The New York herald., 1920-12-05
Transformation of Town Where Car Was
Slain Into Huge Propaganda Hall Re-
veals Soviet's Inner Workings

finally a prosperous and contented peas
antry owning everything in sight and pro-
vided with palatial and well attended
Communist school, but with no public house
or church in the village.
Some posters dealt with British rule in
India and others with the situation in Ire
land. The Bolshevist expert on Irish affairs
is Comrade Kerzhentseff who was in Ire
land during the Easter rebellion and has
published a number of pamphlets on "The
Irish Revolution" and the Irish question gen.
orally. Being an able journalist and head of
the Rosta (Russian Socialist Telegraph
Agency, he makes great capital out of the
present state Of things in Ireland.
An almost religious tone was lent to this
Propaganda Hall by the pictures relating to
Karl Marx. One showed a sinking ship in
which all humanity was perishing save only
one man, who was standing on raft in the
form of an open book, across which was
written the name Karl Marx" There were
also numerous busts of Karl Marx, looking
patriarchal in long hair and beard, but the
most prominent object was the red star of
Bolshevism, a huge construction of red
glass with light inside fixed high up near
the ceiling and throwing baleful light on
the great crowd always gathered underneath
in the evenings.
These crowds attended the service of song
and instruction" which went on daily from
certainly very popular, for never found 1t
possible to get anything but standing room.
The best local singers and musicians
well as good musicians from Russia, per-
formed gratis a platform at the end of
the room where there was a piano and an
orchestra. Not only were revolutionary
songs given; classical songs by Pushkin
and Lermentov were also heard, as we'll as
music by Tchaikovsky and other great COM
posers. Recitations, lectures on art, edu-
cation, socialism, typhus. and every con-
ceivable subject lent variety to the enter
tainment.
Slogan of Bolshevism Shrieks
From Every Post and Pillar
l have already alluded to the decorations
in honor of Trotzkys arrival. These took
the form of Red flags pdssini, of many tri-
umphal arches, of many pictures of Lenine
and Trotzky on the walls. and of all sorts of
other pictures, as well as a vast amount OF
bunting evergreens transparencies and col
ored cloth on all the house fronts
Everywhere in gigantic letters, the war
cry of Boshevism shouted at one: Workers
os the World Unite!" If anything ever be-
comes true by constant repetition, this union
must soon take place. for 1t Is a stereotyped
heading on every issue of every newspaper,
1t appears in about dozen languages on
some OF tne bOlSUeNlbt paper money, IL dp-
pears on all the propaganda matter and all
the Government stationery. and Bolshevik
mothers paste it over their child's cradle as
an American mother pastes God Bless Our
Home"
The former British Consulate, which had
been converted into a Bolshevist Govern
ment office, had broken out into a perfect
eruption of decorations with a picture of
Lenine, framed in a wreath of evergreens.
the centre of the scheme The French
Consulate next door, which had been con-
verted into Court of Justice was similarly
decorated and carried a picture of Trotzky.
Peter the Great had been knocked off his
pedestal in the centre of the town. and his
place had been taken by a large marble head
OF Karl Marx. Catherine the Great had also
been deposed. In front of the Cathedral was
a great pyramidical erection of wood covered
with red cloth bearing the inscription ITO
Labor" II was adorned with brass plaques
representing half-naked figures toilng in
mines forges and factories. these figures be-
ing so well designed that 1 suspect the
plaques must have been taken from some
museum
Houco W here Hzor W,c Mur3araJ