The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-06-04

At this stage let us see what the
Russian Revolution has accomplished
in its first three years. We know 1T
has destroyed much. 1t has driven|
out the big landowners and abolished
that class. It has driven the manu-
facturers from their factories and
deprived them of their capital. T
has taken houses from the rich who
owned them; there is no longer any
private ownership of houses. 1t has
declared the earth, the woods, the
workshops, the factories, the coal
mines, the oil wells, the railroads.,
| the steamboats, and the houses, the
property Of all the people. 1t has
abolished all titles, privileges, class
rule, private enterprise and profits,
1t has declared the right of every
man to work and the duty of the
government to supply everyone with
a living.
I All this was easy. In time Of
revolution it is easy to destroy.
There is no need Of any great
genius, any well thought out plan,
for that. The breaking up goes on
because the people are stirred up.
Destruction goes on because for far
too long the people have suffered.
In the dust and smoke and blaze Of
battle, age-old structures are shat
tered. And, when everything old
around us is broken up, scattered
and destroyed, the victors announce
that it is the beginning Of a new
world, new era.
But it is not so easy to build as
to destroy For that is needed
knowledge, understanding. Earnest
labor is necessary. A plan is neces-
sary. People drunk with joy will not
accomplish much. Fine talk is not
enough. The holiday mood and Eoli-
day clothes must go, for there is
work to- be done, The handling of the
lime, the bricks, the iron and the
stone for the new structure. Those
who have plan must work together
and encourage each other in the
stupendous task. Great patience is
needed. Difficulties will be met with
and they must be overcome. Though
the walls are bare and the roof un-
finished in the new structure, its
future beauty must be visualized.
Russia's Accomplishments.
Has the Russian Revolution truly
begun the building Of the new world
Thousands of people do not think
so. Thousands of people believe that
things are worse now than ever be-
fore. Everything, they say, has been
destroyed, nothing built up. The
Russian Revolution was pushed into
a corner, they say, and there is no
way out.
Is it really so?
cit is hard for man to grasp q
world-historic occurrence. Only when
we are several years removed from
| it do we begin to understand the
greatness Of it; only when its effect
is noticeable everywhere do we real.
ize that it was something Of world
historic moment. In the time wher
it takes place we see only part Of
it; sometimes only the fringe of it
And everyone thinks only Of the
small part which he sees.
Many an honest man reached {
wrong conclusion in the Russian Re-
volution. II one goes to Russia anc
has dealings with dishonest com
munists, the revolutions appears al
the rule Of thieves. If another goes
TO Russia and sees that there is no,
enough to eat, the revolution Il
that one becomes the rule of hunger
II third one sees that the minorit,
parties have no right to issue theil
newspapers, he decries the revolu
tion as a tyranny. II fourth hap
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