The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1920-04-08
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction in
Europe Follow the Great
World War?
MEN TURNING TO BoLsREWsM
Something Profoundly oisquietins In
the Constant Repetition of Word
Which Seems to Convey Such
Sinister Meaning.
Article XII
BY FRANK

"H""u HlH TOT ulhlY years. BEFORE
the United States entered the war he
was n Of the many impatient at our
delay. He believed that II was our
duty TO Join the fight when the ruth
less submarine campaign torpedoed
the L%usitania. sending TO cold. wet
graves American women and children.
I distinctly remember his face as he
read the headlines In the papers tell
Ing or the murderous slaughter %
Americans on the high seas. Now
when he greeted me he startled me
with his first words. 1.-THE war Is over.
I'm a b~olshevik." | did not know what
The word meant. yet II carried TO my
mind an impression. and while the Inn
preston was haZy. II was clear at
least In n particular. II sounded
like the confession Of a crime.
He had always heen OF a quiet. con-
servatlve type. BEFORE the war one
would have judged him to be a p~aciiSt;
he was even-tempered. mild Of manner.
and I still think 1hat before August.
1914, he was q paciiSt In head and
heart. II was only the call of a just
cause, the fight for an ideal in which
he believed. that had made him a sol
der. In this respect ne was typical
or 30 per cent OF his countrymen.
| had spoken TO him the day he en-
listed. for he was one Of those who
volunteered, who might have waited
for CONSUMPTION and claimed a just
exemption. He was In the beginning
Of his married life. with two very
young children. BY profession he was
an engineer. Going To war meant
leaving a wife and two babies. leaving
a job that promised advancement. I
recall his enthusiasm. the Intensity Of
his patriotism. his quiet disregard OF
the danger TO himself. am sure
that there was little hate in his mo-
rale. He saw a danger TO the world.
The honor Of his country had been
offended against. He was an Ameri-
can, n of those Upon whom the duty
fell. so he went.
He n bolshevikI Why? I was con-
founded. confused. The only meaning
I gave TO his remark was that he was
an anarchist. The word "~boIshevik"
sounded red 10 me. II fared of the
torch, photographed disorder. lawIess-
ness-it registered blood. violence. as
~sassinatiOn. force. hate. insanity. |
wondered how this n~ine-lettered word
had become the vehicle for so many
sensations thar disturbed peace of
mind and sounded alarm.
w. - - ..-- .z
what company had IL kept that so
fouled It's soul? What did II really
mean-had u a definite meaning?
Was II a bug like the FLU" germ? Had
II come among nations tn destroy them
and to the hearts OF men TO silence the
heavenly message. Peace. on earth.
good will TO men" Wnnld IL run
around the world as a sc~ourge7 Was
Il q postscript ~ the bloody war les
son. prophesring more anguish and
tears thar four years Sighting had
brought? Would the world. coming
out of the war bent. 10Y be broken?
Or was n a meaningless myth? Was
the word a bogie. a bad joke. a night
mare pressing heavily on a tired. nery-
Gus worlds head?
Seeking Words Real Meaning.
Or was the meaning that men had
read into the word a lie? Was bol-
sheyism th, message Of a new Mes
siah being cried down by the money
changers OF our time In the same way
their ancestors had siieneed the word
from the Mount and destroyed the
Message Bearer with the lash and the
CROSSE
In every mind was the thought and
from every tongue fell the word. Rus
STA had given the world a word. II
had encircied the globe. Everywhere
people wera speaking the word-if
found Judgment IN every brain a iiv-
Ing place In every language. Its use
had become universal The did. rhe
young. rich and poor. the learned. the
~uneducated. the serious. the simple.
the roIleT the artist. the poet. and the
peddler, the tinker and the thinker.
held The thought and spoke the word
Men. women and children spoke the
word. read the word. and felt the
thought II carried.
To the nine hundred and n~inefy-nine
n was n word ~ iIl-omen. a word Of
terror and fear. To the one In a thou
snnd II was a word of hope. O light
for the feet or n stumbling world. and
the nine hundred and nipety-n'ne said
that some ~ these people called boi-
sheviks were drenmers of a strange
dream. that twisted ldeaIIsm hah made
them mad. hat the majority ~ fhase
who profess faith In holsheyism were
sick with a sfrHnge. serial fever. rhaf
they we're Observation-Disclosures. n-'er-te-
wells. criminals. that rhey sought 10
hurn The world
male NJ my mad fhaf w"u'd
learn .ls real sneaasn= ~ sh- -sas-t
The Dictionary definition threw %
u,t. - "a nna.rfr~ raux IN rha