The Washington times., 1922-03-30
Do Children Fare
In Russia? Badly, Says
Goldman, Telling Why

of humiliation and dumb accusation.
No. not the child was the offender.
1t was he. Tolstoy. and the other
children-all Of society-that could
commit such a cruel thing. to brand
the child a thief
Never again thereafter was a cnild
punished in Tolstoy's school. Yet
here in great, free revolu tionary
Russia, were children punished. kept
isolated. branded thieves and contin-
uously spoken Of as moral defec-
tives" was disturbed. puzzled.
However. l would not let that OBJ
scure the beautiful picture l saw in
the Hotel L'Europe.
Children Neglected.
A little later l was visited by a
woman l had known in America for
many years. With her husband and
young son she had rushed to their
native land shortly after the Febru
ary revolution. She had participa ed
in the great October days and since
then she had been engaged in various
work, but her main interest was in
the care of children. At the time of
her visit she was matron in an in
ternat," a boarding school for girls,
The woman related to me much
about her work, the children. and
spoke Of the bitter struggle to pro-
cure the necessary things for Ter
school. Her story was 30 utterly at
variance with what had seen at the
Hotel L'Europe that I could not
credit 1t. Yet l knew my friend to
be absolutely honest and trust
worthy. It seemed inexplicable.
I asked my friend to remain for
supper. We talked about people we
both had known In America. about
the October revolution and its effect
upon the oppressed Of the world.
while 1 was peelins potatoes in my
improvised kitchenette.
Don't throw the peelings away"
my friend warned me.
Why. what do you want with
the peelings?' I asked.
Fed on Potato Feelings.
The children make potato cakes
Of them and are SO glad to get
them"
THE childrenz' wondered
How Is that possibie7 Are they not
getting the first rations?" I saw
myself at the Hotel L'Europe that
the children were fed on milk,
cocoa. rice. farina. white bread.
chocolate, even meat.
My visitor smiled. Come to my
school," she said, 'and convince
yourself"
went. not oncs but many times.
There / saw the other side Of the
medal. Yet even then / would not
be convinced 80 easily. There were
sixty-five children In that school.
Their food was scanty and of poor
quality. Most of them were su-
stained by what their people or
relatives sent from the country.
They had little warm clothing, and
the majority were without shoes.
nv friend had to waste much Of her
timr and all her energy in the va.
rious departments of the educa.
tional board.
II took her two weeks to get
twenty wooden spoons for her sixty
five children. After a whole month
OF standing in line, waiting to be
admitted to the high officials, she
was given twenty-five pairs OF
dom and great tact to divide these
among the sixty-five children with
out causing envy, hatred and
uuarrels among them.
Each time l revisited that school
became more convinced that there
was something wrong somewhere.
How else explain the difference be-
tween the care the children received
at the Hotel L'Europe and those of
the school on Kronversky Prospect7
The Strong Contrast.
There the children were given the
best OF everything-food, clothing.
rooms. concerts, dances--in fact, al.