The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-12-15
BY FRITZ REUssNER

"lf we mean to carry on a sensi-
Bile labor policy and to have peace
with labor, the state and the en-
ployers should proceed systematic
ally to establish sports grounds and
to support all sport enterprises. This
is an investment which will yield
high interest" Karl Diem, general
secretary of the German Reich Ply
steal Culture Committee ("Deutsche
Algemeine Zeitung'O.
THE bourgeoisie uses every possible
L means to bring the proletarian
class into complete spiritual and eco
nomic subsection. If formerly we said
that the best opportunities of the
bourgeoisie were the schools, the
church and military service, we can
today add also sport.
Sport has become an important fea-
ture in the general life of the people.
Millions of persons take an active part
in sports. From the political-econom-
ical standpoint too, sport is far from
being unimportant. The workers in
particular are taking up gymnastics
and sports, namely, physical culture.
With it's keen instinct the bourgeoi-
sic has long felt that here is a field
of great possibilities for winning over
the masses, and is therefore giving
liberal financial support to bourgeois
gymnastic and sports organizations.
1t is generally said: sport is neu-
trail factor and has nothing to do with
politics and class questions" This is
Just to lure the workers into the bour-
geois organizations. The million fig
ures showing the membership of bour-
geOis gymnastic and sport organiza-
allowed themselves to be misled by
this bourgeois swindle and have Joined
the organizations of our class enemies.
The capitalists are not satisfied with
the fact that the workers are mostly
organized in bourgeois gymnastic and
sport organizations. They want to
bring the workers still more under
their control and to bind them to their
respective factories. Capitalists long
to control the leisure of the w,rkers.
Moreover they are anxious to form in
the factory a nucleus of righ-minded
workers in sympathy with the "bene-
VIOLENT, employer, in order to esta-
blish tclass cooperation" Among
other institutions they also form
factory sports clubs.
These clubs are mostly formed in
the big industrial enterprises. The
big industrialists are actuated by
purely capitalist considerations. The
first and foremost of these considera-
tions is to divert the attention of the
workers from political and trade I'M
ion life. The second consideration is
the recognition that a healthy and
physically trained worker is a better
producer, and the third consideration
is that their own sport grounds are a
good investment of surplus capital and
this investment yields high interest"
Increased productivity of labor means
bigger profits.
Factory sport organizations are al
ready fairly widespread. They are an
International phenomenon, particularly
developed in America, France. Italy.
Great Britain and Germany. We get
a good insight into factory sport or
CARNATIONS from an article of bour-
geois gymnastic instructor. This ar
ticle contains the following statement:
various big industrial enterprises
have complied with the wishes Of
their manual and office workers and
have given sympathetic support to
their endeavours on behalf of sports
and gymnastics. For instance,
krupps in Essen have built an up
to-date swimming bath, two first
class gymnastc halls and a big
sports ground. 5erlners are fami-
liar with the magnificent sports
grounds Of the Siemens workers
which consist Of sport field with
concrete race-course and stand for
spectators, dressing rooms which can
be heated, bath rooms with douches
for men and women, tennis courts,
several fields for games and boat