, when opened, produced delightful explosive effects, leaving the recipients feeling highly elevated.
Aristocrats of ancient lineage or of recent cattle dealing, boodle, or speculator ilk would receive champagne from us, the kind that induces a stupor culminating in a sleep from which there is no awakening.
For corpulent clerics in robes and cassocks, we would prepare gifts of love whose enjoyment would secure them entrance into the well-deserved "kingdom of heaven."
For bureaucrats of the old caste or of demagogic origin, we would have Havanas ready—cigars of such a nature that just one would suffice to extinguish any desire for a second, thereby ending all worldly woes for the individuals concerned.
Police officers, gendarmes, and all their ilk would be regaled with schnapps that would make each of them "blessed."
As for human beings who must toil endlessly and yet can enjoy only sparingly, we would gift them good books and, so that strong hands might accompany bright minds, fine breech-loading rifles with ample accessories.
However, our wishes in this regard are purely fanciful; yet they come straight from the heart.
As things stand, we must content ourselves with paying our readers the customary weekly visit at Christmas and sharing what occupies our minds.
So be it! We stand at year’s end. Is this not a fitting moment to examine our so-called conscience? Do we not have reason to ask ourselves seriously whether we have fulfilled our duty over the past twelve months? Does everyone wish to answer this question affirmatively? We doubt it.
It is true that the situation in which anarchists found themselves during the year 1892 was anything but rosy—especially in America. Numerous comrades in various countries were torn from our ranks, buried alive in the dungeons of prison, or even murdered. Reaction raged against us more fiercely than ever, seeking to extinguish our movement by every possible means—a course of action that was further facilitated, unfortunately, by all manner of reckless exploits from those who supposedly sympathized with us.3 In this country in particular, the situation was compounded by the fact that the labor movement as a whole—despite some brilliant episodes, such as the battle scenes at Homestead, Tennessee, Idaho, and Buffalo—was in retreat across the board.4 Most advances made by workers through strikes, boycotts, and the like were repelled by the capitalists. One defeat followed another, formerly magnificent organizations collapsed entirely or were so weakened that they will not recover from their setbacks for a long time to come. This misery, which afflicted the majority of the organized working class, did not fail to exert a negative influence on the vanguard as well.
Worshippers of success, as people (our comrades included for the most part) tend to be, could not help but be affected in a depressing way by the many failures. And as is always the case in such situations, the aforementioned moral downturn was accompanied by bickering and discord. This happens because those who lack richer experience or fail to dig precisely to the roots of all things are inclined to seek the causes of such setbacks everywhere except where they actually lie. They accuse every person they imagine capable of magic of all possible sins of doing and not doing while failing to notice the real culprits.
The result is invariably a more or less pronounced pessimism, sulking, and other nonsense. This was also the case in the year now coming to an end.
Despite all this, we can now state that, throughout the entire tragedy, we have lost neither our heads nor our courage—not even our humor. This is because we have always closely followed the course of events and could therefore foresee how things must unfold. As a result, we have not succumbed to pessimism; we have steered the little ship of the party, Freiheit, through every reef, every swamp, and every obstacle, and we can now proudly say that we have carried out our not insignificant task during this difficult year as well as could possibly be done. We are no cowards and therefore do not take modesty too far, though no one could accuse us of putting on airs. Anyone who thinks they could have navigated such difficult situations better is welcome to try for a time. Enough said: despite all the adversities of the year, we are content with what we have achieved or carried over into the new year. Comrades, near and far, should take this to heart and think similarly.
Anarchists are not the fathers of their time; on the contrary, it is the other way around. They do not create the conditions under which they live; rather, they cannot escape the framework imposed upon them by the circumstances of the moment. No matter how lofty their plans may be, no matter how inclined they are to think of storming the heavens, they must, whether they like it or not, stretch as far as the given ceiling allows.
Whoever keeps such natural principles in mind, who never lets their individual thinking stray from present reality and always bases their observations on the solid ground they stand on; whoever aligns their actions with the means at their disposal; whoever does not try to step with one foot into this "vale of earthly sorrows" and with the other into a fantasy paradise—in short, whoever does not act like a fool despite whatever intellectual capacities they may possess—can neither experience crushing disappointments nor set their expectations of success higher than the circumstances allow.
This little sermon is our gift to those who might need it.
It is unbecoming for anyone wanting to be a thoughtful anarchist to surrender today to the delusion that half an ounce of powder, even when harmlessly exploded, constitutes colossal propaganda, and then tomorrow, upon being confronted with the childishness of such fantasies, to throw in the towel or lash out furiously at those who, while filled with revolutionary passion, kept cool, fanaticism-free heads and offered equally necessary and well-intentioned advice.
We hope that every comrade who has studied their principles thoroughly and who is seriously committed to advocating the teachings of communism and anarchy by all means available will take to heart the admonitions we have given here—if they need them. Anyone who found the pace of agitation too slow this past year should—far from grumbling in the shadows of their own four walls—throw themselves into the work with double the vigor in the new year in the spirit of our movement. Anyone who finds party life insufficiently lively has no excuse to stay away. If they want to improve what they care about in this regard, they must above all seek to engage actively themselves and ensure that the agitation is invigorated.
Regarding the readership of Freiheit this year, we neither lost much nor gained much. That is more than many other papers of our stripe can say (vain boasts aside). Some are not entirely satisfied with this. To any malcontents, we say: prove to us first that you made an effort to bring in new subscribers. Many, when they reflect on their record, might feel “regret and remorse.” And how many, year after year, endeavor to peddle books and pamphlets? “That’s the job of colporteurs!” they might say—what sheer laziness! The indifference displayed in this regard often stinks to high heaven. Whoever this may concern: those who failed in 1892 to distribute anarchist writings among the people decisively failed in their duty as party members. To them, we wish improvement in 1893.
Everything we’ve stated so far applies mainly to America, as across the Atlantic, there is movement everywhere, despite all the hardships our comrades there must endure—truly invigorating. This fact alone should suffice to keep American comrades consistently diligent and ready to make sacrifices.
This already-know-it-all attitude, this consequent lack of need to attend meetings; this assurance of being "ready when the time comes"; these countless excuses for indulging in private comfort—all of this sometimes drives us "wild," especially since it has a cursedly contagious effect.
Anarchists—whether newcomers or veterans—must always show up when the call to assemble is made if they wish to be taken seriously. They must understand that the stronger their presence, the more impactful they can be outwardly. And that, after all, is the primary goal of agitation. May these “pills” we offer as gifts not just be swallowed but also produce the desired invigorating effect. We must ensure that, in the coming year, the culture of meetings regains new and vigorous life, and this can be achieved with ease if everyone is willing. We must succeed in expanding the reach of our press beyond its current scope. Our other literature must be delivered hand-to-hand.
Enough now. These are serious times. Major events, already underway, are sending new signals daily. Anarchists have a tremendous role to play in these developments. Let us always be mindful of this. Forward to new efforts in the coming year! Comrades, be active, be persistent!
Original: “Präsente,” Freiheit (New York), December 24, 1892.
The early morning prayers or services in Christian liturgy, especially associated with the Christmas midnight service. Most uses this phrase to ascribe a tone of sanctimoniousness or moralizing rhetoric.
German idiom meaning to try to entice someone or something in vain.
Most refers here to Alexander Berkman’s failed assassination attempt on Frick, an action Most disapproved of.
Homestead steel strike in Homestead, PA; the Coal Creek armed labor uprising in Anderson County, Tennessee in 1891; the miners’ strike at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and the Buffalo switchmen’s strike in August 1892.