1) Kriege here asserts he is “not accustomed to performing on a 
logical tight-rope in the barren desert of theory”. That he is walking 
on a “tight-rope’’, not a logical one, it is true, but one spun from 
philosophical and love-besotted phrases, is clear from every issue of 
the Volks-Tribun. 

2) The proposition that “each separate person lives individually” 
(which is itself nonsense) is expressed by Kriege as he walks the 
following illogical “tight-rope”: “as long as the human species 
continues to find its representation in individuals at all’, 

3) “putting an end to the present state of things” is supposed to 
depend on the “pleasure” of the “creative spirit of mankind”, which 
does not exist anywhere. 

* A paraphrased stanza from Goethe’s Prometheus.— Ed. 
> H. Kriege, “Antwort an Cattanio” —Ed. 

Circular Against Kriege 45 

4) The following is the ideal of the communist man: “He bears the 
stamp of the species” (and who does not do so by the mere fact of his 
existence?), “determines his own goals according to the goals of the 
species” (as if the species were a person who could have goals) “‘and 
seeks to be completely his own, solely in order to dedicate himself to 
the species with everything that he is and is capable of becoming” 
(total self-sacrifice and self-abasement before a vaporous fantasy- 
concept). 

5) The relationship of the individual to the species is also 
described in the following extravagant nonsense: “All of us and 
our particular activities are but symptoms of the great movement 
which is afoot in the inner depths of mankind.” “In the inner 
depths of mankind”—where is that? According to this proposi- 
tion, then, real people are only “symptorns”, features of a “move- 
ment” that is afoot “in the depths” of a phantom conjured up by 
thinking. 

6) This country parson transforms the struggle for a communist 
society into “the search for that great spirit of community”. He 
pictures this “great spirit” “foaming full and fine from the cup of 
communion” and as “the holy spirit flashing from fraternal eyes”. 

Now that the revolutionary communist movement has thus 
been transformed into the “search” for the holy spirit and 
holy communion, Kriege can of course also assert that this spirit 
“needs only to be recognised for all men to be joined together in 
love”. 

7) This metaphysical conclusion is preceded by the following 
confusion of communism with communion: “The spirit that conquers 
the world, the spirit that commands the storm and the thunder and 
lightning (!!!!), the spirit that heals the blind and the lepers, the spirit 
that offers all men to drink of one wine” (we prefer a variety of kinds) 
‘and to eat of one bread” (the French and English Communists are 
rather more demanding), “the spirit that 1s eternal and omnipresent, 
that is the spirit of community.” If this “spirit” is “eternal and 
omnipresent”, it is quite beyond comprehension how, according to 
Kriege, private property has managed to exist for so long. But, true 
enough, it has not been “recognised” and was thus “eternal and 
omnipresent” solely in his own imagination. 

Kriege is therefore here preaching in the name of communism the 
old fantasy of religion and German philosophy which is the direct | 
antithesis of communism. Faith, more specifically, faith in the “holy 
spirit of community” is the last thing required for the achievement of 
communism. 

SECTION FOUR