The Washington herald., 1918-11-15

SPECIAL Correspondent o< The Washington Herald
New York. Nov. 14-Court newspa-
per reporters used 10 the seamy side
of life. squalor and wretchedness got
glimpse the other day into the soul
OF girl The girl was Mollie Steiner.
aged Is. and she was on trial on
charges OF sedition- II was IN her
flat In Harlem that she and i've others
planned the distribution Of seditious
periodicals.
She furnished a striking revelation
OF the social doctrines which have
come TO be known a. "Bolshevikisrn. %
The young feminist radical was
pretty East side type She was The
spokesman OF a school OF thought
with which the world must deai-
wisely and vigorously
She was asked II she believed m
laws protecting health and morality
and she replied with flashing eye:
Il do not believe the laws do pro-
tect health and morality"
Then she was asked II she believed
m the laws OF marriage and she re-
sponded without equivocation:
When girl marries nowadays IL
is because she wants to get nd OF
the factory and wants a home, not
because OF love"
The girl is OF foreign birth. She
spoke English with perfect dictIoa
and accuracy and with a nne per-
eepuon of the meaning Of words. She
was not a '1ow-brow' by any man
ner OF means She was sweatshop
worker, but she had acquired the
habit Of thinking-and OF thinking in
he fgI.
II was a shocking glimpse into the
soul Of a young East Side girl-there
are hundreds like her. Il revealed
dark depths which reporters recog-
nized it is the duty OF society TO
ilumine. to clean out. 10 MI up.
Coming to a strange country from
foreign shores they are picked out
by anarchistic fanatics and made easy
prey for half-baked theories because
they do not understand conditions.
They begin TO believe that laws wer.
made to oppress and TO keep the sub
merged tenth IN a permanent condi-
ton Of submergence.
The coffee houses and cheap cafes
Of the East Side are filed with these
feminine types. At times they seep
over TO Greenwich Village and become
the rage" They scorf at the mar
riage ceremony. smoke cigarettes.
knock the rich and generally wind up
in a courtroom
Harry Kemp. the tramp poet. de-
clares he has never been iII in his
life. He says he would like TO be sick
for a day or so TO know what the ex-
perience is like Kemp has never
worn a hat in his life and he does
nH = g.
He wears low shoes winter and sum
mer and has never had a cold
Kemp is preparing TO open his the
ster for the winter. He writes all
the plays and those who act In them
are paid IL there is any money taken
in. Some day the Harry Kemp The
ater may prove 10 be a popular show
place.
New Workers laughed when the
Greenwich Village Theatcr was
opened. but just now IL has one OF
the most popular shows in town In
The Better Ole a dranatization o.
Bairnsfather's cartoon book. Seats
are selling ten weeks in advance
Another interesting literary charsc-
ter is Jane Barr. who runs a little
inn up on the Hudson. II is rHp for
fun-not for pront ana famous writers
and artists 20 there regularly. Miss
Burr publishes her own books ana
loses money on them. but she has a
lot OF fun doing il. Mrs. Helena
Dayton, scuIptress and painter. used
to have open house every Sunday
night down on Eighteenth street for
the literary and artistic folk. but she
is doing Red Cross work now on the
other side and her place is being filled
by Miss Burr.