The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-05-07
chapt. xxx.
Delusions.

In the IItle 10y cdoih Wy VIC 'onO
Collins and Rudolph were absorbing
book lore and cursing what Omar the
Pagan called "The sorry scheme of
things entire" These two were agreed
on the general proposition that every
thing in society needed cursing and in
this work they co-operated beauti-
fully. They were the Castor and Pol
lux in the armament of invective. On
all other subjects they differed as they
differed in temperament. They were
like the diamond and charcoal which
are both pure carbon but the one is
inky black and the other sparklingly
beautiful. So it was with these men.
one was the incarnation of gloomy
pessimism while the other had an
abundance of optimistic faith in the
latent power of the working class to
emancirate itself from capitalist
ie thraldom. The fact is both had a
measure of such faith, but in the one
it sparkled and shone forth at all
times in undimmed lustre, while in the
other it was just present and often
quite obscured by an exterior bitter
ness which gave him the appearance Of
being misanthrop.
Rudolph was always sympathetic in
his verabl dealing with human weak
ness; especially if these weaknesses were
found in the working class. If work
ing man died it was because capital
ism had exploited him and if he turned
"high jack" and robbed his fellow
workers Of their hard earned coin then
he could not help it. He would explain
it as a result of his early bourgeois en-
vironment. With him worker could
do no wrong to capitalist or q
fellow worker. In the first place it was
an act of class consciousness in the
second reflex of environment.
With Collins on the other hand the
question was entirely different. Ht
insisted on almost puritanical ethics
within the working class. On all mat
ters OF deparvity. he took DarwiniaI
view. Still when it came tc defining
what constituted a workingman. Col
Inns was more liberal than Rudolph. II
fact on this proposition their views
were hopelessly at variance.
To Rudolph a proletarian was mar
whom the process of machine develop
ment had robbed of his skill, his pa
triotism, his religion. in short of every
thing but his ability to work when HI
found a purchaser in the labor market
A proletarian was a man who wa'
forced to sell his life for the privilege
Of living. To him a man who possesse
skill could not be a proletarian be
cause he had something more to sci
than his mere power to work. To fully
appreciate the popularity of his views
on this subject his views on womel
are significant, to his mind womel
could not be classed as strictly workin,
class creatures for when it became i'm
possible for them 70 sell their labo
power they were not like men forcei
TO revolt but naturally fell back OF
the commercial value of their Sc.
power, which he averred they woul,
fscii almost without exception rathe
then starve or fight. elbow many O
them do you find in the jungle, o
hitting the road in search of a jobs'
he would ask. "They are more numer
GUS than men and the lines of worl
shat they can hold down are fewc
so logically more of them ought to b
out of employment. But they are no,
At least you don't see them. The
are biological bourgeois. They hav
, something to sell besides their labo
power. And before they go hungry the
sell it, With this sentiment Collin
would take violent issue. In fact hi
very inability to adequately answc
: Rudolph made him the more angry fC
IT is evident that the Jews statemer
while extremely unchivalrous has
J natural element of truth.
On the question Of what constitute
proletarian Collins had as has bee
indicated a more liberal view. To hi,
sny one who does anything that
N any way essential to the welfal
and comfort of the human race as
wfole, belonged to the working cla'
pro viding however that in so servin
mankind the individual was compelle
to sell his power Of hand or brain |
another. who in turn sold the resu
Of such work in the open market.
:! They had spent days on this subjec
:. Arguing and reading, searching thru
stack of books and pamphlets. not wit
the object Of finding the truth or /.
reaching any basis or agreement. TIL,
is seldom done in any controvers
Both woi Led with feverish intensit
TO prove each other wrong They /;
individuals reflected the course of q
s entire radica! movement in all i
a varigated branches. They worked lii
theologicns cndeavoring to hide Il
truth in order that they might establis
their dogmas. The average radio,
' leader like his theological brother h,
but one idea and, that is to build U
a following for his particular brand {
delusion, and his whole effort is g.
pended not in the discovery of Il
! truths Of life but rather in frant
0 effort to keep his fallacies from b
J, coming apparent to his followers.
: was this spirit which actuated the tw
men in the log cabin as it has actuatc
thousands in the radical movements
: the world. The pity of it all is tn,
Il csc leaders and so called intellectual
are not dishonest, They actually b
lieve that their particular form Of d
lusion is the spirit that is to save Il
world. The average radical Of tods
Is but throw back to the priest ar
). medicine man Of prehistoric time
1t is the spirit Of self justification
we might almost say self deification
i those wlo assume leader ship of Il
o masses that lies at the bottom of worl