The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-01-02


went TO sec Kcr.nsiey. tho com.
mlnHar OF finance. l found him In
tho fiyinnka st. IN tho Chinese town.
began by telling him that did not
Ito laughed ana gave mo PRECISELY
the answer had expected. "Of
course we hope there viii be rev
olution In other countries. In which
case they will rcpudiate their debts
and forgive us ours. hut II that does
not happen We know very we'll that
VIZ shall have 10 pay. and We nro
prepared 20 pay. and shall be able TO
pay. In concessions. In raw material
which they need more than they
need gold"
Then. being myself neither an
economist nor a theoretical socialist.
I put before him what had been Ha Ia
10 mo IN Stockholm by an English.
man who was both one nnd the 9th.
or. namely. that. being Isolated from
European finance. the Soviet govern.
mcnt OF Russia was bound Co come
10 an end on economic and financial
grounds alone.
lilo said: That would certainly b.
no. II rising prices. rising wages. wcr.
10 mean indefinitely Increased do
mandr on tho printing machines for
paper money. hut. while we arc at
present forced 10 print more aud
more money. another process IL at
work which. In the long run. viii
bring this stats OF things 10 an end
Just an IN our dealing. with other
countries we exchange goods instead
Of paying In money. 20 within our
own frontiers money IL coazing 20 be
the sol. medium OF exchange. Grad.
uaiiy tho woFknou are coming TO 70.
ceise more and more In other forms
than money. Houses. for example.
lighting and heating arc only a he.
ginning These things being state
fnonopolios. IN. task Of supplying the
workfnan's needs wi,hou, the uus OF
money Ia comparatively easy.
The chief difficulty Is. Of course.
food supplies. which depend on
our ability 60 keep up an en-.
change OF goods with the villages. n
va can supply the villages with man.
ufaeturod goods. they will supply us
with food You can fairly say that
our ruin or salvation depends on a
race between the decreasing value of
money with tho consequent need for
printing notes In ever greater quaint.
,i~sl and our growing ability 10 do
without money altogether. That is,
OF course. a broad view. and you
must no, for a moment suppo@. that
We exp~rt To do without money in
the immediate future. am merely
showing you tho two opposing ten.
denotes ON which our economic fate
depends"
Prof. Pokrovnky told me a good
deal about tho organization Of the
eosnrnisnartat of public education. as
i.sinacharrky. tho actual head Of Il.
was away In Pciroxrad.
The schools arc divided into two
clans~s--one for children from 20
is years old. and ono for those aged
from ~ 10 II. A million roubiea has
been assigned 10 feeding children IN
tho schools. and those who most
need them. are supplied with clofhc.
and footsrar. There arc many
classes for workinrmen.
The Soviet government has earned
the gratitude Of many Russians who
dislike ~ for everything else n has
dons by the renolusc way In which
u has brought the Russian classics
into the bookHhopH. Books that were
out Of print and unobiainhble have
been reprinted from the stereotype.
and se, afloat again a, most reason.
able prices.
Among the other experts on the
subject OF IN. Sovirt's educational
work consulted two friends. a little
boy. Giycb tsvho sturdy calls him.
self a cadet. ting three of hlH sisters
work in Soviet institutional. and an
old and very wise porter.
Giyeb aays that during the winter
they had no heating. 80 tina, they ra,
In school In their coats. and only sat
for a very short time. because Of the
great cold lie told me. however. that
they gave him n good dinner there
every day. and tina, lessons would be
all right as soon as the weather got
warmer. He showed mo "A pair Of
fcl, boots which had been given him
at the school. The old porter sum.
med up the similar experience Of his
sons. Yes" he said. they 30 there,
sing the Msrseillaisc twice thru. have
dinner and como horne" then took
these expert criticisms TO Pokrovsky
who said. 1T In perfectly true. We
have not enough transport to feed
the armies. let alone bringing food
and warmth for ourselves.
And II. under these conditions. we
forced children TO go thru all their
lessons we should have corpscs to
teach. not children. But by making
them come for their meals we do two
things: keep them alive, aud keep
them In the habit OF coming. 80 that
when warm weather comes we can
do better"
left Moscow with tho two Amcri.
cans. Mcssrs. Bullltt and Steffena.
who had come 10 Moscow some days
previously. and Travelled up i'm the
train with Bill Shatov. the command.
ant Of Petrograd. who In not a Boil.
shevik. but "A fervent admirer of
Prince Kropotkin. for tho distribu.
ton OF whose works In Russia he
has probably done ms much as any
man. shatov was an emiRre In New
York. returned To Russia, brought
law and order into the chaos of the