c.1885 — The Ateneo Obrero, Sabadell, Catalonia, Spain

To the working mothers of Barcelona, who so rightly protest the act of barbarism and savagery of which the honest family of comrade V Martinez was victim.

Comrades: What worker, what mother, will not be indignant upon reading the violent outrage that the worthy wife of the comrade Martínez was victim of and the sad consequences that it could have, or rather, had?

What worker will not want to join your protest? In general, all would protest if they knew; but most have so little time; and live in such oppression that they are ignorant of what is going on beyond their sad and poor home, and so they cannot express their feelings or send their protest.

But no matter, if they do not do it today, tomorrow they will educate themselves and do more than protest; they will avenge all the infamies that the privileged inflict on us. 

Mothers, educate your children, you say in your protest, and I say: Comrades, educate and associate ourselves so that we can teach our children the path they must follow!

What we must do is unite as one; union is strength; when we are united they will not run over us, as they have done with our sister, because it is true that as women we are weak, but as mothers we are very strong.

Comrades: we must use the press to communicate our sorrows and see how we can alleviate them. I think that you will find an inconvenience in what I say about communicating through the press, and I say inconvenience, because being as we are the most behind, or rather, having been robbed of the money and time to be able to educate ourselves and know enough, we lack talent for writing, especially in the press, where faults are so evident.

Sisters of misfortune, I, like you, see this inconvenience; but since I know that there are comrades among us who know enough, they, without making fun of our faults, because they know too well that the woman is the one with the most duties, and I could not be as inquisitive as they are, will correct our writings as far as possible; And even if it were not so, we must despise the foolish man for what he will say, and always see that if in our humble labors there is no science, there is at least heart and good desire.

What we must do is unite as one; union is strength; when we are united they will not run over us, as they have done with our sister, because it is true that as women we are weak, as mothers we are very strong.

Comrades: we must use the press to communicate our sorrows and see how we can alleviate them. I think that you will find an inconvenience in what I say about communicating through the press, and I say inconvenience, because being as we are the most behind, or rather, having been robbed of the money and time to be able to instruct and know what is sufficient, we lack talent for writing, especially in the press, where faults are so evident.

Sisters of misfortune, I, like you, see this inconvenience; but since I know that there are comrades among us who know enough, they, without making fun of our faults, because they know too well that the woman is the one with the most duties, and I could not be as inquisitive as they are, will correct our writings as far as possible; And even if it were not so, we must despise the foolish man for what he will say, and always see that if in our humble labors there is no science, there is at least heart and good desire[h2] .

So, my friends, prepare to face our enemies, who are certainly not few, but be aware that we will defeat them if we know how to be worthy and encourage our partners to defend their rights, which are ours and those of our children.

Let us forever lose the fear that we women had that our husbands would compromise themselves for the pure selfishness of being left alone: let us think that the coming Revolution is very different from the others, because it must end slavery and tyranny; Let us discard far from us the idea that our husbands should perish in combat, since we have only to think that it is better to accompany our children to wear a crown to the tomb of their father who died for freedom, than to see them all as slaves and pastures of the bourgeoisie.

I repeat, courage and perseverance, union and loyalty, and let us see that the misfortune that happened to our sister does not happen again, to whose pain I associate myself and to your protest.

End the oppressor forever, long live equality and justice! I am going to the light, and whoever wants to eat, let them work; that must be our cry. I bid you farewell, wishing you health, atheism, anarchy and collectivism.

Translation by Hannah Abigail Foley.

Source: Bandera Social, Madrid, 1885.

Copyright 2021 by Hannah Abigail Foley. Used by permission. All rights reserved.