The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-11-06
"A PLEA FOR SOLIDARITY AND
EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATION.

division amongst us ana bend our en-
orgies TO the constructive work that
lies before us.
That work is the apparently Her
cuean task of educating the produc-
ors of the world into a condition of
class consciousness.
Until that condition is reached there
Is no hope of realization of the Social
list ideal
Fortunately we already have much
valuable literature consisting of books,
pamphlets and periodicals, some of
which have been and are still being
widely distributed We also have
many trained lecturers of more or less
efficiency who help to keep the pot
boiling. Fortunately also the excess
sive avarice of the capitalist class is
furnishing numerous object lessons
which make the Socialist contention
obvious.
There are some features of the sit
uation, however that appear to have
been overlooked. We condemn the
present system of the distribution of
labor's product on the ground of its
wastefulness, and not without reason,
yet we, the toilers of the world, leave
the distribution of our literature large
" to individual initiative with its
waste of duplication and its immense
waste in adaptation.
Probably nine-tenths of the con
verts made to Socialism get their So
cial enlightenment from literature,
yet, generally speaking, we have no
systematic distribution. Many locals
put up considerable sums for lectures
which are usually delivered to an audi
ence composed almost entirely of So
cialsts and which have consequently
little value as propaganda work al
though they help to maintain interest
in the work of the local.
II the Socialist party is to continue
it's growth and finally assume the
reins of government the vital thing
for us now is efficient propaganda
work through a SCIENTIFIC distribu-
ton of literature.
BY scientific distribution l mean
distribution which adapts the litera-
ture to the tastes and necessities of
the individual and that covers the
labor field completely. Anything
short of this is inefficient. One mans
chief interest seems to center in his
occupation, anothers in his religion,
another's in education, and in all these
there is such diversity of thought that
ideas which attract one repel another
and Socialist classic which will make
an immediate convert of one man will
only antagonize another who looks at
the same thing from different view
point. Most of us like salt on our po-
tatoes but we do not want it in our
coffee. We like soda in our biscuits
but not in our tea. We like vinegar
our pie. If we happened to visit some
one who served us with any of these
things because they liked them we
would probably be either greatly
amused or grossly offended, but the
chances are that we would not learn
to appreciate their taste for these
things. Still we no doubt offend the
intellectual taste of our friends very
often because we do not understand
their viewpoint and many who could
be reached in a rational and system
attic manner are now antagonized be-
cause we do not understand our bust
ness of presenting the matter to them
properly.
Here in our Loon Lake local we
are attempting to overcome this diff
Guilty. We have literature agent who
looks after the distribution of our lit
erature and has charge of our library
and at the same time holds the office
of womans' correspondent, whose eff
ficiency is deserving of special men,
ton here, Comrade Charlotte B.
Hughes. We make a study of our lit
erature and of the people to whom
we distribute it and endeavor to adjust
them so they will fit. short time
ago we started a Socialist library by
getting subscribers for Socialist per-
iodicals offering books as premiums.
We have already secured a number of
standard books and if we maintain
our present pace will soon have a
splendid library at a trifling cost to
the local. We find this constructive
work adds interest to our local meet
ings and holds our local together.
We believe that every local that has
not already on hand an aggressive lit
erature campaign would be greatly
benefited by adopting one and includ-
ing a permanent library in the pro
gram. We believe also that it might
be a valuable help to some of the
smaller locals in particular if the state
office should publish a list of say
thirty to fifty of the best books to