The New York herald., 1921-02-13
''PRAVDA' CALLS
SOVIET MINISTER
A REACTIONARY
Bolshevist Organs Violent
Attack OH Lunacharsky,
Head OF Education.
WOULD CURB LITERATURE
High Time to Bring Imagina-
ti0n Under Hard but Neces-
nary Party Discipline.
BY CAPT. FRANCIS M'cULLAGH.

by CAPT. FRANCIS M'CULLAGH.
Special Correspondence Of Tue New York
HERALD.
Copyright, 1897, by TIE NEW York HERALD.
KoYNo. Lithuania. Jan. ia recent
issue Of the Prdpdd contains violent
attack ON A. v. Lunacharslky. the Boil
shevist Minister of Education. The
immediate cause of the onslaught is
the publication of a volume from the
pen of Lunacharsly containing three
plays-"Oliver Cromwell" Magic
and Ivan in Paradise
In the first mentioned play, says the
Prada, Lunacharsky praises the
Danton OF the English revolution" at
the expense of the Communists. The
second play is "a mystical and philoso-
phical production, which makes out
that men, gods and devils are all
equal" In the opinion of the Prdrdd.
this Is a very dangerous doctrine. as 1t
may lead unthinking people to con-
clude that there is really no difference
between Lenine and Wrangel, be-
tween the White Guards and the Red.
The third play, "Ivan in Paradise" is
of a religious character. Jehovah and
Christ, angels and archangels being in
troduced.
Ideas Called ReactloDary.
TT is extraordinary" says the Pror.
du that the Commissary of Public
Instruction should be allowed to spread
such reactionary ideas. and 1t Is still
more extraordinary that such playe
should be printed In the printing office
of the State.
I'm his preface Lunacharsky con-
fesses that the doctrines he inculcates In
these dramas are not as a rule the same
as those which he teaches In his political
discourses. This is really sensational
confession. Comrade Lunacharsky seems
to think that it is only necessary for
him to be true to Communist teaching
ing when he is engaged in political work
and that he can take a Numerically OPP
posite line as soon as he sits down to
write a play 1t is high time, however.
to bring the luxuriant imaginations OF
more than one among our Communist
poets into the hard but necessary frame
of party discipline"
II Is a curious fact that in his book,
"Der MaterlalIsmus und der Empirio-
kritismus." published in 1909. Lenine at
tacks his present colleague Lunacha--
sky for "coquetting with religion and
says that it Is enough to make one
laugh just as in 1915 he publicly at
tackled Trotzky as bourgeois oppor-
tunist" Landau-Aldanow, a Socialist
processes himself to be "astonished that
LcnIne should intrust the portfolio of
Public Instruction to SO dangerous
clerical as Lunacharsky; but probably
Lenine regards a mystic like Lunachar-
l.-t~ a..
first Bolshevist but denies His divinity
and most of the facts narrated about
Him In the gospels, as a much more
formidable enemy of Russian Christian
ity than an open and virulent opponent
like Trotzky.
No Imagination Allowed.
The above quoted onslaught In the
Pravdd the official organ OF the Bolshe-
Wiki, shows what little chance art or
litcrature would have under a Bolshe-
visit regime. No more pictures OF the
Madonna. No more soothing religious
music. No more poetry with any sug-
gestion in II of the supernatural. 'Luxu-
Rant imaginations" must be pressed re-
dertessly into "thc hard but necessary
frame of party discipline"
On the anniversary of the Bolshevild
revolution the first number OF a new
daily paper In the Hebrew language and
bearing the title OF Zines (Truth) ap-
peared in Moscow. 1t is the organ OF
the Central Bureau Of the Jewish Sec
tion, Central Committee. Russian Com
munist Party.
Speaking Of this new organ the Prdrd1
says that the first Communist organ in
the Hebrew language was ready to ap-
pear In the first month OF the Soviet
Republic. but did not appear owing To
the fact that the Jewish workman wes
not at that time a Communist. "IIe
mostly" continues the Prada, belonged
TO the old Jewish Socialist party. which
was counter revolutionary in its ideas
and fond OF compromise
The Jewish working masses have now
fallen under the influence OF the Com
munist party. and the object OF the new
paper is to bring them into the ranks of
that organization