The New York herald., 1921-12-04
By HERMINE SCHWED.
BOUT twelve years ago, when it had
not vet hecome fashionable TO he


toward the wild haired, the unconventional
or the Socialists, met an odd looking Rus
sian Jew named Graefsky, who regarded
me with attentive interest.
Well" he said refectively, you are a
perfectly new type of American girl to me-"
'If it's any comfort to you," l responded,
somewhat on guard at being called girl
when | was 80, you are perfectly new
type to me-
Never had l encountered In my career OF
having a good time as young girl in
the South as a well chaperoned girl trav
eling abroad, as a terribly bored young
woman in New York city, as special stu
dent at the University Of Chicago, or even
at various summer and winter resorts as
I grew older, such disarmingly frank, en-
gagingly rude, wholly unconventional and
vet somehow Internally clever little fiat
terer as this. Graefsky was frank in what
he said but not always in what he in
ferred And before long I quite forgot to
look for the fattery between the lines.
Certainly he (and his kind) possessed the
art Of conversation, added to keen intu
ition and an understanding of women that
was almost womanish in itself. Presently
he brought his chum, Braun, from across
the room to be presented-taller, more pre-
sentable and with delightful sense of
humor very rare in the Russian-Jew or
Gentle.
Braun in his turn regarded me quiz
zically. remarking slowly "Yes, she is diff
ferent, Lou" He smiled at me. What
shall we do with her now we've found herr"
make good Socialist of her, Of course"
Graefsky answered crisply.
"Never," ! declared quickly. You'll
never do that"
What do you know about Socialism that
makes you sound so scornful?" asked
Braun.
"Oh, well,' began, "it's queer and hor-
rid, and they throw bombs and"
Hear, heart" Graefsky now interrupted
"The lady is mixing us UP with Anarchists"
"Just how much do you understand of
the real fundamentals of Socialism,"
Braun inquired.
stammered little. why, I'm afraid
not very much in technical sense" The
two exchanged a glance.
Good" smiled Braun. Well prove to
you that we don't throw bombs, that we
have ideals and are working for the good
You approve of all that" nodded eagerly
Very well, wen take her in hand. Lou
And we'll begin by showing her some Of
the real swells among us-real bourgeoisie
of the upper rich class like herself" He
offered me his arm. II will present to you
that rare bird who Is at once millionaire
an American gentleman and a Socialist.
He isn't even Jew"
IT am of Jewish descent myself" l pro-
tested. "And you're mistaken if you think
I'm rich. used to be: but I'm considering
going to work now"
Better and better murmured Braun.
as he and Graefsky piloted me across the
room. 1--WE need somebody like you in the
cause
After ] had met the Socialist millionaire
| had to admit that he looked and talked
the part of Braun's American gentle
man.: moreover, he Immediately lent a
great prestige in my eyes to the present
gathering of Socialists, whittier / had come
for the purpose of meeting "some interest
ing people"
TT HUS began my introduction at once
to socialism and it's ally of that
particular period, bohemianism.
Indeed, II was not long before Graefsky and
Braun, in order to prove to me that even
anarchism had it's idealistic side, took me
TO the first of a series of lectures by Emma
Goldman on the Russian novelists. 1t was
lust beginning to be the fashion in those
days for uptown folk-rich women and
men, teachers. artists of a sort, musicians
settlement workers, &c.--to get up parties
to hear Emma Goldman CWho set the
fashion is still to be determined) Gay
parties we were, made up of half educated
self-satisfied men. women and even girls,
who went down to some little hole in
Greenwich Village in a high spirit of con-
descension. seeking merely new sensation
Some of u.s. as the weeks went by of the
Goldman lectures, gradually came to real
ize that IN this clean skinned, quiet man
nered. impassioned woman was great
sneaker and dangerous force. But at this
first meeting Emma was too clever to re-
veal the full meaning Of anarchism to her
audience of bourgeoisie. No, what we got
was largely between the line stuff, small
hypodermic doses of the anarchistic virus,
20 tiny that we scarcely realized that we
we're getting them at all.
AS the lectures continued we were being
made Just familiar enough with certain
Russian novelists OF the socialist and anar
chist school TO have bowling acquaintance
with not only their characters but with GER
tain high sounding theories which these so
often held-perhaps IL was the beauty Of