The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1919-05-17
The Romantic Variety.

A'-"'\ illN AiAS41iS, DCCduSG more m
fictitious and less amenable to any sort
or treatment, is the Bolshevism of
romance-of imaginative adventure.
1t is the Eolshevism OF restless souls
who are forever trying to escape the
actual and the obvious by winged Jour
neNs int" the realm Of the remote
and the wonderful. It's disciples are
ulop!ans, Greenwich villagers,
wealthy persons with idle hands and
still more idle brains, dilettante of
various sorts, young persons freshly
out of college, editorial writer's on our
so-calfed liberal journals of ideas and
oplnlons'--an Understandable assort-
ment the fitfful and fretful Worship
pers Of the cult Of Something Else.
That it is Bolshevisn which now
enthra!s their souls is Il mere acct
dent OF time and circumstance. 1t
might be l'abIsm, or any other thing,
But Russian Bolshevis1n is big and
wild and woolly and incomprehensi-
Die, and as Il generator of thrills quite
without peer And then it is re-
mote. HALF the convex world in
trudes DctWcen:' and the fascination
or the unusual is in direct ratio TO dis
lance. What homegrown lady can be
so beautiful. as Coleridge showed, as
a lady from a far countree? and what
circumstances Or episode near at
hahd can compare in it's wonder-work-
ing magic with the thing which hap
pens on the worlds frontiers?
Ought to Be Tried Oh it's Devotces.
If Bolshcvism were established in
New York City, where som any of
its romantic disciples dwell, it would
at once and unanim ously be voted
mos a bit nice. Or, if, not too far
from the metropolis, there could be
established slnall-scale model of
the system, to which from time to
time its devotees could be committed
for a months mind" OF realization
and reflection, its imagined glories
would soon fade. The great Lincoln
had d remedy for this kind Of thing
which might be employed with vast
benefit. OF the advocates OF slavery
he once said lspeech to an Indiana
regiment. March II, 1861 when
ever | hear anyone arguing for slav-
cry ! feel strong impulse to see it
tried on him personally So, too
for the advocates of Bolshevism; we
need some provision for trying it out
upon its romantic American devotees
The Propaganda of Bolshcvism.
From the disciples Of each Of these
varieties Of American Bolshevism
proceeds n steady stream Of propa-
Ganda. Despite observable differences
among the s>cts, there is close CO.
operation in the Use OF material and
argument. The Socialist and l. w
W.. press make free use Of the coll
umns of the Nation, the New Republic
falsehood or distortion does duty a
score Of iiries in its travel TO the Ill
timu;e consumer.
1t is a propaganda which. for un-
s>.;upululsity of methods. probably
cannot be parallcied III American his
tor;. \ person who conscientiously
seeks out every word of dependable
testimony relating to Russia. from
whatever source cannot but be amazed
at the editorial practices of these jour-
nails. The tstimony of those who best
know Russia and wha have most right
IL speak for Russia is ignored, and
, only that testimony which accords
with the editorial policy is printed
! CT considered For all who differ in
their Interpretation of Russian condi-
; TONS there are showers Of denun cia
; ing denunc;ation Of the "capitalist
press for its alleged Lying" and sup
PRESTON.