The daily worker., 1924-10-04
Continued form page u

green DeanS and horseradish-for a
ruble and half (75 cents).
The nepman had consumed much
beer and one of them called the
waiter, using the Russian word for
servant instead of citizen" or "com-
rade." The waiter very politely. in
formed him that there had been a
revolution in Russia and that there
were no more servants. IF tavarisch
sticks in your throat" he said, "the
least you could do would be to call
me citizen" The nepman flew into
towering rage and following the Rus
sian custom everyone in the little
garden where we were eating took
part in the argument. He asailed the
Soviet government in vitriolic terms
and when someone said Here is one
they forgot to send away" referring
to the Commission for the Suppression
of Counter-Revolution, now abolished
the nepman said, "Those days are
gone!" "They were not such bad
days." said the waiter, "and maybe
they went too SOON"
A man wearing a golden beard that
reached halfway to his waist advised
the nepman, you had better get out
Of here before you say something you
will be sorry for,"~only to have the
nepman, who seemed on the verge of
apoplexy, turn on him with, "a beard
is supposed to be a mark Of wisdom
but you are the same as these other
fools!" Everybody laughed at the
bearded one and the nepman, appar-
emily feeling that he had scored a
point, threw a coin on the table and
said to the waiter, Here is your tip. ;"
He turned to leave but the waiter
pocked up the money and announced:
you have attempted to bribe public
servant before these witnesses and /
should call military policeman and
have you arrested but it is better that
you go. Take your bribe with you."
The nepman turned, htfried curse
at the bearded man, and left the res
taurant while everyone leaned back
in their chairs and laughed till the
nepman's companions paid their bill
and hurried away after carefully call
ing the waiter 'tayarisch."
There are few drunks in Moscow
but about two O'clock one morning II
met one who was singing loudly Red
Army song as he zigzagged down the
street. He was met by a policeman
who asked what he had been drinking
Interspersed with bursts of song. the
happy lad replied that he had had
some vodka. Vodka is forbidden SO
the policeman told him to come along
The drunk sat down in a convenient
doorway and after telling the police
man that he intended to stay there
till morning, policeman or no police
man, resumed his singing.
The policeman looked worried; he
too sat down. Another policeman
came along and after some consulta-
tion each took an arm and lifted the
singing drunk to his feet. He let his
feet drag, changed suddenly to the
"Song of the Volga Boatmen," the po-
licemen joined in and off went the
three to the Jail.
If one has heard the Song Of the
Volga Boatmen" it is easily under
stood that it can come in very handy
for the kind Of heavy labor that the
policemen were engaged in.
The All-Russian Municipal Workers
Union held it's national convention
while l was in Moscow and / was
privileged to attend as guest OF the
organization. For something like four
hours there were presentations of
banners from other organizations of
workers and peasants and then came
a pageant representing the history Of
labor from earliest time down to the
present.
The various spectacles of which the