The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-10-31
BOLSHEVISM BETTERS
LIVES of WOMEN
WRITER AYERS
Terms Tale of Making Mere
Free Love Herd of Them
Canard.
BY w. T. Goode

Guardian and The Chicago Tribune
Manchester, England, Oct. 49,
There are a number of ideas on Rus
STA which are popularity current il
west Europe and which have arouse,
mass feeling against the bolsheviki
From what source some of these hav,
sprung into being it is difficult to dis
cover. Others are based on actua
facts.
1t is said and printed that tn.
Jews are bolsheviks and that th,
bolsheviks are Jews.
1t should be borne in mind thai
throughout the Czaristic regime Jews
were to be found in every revolution.
airy movements was their only
way of protesting against cruelties
practiced on them-and in this last
revolution there were bound to be
Jews.
In the Office of the government, it
would be absurd not to look for mem
bers of the race in Russia which has
always valued education and culture
qualities that are of first import
ance in new regime.
SEES MORE RUSSIANS
But wherever I saw Jews there al
so / saw Russians in immeasurably
greater number and I came to the
conclusion that in all fairness the
utmost that can be said is that Jews
are found officially among the boil
sheviks in greater proportion than
their race bears to the entire popula-
ton of Russia. That is, however, a
very different proposition from the
one popularity believed-that Jews
and bolshevik are convertible terms.
But that statement sticks and it
has produced dire results-especially
in the south. In districts overrun by
Denikine, Petlura and the Poles, de
structlve attacks and pogroms on the
Jews have been almost the order of
the day based on statement that
where you find a Jew there you will
find bolshevik.
Again it is blieved that the church
is prosecuted in Russia AS [ trav-
eled | was. struck by the frequency of
church bells calling to service. Meth
er IN village, town, nor city through
which passed, or in which I stopped
did | see a single damaged church,
Damage to Churches
| had photographs of Jaroslav,
whore considerable damage to
churches of that beautiful town had
been done in fighting between Whites
and Reds, but | did not go there. In
Moscow as | previously said, grand
church buildings are intact. Indeed
when the government was at Petro-
grad, a rumor came that the Basil
cathedral at Moscow had been de-
stroyed. sHorriied at this Lunachar-
sky, commissary Of education and
art, resigned at once only to find lat
er on that the rumor was false. !
There Is now no state church. All |
forms and. creeds are tolerated but /
their maintenance depends on the |
faithful and not on the state. The |
Opoes-priests-are bitterly hostile
to Bolshevism but so far as I could |
judge they are unnolested.
A specific act of the Bolsheviks is
perhaps the best guide to their atti-
tude toward religion. One of the
strongest popular beliefs was that
the bodies of certain saints and holy
men remained interrupted and in
perfect preservation in their shrines
These shrines became the recipients of
that religious adrotion of which the
populations of Europe seems capable.
Help No Religion
In the presence of commissaries,
church dignitaries, local officials and
he populace certain of these shrines
we're opened and as was to be expect
I'd the people were shown that their
belief had no foundation. The result
n the minds of the simple fervent
people can better be imagined than
described. Speaking generally, the
3olshevlks are contemptuously toler-
INT to any form of religion which
'laims the right of existence but no
lelp of any kind is given
But perhaps the belief which most
wildly excited feeling against bolshe- !,
ism was that due to stories of the
naturalization of women. This was
to be the last expression of
ne socialist intention of breaking up
he home and marriage tie and in
tltutlng state of proniscuous free
owe. may remark at once that in
10 country where | have been did
he story create so much astonigh-
nent and amusement as in Russia.
The best ldlsproof was the visible
ondltlon of the women. The home I
lie goes on in the country among the
easants S. before. In towns like
lstrov, Rezbitza, Velikie, Luki and
loscowft the family life continues, and
ne saw constantly whole families h
aklng an airing on the boulevards in
he geological gardens and on Sunday
4 the children's theaters. Il
Story is Canard E
The story, at any rate, can be dis
arded,s and with it goes the free love
anard. Marriage is a civil function. B
ut no hindrance is placed in the
,ay OF a further religious ceremony /.
hould the parties desire it. And the i
.ussian peasant or worker marries 3
Dung.
But the hardest blow is dealt !
gainst this free love belief by the B
fact: There it to all appear 5
noes no open prostitution in Mos i
NV. That remark is not singular to B
le; it had previously been made by i
razier. Hunt of the Chicago Tri- &
ane, who passed from Russia thru B
elsingfors more than two months h
efore | entered. &
Improved conditions and pay of the 3;
and women-remove IS
lie OF the chief causes of prostitu- B
on, the economic one. while tha s.