New-York tribune., 1918-05-25

proetarjnn aa+n1s is the bearer be fseef of
words were incorporated the
beautiful dream concerning the triumph
of righteousness, reason and love, the
dream of the triumph of man over the
beast. In the struggle for the realiza-
tion of this dream thousands of men of
all classes gave up their lives. Now the
proletarian is at the helm, he has Sc
cured the coveted freedom to labor and
create freely.
1t is now in order and pertinent to
ask: "How does this labor and the pro-
letarian's freedom to create express it.
self?" The DEGREES of "the Government
of Peoples Commissioners" are no. more
than newspaper feuilletons, no more, no
less 1t is that sort of literature which
is written on water, and even though
real idea is now and then given express
sion to, the present circumstances forbid
the realization of any idea.
What new things, then, is the revolu-
tion bringing; how is it transforming the
bitter realities of Russian life; how
much light is it bringing into the dark
ened lives of the Russian people?
For the period of the revolution ten
thousand lynchings have already been
accounted for. This is how democracy
is melting out judgment upon those who
have in some way sinned against the
new order.
A thief was caught at the Alexandrian
Market in Petrograd. The mob threw
itself at him, assaulted him in, a muir
derous manner and then his disposition
was placed before a vote of the crowd.
to him? Should he be drowned or shot?
1t was voted to drown him, and the
wretch was thrown into the ice-cold
river. He succeeded in swimming to
safety and crawled out at the edge of
the water. Then one of the mob stepped
forward and shot him. Two deaths
then; he was both drowned and shot.
The middle ages of our history are
known to be>epochs of excessive cruelty,
but even then it was the rule that when
condemned man through some mshap
fell from the gallows alive he was al
lowed to go free
What effect do these lynchings have
upon the rising generation?
Soldiers are leading a thief who is
about to be drowned He has almost
been beaten to death. He is entirely
covered with blood. His face is torn
and one eye entirely extinguished. The
procession is followed by large as
semblage of children. Then the children
turn back dancing and hopping and
shouting: "He is drowned, he is
drownedn'
And these are our own children the
builders of our future! How cheap human
life will become in their estimation. and
human life-we should not forget this
is the best, the most precious gift, the
greatest treasure in the possession of
the world.
The war has placed the human being
on par with piece of lead, and on
account of this estimate we have raised
a hue and cry and attacked the 'Im-
perialists.' Whom should we now blame
for the daily brutalities perpetrated
upon human beings?@
Due to whole chain Of circumstances
the publication and circulation of new
books in Russia has been entirely dis
continued and at the same time numer
Gus OF the most valuable Libraries are
being destroyed. Only recently the
peasants pillaged the estates of Chud-
skow, Obolemski and a whole list Of
other wealthy establishments. The peas
ants appropriated everything that had
any value in their eyes and burned the
books in the libraries, broke the works
OF sculpture with their axes and cut up
and tore the paintings to tatters. These
forms OF art and culture and science
have no value in. the eyes of the coup
try people, and it is even doubtful
whether any perceptible appreciation of
them prevails among the masses in the
cities
For many nights now they have been
robbing the wine cellars. Throngs of
infuriated men beat each other over the
heads with bottles, cut their hands with