The Washington times., 1921-02-15
LEN|N
A MARTINEZ
Trotzky Plays the Gallant, Says
Mrs. Clare Sheridan, Telling
of Soviet Reception.

| VI oUviCt OOVCPt'V"s
NEW YORK, Feb. l6.-It must
have been the impression OF radiant
youth which the personality OF Mrs:
Clare sheridan creates that betrayed
Edwin Markham. the poet, In his.
! fstherly speech Of introduction at
her lecture In Aeolian Hall into
speaking OF her and Introducing her
as Miss Sheridan"
TALKS OF ExPERIENCEs.
Tho scuIptress. who Is a cousin OF
Winston Churchill. talked or her ex-
| periences in Russia. where she went,
an enemy Englishwoman. to sculpt
the heads OF the Soviet leaders,
Ienin and Trotxky. She seemed
young indeed. for the experiences she
| told of so casually.
"I realized" she said. telling of
conversation with Trotzky. that
while the Soviet leaders might like
Won as n woman. and all that. IL you
failed in any way to play the game
| OF IL in any way you came In oppo-
sition to the cause, you might ne shot
down like a dog"
nounced, beginning her lecture. -and
my mind has very great Limitations.
Politics bore me. ! don't care what
Government governs anybody. III l
didn't like q Government i shouldn't
try to alter II, i should go somewhere
else. Therefore I relate my expert
ences in Russia from the unpoiitica'
point of view of An artist.
The wonderful atmosphere OF re-
construction In Moscow most I'M
pressed the visitor. the Destruction
seems to be over" she said. "and
everyone is working overtime. like
supermen, to restore the ruin. There
| In an entire absence Of social life.
No shops are open for there 10 moth
ing to spend. wore . red tweed
skirt With q woolen Jumper to the
opera and was conspicuously over
dressed.
.sThe theaters and tho opera are the
only form Of amusement. and both
are crowded. To look at the stage
you might suppose yourself In Paris
A glance back at the audience and
You can't believe your eyes. The
people are all worknen and they
wear clothes they have worked In
for three years Most have no
change There IL no soap In Russia
and the windows arc never opened Tor
initiation
PEASANTS GO IN FOR ART.
| 1.-THE picture galleries and museums
were open and catalogued. was sur
prised to see them full OF peasants.
apparently interested both In old
masters and in collections Of futur1st
paiptinRx. One hears rumors that the
art works Of Russia have been de-
stroyed and the contents OF her mu-
seums scattered. I saw tho museum
of tho Kremlin perfectly cataiogueo
and in beautiful condition. The won
derfuI collection Of cups, one Of the
finest in the world. has been added to
since the revolution by chalices from
the churchea 1t may interest you
ALSO to hear that all the Hermitage
things are safe and have been aooeo
to by private collections
| "As to the people in the streets. l
saw people completely without JOY,
people who never laughed or sang
with expressionless faces full OF sur
fering. I think they must have SUI
fered for generations EVERYBODY
seemed young. for the old and the
sick have died. 1t Is, after all. a sur
| vival of the fttest. There simply is
not enough food in Russia to feed all.
and the old and the sick who couldn't
contribute to the state had to suffer.
Children and the soldiers are the only
classes of whom one can say posi-
lively that they are all right. saw
many others so weak from starvation
that they could not take up the light
est burden without exhaustion"
Speaking Of the characterization OF
| manners that has como about, the
lecturer said: Men and women are
equal. That is, women have no spe-
cial privileges. Whoever gets to the
door first goes through first; whoever
gets to the front seat in an opera box
sits there i noticed 1t was usually
men in both cases"
LENIN DELUDED ABOUT BRITISH.
Lenin, Mrs. Sheridan said, seemed to
her '1ike a great thinking machine
that didn't want to be disturbed" She
| had to accomplish most of her model
ing while he worked at his papers, q
very difficult task, she said.
81 am not interested in art. he told
me, but you have come so Tar that 1
must not refuse you the sittings, she
continued. "It was hard to get him to
talk, and he wouldn't listen to me. He
was so sure Of his own Impressions
of England, for example, that he had
no interest in my opinions. He great
ly overestimated what he called mill
tary party in England, as well as the
po"ci VI thC hNthe "'e W
Churchill. As for me. think he re-
garded me as a person who barely
| justified her existence by working.
When / told him I work seven hours
a day in England. he looked on me
with apparently a little more ap-
proval.
81 found Trotzky the most SYM
| pathetic of all the Bolshevik leaders.
He had an appreciation OF art and
literature and showed himself a many
sided man OF many moods. One day
he talked seriously of politics. The
next he discussed literature. Again,
he was like a mischievous schoolboy."
TROTZKY A GALLANT.
| Mrs. Sheridan said that Trotzky in
vited her to visit the battle front
during the drive toward Wrangel,
"but 1 received notice in round
about way from the foreign office,
that while they could not prevent
Trotzky taking me to the front, they
could prevent me from leaving the
country afterward. SO I did not co.