The Washington times., 1916-09-26


feet contentment of the group.
Sometimes one could detect a little
Increased animation as discussion
s s,dss;.;. which at distance and con;
the way they all settle back and take
up rocking and knitting where they
left on. might be a discussion OF
whether II In desirable 10 take heavy
wraps to n picnic or go by motor or
Young Woman Speaking.
The young woman In a white blouse.
and the CLINT OF bronze In her hair and
the far away look in her sparkling eyes.
who 10 screwing the cap on a fountain
pen as though she had Just finished
writing her daily letter to hubby. is
speaking-very much as though she had
paused on her way to mail her letter;
II have union card-but ] didn't
get 1t while was working at my trade
In a cigar factory! All those years I was
not a skilled laborer! didn't do all the
making OF the cigars. In stogies and
some kinds OF cigars one person does
the rolling and another finishes. The
regular cigar makers union Is made up
OF men who make the whole cigar, you
understand? was an unskilled laboreri
Ard / didn't get my card until went
back into a cigar factory to Investigate
conditions there.
at is because the /. w. W. seeks to
organize an industry and bears the
torch aloft to all the workers, skilled
and unskilled. In that industry that
feel we are better representative OF the
ideals OF real trades unionism. II IL not
by It's victories. but by its failures. that
the I. w. w. has proved Its spirit In
the Lowell strike. the silk workers
strike In Paterson. we did not get much
materially. But we did Undue those
people with a spirit that will never
leave them. We held the torch to all
and they saw II and knew it,
Dreamer of Dreams.
Hardly porch gossip!
But Rose Pastor Stokes. ideaiist, sol
der Of the common good. Jean dare OF
socialism in America. practical REFORM
er. who did the speaking. would hard
ly qualify as a porch party gossiper.
And the group OF knitting, nodding,
noting, rocking men and women who
heard hsr--they were the men and wom-
en- with big dreams and high ideals of
universal brotherhood. universal peace.
universal service. who are striving to
most practical way they can think of
as members OF the intercollegiate So
cialists' Society.
They gathered in annual conference
at Sherwood Forest from all sections
OF the world. There were only two
pairs OF bone-ribbed spectacles among
this group OF seventy-five ''hiEhbrow
rads"-and one pair graced The nose OF
newspaper reporter!
sI Here was I1 the graE-haiTed. pstTiaTchial
he who leads and fights for co-opera-
tive buying and selling: and who won q
Nobel peace price there was DR..
Helen L Sumner leader in the fight
sat John Spargo. who began life as
breaker boy In a coal mine. and after
becoming professor OF theology,
preached socialism up and down Eng
land. Scotland. and Wales as well az the
United States, and took occasion while
II was happening to roundly denounce
the Boer war to England and English
men from every street corner In Lon
don.
A Most Radical Group.
And so on through the group the
names would make up almost a complete
directory OF the most radical group of
men and women workers for the roS
making OF the economic and political
destinies of the world. who claim the
causes OF socialism, trade unionism.
ownership. and all those things people
have been led TO consider advanced"
and extremely radical
All last week these radicals met morn
Ing and evening in the porch-like pa
tening to and participating In discus
sions Of the most revolutionary the
cries. backed by statements of actual
practice that have spread over the first
pages OF the newspapers throughout the
Stocking the engines Of reform for an
other run on the main line OF human en-
deavor," Is the way n visitor termed II
after listening to the discussions
A bit under medium height. with
framed In tortoise shell spectacles, Mr..
Spargo lacks the average pictured an
archist and forms most decided con-
trast to another member OF the group.
a tall, dark, athletic-lookinE young
man who would easily be picked as the
champion tennis player OF some coun-
try club on appearance, but would be
introduced by his friends as j. a..
Phelps Stokes, who literally writhes
under the designation of millionaire
Socialist"
Says He Can't Help II.
"MaNonaire" Stokes declares he
can't help that. He was born that way.
What and whoever he can help with
his money he does. But the greatest
help Stokes has given the cause of
socialism has been In developing
leadership. He Is one of the most rad
ical OF the radicals, and with his wife,
ttObc olOhcb' ne mas been Jailed
and had all sorts Of so-called indignities
heaped upon him.
Mild hammered. mild spoken, with the
kind OF a smile that would make his
fortune as a leading man. ]. q. Phelps
Stokes Is president Of the Intercol-
legiate Socialist Society. His address
with regard TO necessity OF an army
and navy 10 a type OF the way he flies
In the face of Socialist tradition
The Stokes family IL also represented
by Miss Helen Stokes. sister OF j, a..
Phelps. She has worked hard and per-
sistently against child labor and with
her brother was one OF the pioneers In
securing child labor legislation.
Miss Mary Sanders is an entirely diff
ferent type of socialist. She presides at
porch parties" and to her equipment as
crusader she has added unusual abiI-
ity as a ,parliamentarian, and such abii-
ity Is badly needed In a socialist gath
ering where the idealists are frequently
carried by their enthusiasm over The
limits Of parliamentary usage.
The distinctly student type In the
group. Ii represented by the acetic Sp-
pearing Walter Rauscenbusch OF the
| University OF Rochester, a theologian OF
| distinction. DR.. Radschenbusch IL us-
ualiy pointed out as being accompanied
by 'one OF his wonderful children,'' who