The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1915-09-23
MOST DIFFICULT PLACE FOR
SOCIALIST PROPAGANDA
BY Emil Herman

arriving ut your destination for the
day, II you be so fortunate as to be
met at the depot, you will, seven times
out of ten, IA soon as greetings have
been exchanged, be casually informed
by your new found comrade somewhat
in this manner:
you have struck a hard proposition
here. comrade; this is the worst place
in the country to do Socialist work in.
1t is impossible to get people out to
a Socialist lecture here"
If you are not met at the depot you
feel your way until you land the So
cialist who is supposed to have the
meeting in charge when you are like
wise informed as quoted above.
For time you wonder how many
worst places there be in the country
to do Socialist work In, but finally you
get wise and you anticipate that each
place is the worst place and you beat
your comrade to II by asking: well,
suppose, like most other places
have been to recently, this is the
worst place in the country to do SO.
cialist propaganda in?"
Upon inquiring into how well the
meeting is advertised, you learn that
some--n about half the places all
of the posters have been put up.
You then ask: "Have any tickets
beer sold?"
mo, we didn't try; it would be no
use as people here will not pay ten
cents to hear a Socialist lecture"
Have all the people with telephones
in their homes been invited to attend
the lecturer"
mo, most of those who have tele
phones would not come anyway"
Did you have some one announce
the lecture at church last Sunday?"
mo, there was no use in doing that
people who go to church are too bigot
cd to listen to a Socialist speaker"
"You say you had grange Cor 9
union meeting) last week. No doubt
it was announced there?"
Am sorry to say it wasn't, comrade
we selected no one to attend to that
at our last meeting of the local and
am a poor hand to attend to such
matters myself"
Ibid you prepare little write up
and present it to your local paper as
news item?'
NO, we have not been accustomed
TO doing that and therefore forgot
all about It,"
Has the lecture been announced a
the school house and the children re
quested to invite their parents to at
tend?"
mo, we haven't any Socialist in the
community who felt competent to dc
that"
Seeing that you failed to sell tick
cts land thereby compel the non-so
cialists to pay for their own educa
tom I take it for granted that yor
have arranged for ushers to take uI
the collection and assist in the sale
of literature?"
mo, but we can easily find few
comrades at the meeting who will
volunteer to act in that capacity"
Have you decided on who is to ac
as chairman"
mo, we never select the chairman
until just before the lecture begins.
And so on and SO forth until you
are convinced that nothing has beer
done except to put up a few window
cards and pass out a few hand bills
You of course realize that this il
very inadequate and that the meeting
will be a failure unless some hurry
up advertising is done. Perhaps it IL
one of the occasions when you have
had to walk from five to twenty mile!
to meet the engagement; it is late II
the day, you are fatigued, you neeC
some rest, so in order to do justice
to your lecture you let things slide
and take a chance. The result is {
small audience; you are peeved b.
the apathy, Indifference, lack of judg
ment and inefficiency manifested b.
Socialists generally and the comrades
present aggravate the situation fur
Their by remarking, Just as | expect
ed; you can't do anything for Social
ism in this community. There is M
use trying"
If you arrive in time you look up ;
few willing comrades and with theil
help advertise as best you can in 81
short a time and inasmuch as peopl,
are really anxious to ascertain wha
the Socialist Party has to offer them
succeed in getting out a good-sizet
audience. Then the Socialists presen
express themselves as agreeably sur
prised and inform you that they really
did not expect the people to turn out
so well.