Evening star., 1925-03-12
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

Patriotic men of Washington are
undertaking to raise a fund of $60,
600 this week with which TO carry
on for two years the development
and maintenance of the Boy Scouts
of the District Of Columbia The ac-
tive promotion of the fund Will cease
tomorrow. The objective has not yet
been reached, but the workers are
hopeful.
In contrast with the Boy Scout
movement, a picture of another boy
enterprise which is being promoted
throughout America is held up for
study:
Time: February 2.s1925.
Scene: Madison Square Garden.
New York, in which is crowded an
audience OF $4,000 men and women,
nearly all carrying red flags. The
audience includes 400 children, be-
tween 8 and Is years, trained body
of youngsters to sing THE Interna-
tionale."
Presiding officer: Benjamin Git
low, the notorious Communist.
President Gitlow was received with
wild cheering. He began the pro-
gram by introducing a 14-year-old
boy, the organizer of the Junior Sec
ton of the Young Workers League.
All the groups" of children in the
audience waved banners of their or
ganizations in honor of their organ
izer" These banners announced:
THE Foster Group" THE Lenin
Group" "The Trotsky Group"-for
many such groups are being organ
ized in cities throughout America.
The boy orator peered out over the
vast assemblage. Then in a shrill,
penetrating voice shouted:
"One year ago Lenin died. The
ha inl
masses, died. Lenin is dead, but Le-
min still lives. Lenin lived and the
world moves on to the greater day to
come. No longer when the world
revolution wins will the bones of
children be ground to yellow gold to
satisfy the lust of the capitalist; no
longer will children and young men
be led to the slaughter for the blood
thirst of the capitalists. Lenin was
stricken down by the dirty hand of
yellow Socialists, but Lenfn still
lives"
The newspaper account says that
wild enthusiasm stopped the ora
tor" but he held up his hands for
silence and continued:
"It is our duty to mobilize the chill
dren to fight against the capitalistic
system. 1t is our duty to keep the
minds of our friends clear of the
poison put into their heads by the
capitalistic system. 1t is our duty
to join the class struggle.
1--WE extend our arms across to the
young pioneers of Russia, to the
young Leninists, and tell them to
prepare and always remember our
slogan, Always readyi' We must al
ways be ready for the day to strike.
"Down with capitalism. Down with
it's system, Up with the Soviet Re
public."
In the midst of the deafening ap-
plause of the $4,000 reds the chill
dren's chorus broke through the din
with another verse of THE Inter-
rationale"
Counting the preparatory expense
of that meeting and the wages lost
by the assembled workers" half a
million dollars were expended for
that days attack upon our country.
Where does it come from?
~
At the recent conference of the Ma
tional Patriotic Council, in Washing
ton. an eloquent address on uphold
ing our Constitution was made by
Paul Keough of the same age as that
of the boy Communist of the reds.
He had no such audience as that
which filed Madison Square Garden,
with it's reasonable attacks upon our
Government, but his logic and elo-
quence were none the less effective.
What is of greater significance is that
back of him was no treasury with
! which to organize the youth of
America and put patriotism and bal
ance into their impressionable hearts.
The nearest to that kind of an or
ganization is that of the Boy. Scouts.
1t does not spread propa ganda of
trin Of
boys into poltroons nor into incen-
diaries or sneaking assassins, While
1t does not exalt military or personal
lighting. it would be as preposterous
to seek sissy Boy Scout as to look
for a. cowardly bully Boy Scout. They
ca mot exist in such wholesome q t.
mosphere. The Boy Scout influence
and example give a vent for all the
energies of beyhood, show the boys