The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-03-31
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BoLsHEvIsM

While the ordinary citizen calmly goes about
his business. reading the newspaper headlines
With pleasant cynicisIl 1t is always the task
Of few other citizens 10 keep sound for hum
the bridges on which he waks-the things III
the social structure. well as III mechanical
arrangements. that he takes for granted. Since
the foundation on which our whole ssclal lie IS
built is a certain spirit OF live nd-let-iive, a
broad. general sanity of human intercourse IT
Is well for Us 10 take tour of Inspection with
John Spargo In his book, Psychology OF Dol
shevisn,' and see the forces that are at WORK
attacking It
OyerturTing innocent looking stones every
where. Mr.. Spargo reveals some surprising
facts about the bolshevik temperament as
germ disease, the subtle spread of bolshevlsm
lin schools. colleges, churches, and fashionable
Idrawing-rooms Mr. Spargo says OF Lenine
THAT Ibis strength. and therefore his menace,
rests altogether upon his lack of originality,
his orthodoxy" In the ideas of Lenine ne hnds
nothing that is new, nothing that Is original
only badly garbled form of Marxlsn Ihe
bolshevik leaders own contribution In this SET
Of doctrines, declares Mr. Spargo. can be sum
med UP In one word-fanaticism
1t is this peculiar fanaticism that Mr.. Spargo
i concerned in tracing, and even here ne hnds
nothing that is new-only this repetition or an
old, pitiable story: IF we take the group OF
american intellectuals who at present are ar
1sent champions Of bolsheyisrn we shall hnd out,
with executions SO few az to be almost neSn-
oible. they have embraced nearly every ism as
II arises seeing in each one the magic solvent OF
buJnanity's ills. Those of an older generation
thus regarded bimetallisIn, for instance. Whal
else could be required to make the desert bloom
like garden and 10 usher in the earthly para
disc? The younger ones in their turn, TOOK up
anarchist communism, MARKHAM socialism, IN
.IustriaIism, unionism. syndicalism, birth CON
troll. ferninism, and many other movements
and nropa gandas each of which in its turn IN
Iduced ecstatic visions of a new heaven and new
earth. The same individuals have grown
lyrical in praise of every bizarre and eccentric
art fad. In the banal and grotesque trayestles
of art produced by cubists, futurlsts, ct al, shey
saw transcendent genius They are forever
seeking new gods and burying old ones.
When he has taken us through his clinic OF
amateur and professional boishev1ks, MI spar
90 proceeds to prescribe a method or treatment
which is to fight not the symptoms, put inc
underlying causes of the disease, IN the defects
of our industrial structure. But since we are
here concerned with a problem IN psychology
another passage of Mr.. Spargo's is worth quot
- Because tSIl5lou ID oo - CAV Ae'
compelling minds in this psychic state are M
mune to impressions from without. The appeal
of nationality, therefore, is quite frultless when
directed against convictions resulting from that
inner tension" Here is a reminder that should
save time for many righteously indignant cItl-
zen who has grown blue in the face In reasoning
with a member of the rabid red gentry, only to
be greeted with tile remark, son, that comes
from the capitalist press
With it's scientific survey Of the underlying
forces Of an apparently blind movement, The
Psychology of Bolshevism,' is an interesting
human document, aside from its value as a com.
prehensive estimate of world crisis
The National City Bank of New York is MAX
ing an analysis of our export trade. One OF ITS
findings shows that in 1919 more than fifty
thousand miles of motion picture films were ex-
ported from this country. This film band would
reach twice around the earth and leave plenty
of space for big bow knot. Moreover, this Is
the largest amount Of film ever exported by US.
The industry is growing to meet the world de-
mand for this form Of amusement.
Profiteers have good chance TO invest Tor
Measure some of their ill-gotten gains, in the
offer Of the government TO sell submarine c1as-
ers for twenty thousand dollars. The people
oh. YES, the gOvermnent--paid sixty thousand
dollars apiece for them; and in spite OF the fact
that about everything has gone up these yes
Ln;x at fyu9r hon qnI nl