The daily worker., 1924-01-25
TOvariSh Lenin
By ROSE KARSNER,
National Secretary, Friends
of Soviet Russia.

"Have you any official statement
to make about Lenin's death?" asked
the reporter.
No, of course / had none to make.
Lenin was not a man. He was 8
Premier. He was not Dictator
Lenin was an Institution. And that
institution has NOT died. That in
stitution will keep growing until it
will prove to the world that life
can be made as beautiful as Lenin
dreamt it.
In Russia Lenin was just plain
"Tovarish Lenin" or "Illyitch.' The
children loved him. Not as a hero
who is always pictured with a halo
over his head, but as human being
who had strong convictions and the
courage to put them into practice.
AS man who dreamed dreams which
would benefit mankind and had the
genius to- combine them with prac-
tical application.
Many of these children live IN
School Communes over in Russia
There they practice government,
under adult supervision. Among
other methods of self-expression they
conduct what they call Wall Paper.
Here they post little news items and
stories of interest to the school.
In one of these School Communes
the following item was found. It
expresses most beautifully the gen
eral feeling about 'Illyitch" in all
the School Communes. A copy Of il
was sent to The Friends Of Soviet
Russia some time ago. It has re-
ceived much publicity. Just now it
is very appropriate. 1t readss
ILLYITcHl
Children! There is not a single
person in all the world who doesn't
know who Illyitch is. This name Is
known to all peoples. Many speak
of him with love and pride, while
others, on the contrary, with a meer-
ing laugh and with hatred. The black.
yellow, red and white oppressed peo-
pies see in him leader and liberator
and teacher who prophesies their
freedom. But he tells them that
freedom does not come down from
heaven but must be fought for and
one must always be ready to defend
oneself. Lenin calls upon every
body to create a paradise here on
earth. nlyitch is well known to the
Russian workers, the people already
weave legend about him. One com
rade told of peasant in the UrM
who saw Lenin and said to hims
why, look here! Look how you're
dressed! Your shoes are tied With
strings instead of with laces.' But
we know of course, very well, that
Lenin has laces in his shoes like
everybody and not strings. The
legend is most of all interesting he-
cause it shows how the imagination
of peasant works, peasant who
knows very well that Comrade
Lenin is a man like everybody and
as much Of worker as all the rest.
We children know it very well; we
lnpw that Lenin is great leader Of
the working class. He is the one
who was the first to arise against ths
enemy" "
Recognition Necessary to Trade.
The State Departments argument
that the recognition of Soviet Rus
STA has nothing to do with oupor-
tunities for trade between that eo,,n-
try and the United States Ia abIv
answered in the Manchester Guar
dian" It must be recognized that
Great Britain has had official trade
relations with the Soviet govern
ment for some months, while our
government will not tolerate sven
tbs basis for commercial intercourse.
The position of the British news
paper Is that not even the halfway
measure of trade relation is suffi-
cient to establish normal and NM
tually beneficial intercourse, that.
instead, full recognition should be
extended. The article reads: 'Trade
with Russia. The first consirn-
ment Of Russian grain since the
armistice is due to arrive at Hull
this week. Others will follow. But
it is impossible to hope that nor
NAL trade, even on a small scale.
can be established between the two
countries so long as their political
relations remain on the existing and
highly precarious footing. The con-
nection between politics and trade
is not, perhaps, obvious, but il is
none the less real"
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