The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-03
By JOHN SPARGO.

every conceivable viewpoint is most en-
eouraging. Indeed, l am disposed TO
regard it as the most encouraging fact
in the intellectual life of contemporary
America. 1t means that we have shaken
off our sloth and are rapidly overcoming
our intellectual unpreparedness to meet
the grim challenge hurled against US by
the champions of the Dictatorship of the
Proletariat. There are still, / suspect,
many persons in this great republic who
do not know the difference between Boil
shevism and Buddhism, and many more
who do not know whether the Dictator
ship of the Proletariat is a new disease,
like shell shock, for example, or whether
it is one of those bothersome diplomatic
agreements concerning territorial conces-
sions in the Balkans, Asia Minor, or some
other mysterious geographical area.
The number of such persons, however,
is very much less than it was a little
while ago and is rapidly diminishing.
Just as we succeeded in rapidly mobiliz-
ing the forces of the nation against Ger
man mllitarism, so we are succeeding in
the rapid mobilization of our intellectual
forces against aggressive militarist Com
munism. Democracy, Amerieanism -
ideally the two are synonymous-will be
upheld.
Charles Edward Russell is in many re-
spects a>perfect exemplar of the highest
and best type of American journalism.
Sure, but never arrogantly cocksure,
serious and well informed, but never
ponderous, equally skilled in the use of
bludgeon and rapier, he has long been
known as one of the most militant foes
of privilege and oppression, one of the
most valiant champions of democracy. I
suppose that there are many Americans
who, regarding themselves as valiant
champions of democracy" look askance
at Mr.. Russell and mistrust him as a
dangerous radical That is due, I sus-
pect, to the fact that they think of democ-
racy as a sort of heirloom bequeathed
to us by the fathers, a finished and per-
fected thing to be carefully preserved,
while Mr.. Russell, ike Mazzini, whom he
resembles in many respects, concefHes
democracy as living and growing spirit,
ever charging its sphere.
If Bolshevism merely menaced an in
stitution labelled Democracy" Mr.. Rus
sell would have been quite Indifferent to
it. He is aroused and enters the list
against it because its menace is to the
living, pulsing and growing life on which
he rests his hope for America and for
the world
In this book, then, Bolshevism is placed
on trial, not by a Snug, compliment and
self-satisfied defender Of things as they
were In the days of Jefferson, or Of things
as they are, but by one who hes long been
IN the very forefront of the restless
struggle for change and advance. Here
is no apologist for our national imper-
foctions and wrongs, but one who has
cried his protests against these from the
housetops; one who has "muckraked"
our civilization with zest and zeal. Even
the Bolsheviki themselves, when they
would arraign the present order of things,
find the weapons of his forging most
effective of all in their arsenals. But
the great gulf which separates the Boil
shevih and the weapon forger is the
fundamental faith in democracy, and
therefore in America, which has always
inspired the weapon forger. That faith
in democracy is feared and hated by the
Polshevih as they never feared and
hated Czarism.
II.
Mr.. Russel's theme is Bolshevism and
the United States. If the Bolshevist
leaders were content to conine their eff
forts to Russia, if Bolshevism did not
spread beyond the domains of the vast