The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-07-23


ting off at Alexeivka. There's a
tractor there" he told me! He did not
know to whom it belonged; he knew
only that the district had one. But |,
knowing the poverty of the famine
stricken peasants, was sure that no
peasant had bought it. And found
it was indeed ours, belonging to the
colony of John Reed, a present from
the Executive Committee of Saratov.
Three of the older boys had already
learned to run it, under the direction
of a "tractorist."
Help The Peasants.
saw at John Reed Colony how the
network of mutual help is being built
up between government groups, peas
ant organizations, and co-operatives.
We ourselves, tho our teachers have
not been paid for two months and
our children are on short rations till
harvest,-we ourselves have yet the
proud position of philanthropists.
For we are richer in implements
than anyone else about. Consequent
ly the village Self-Help Committee
asked us to help them, by ploughing
and sowing land for widows and Red
Army families. And since we have 9
tractor and sixteen working horses
our, children acceded to the demand
and ploughed for those poorer thar
we On the other hand, this
SelfHelp Committee, which was SC
poor that even we could help it, was
also able to help us.
For it brot to our mill all the fioul
grinding for several small govern
ment departments, and out of our per
centage for grinding we got almost q
two months bread ration.
Government Aids co-ops.
Some more of this mutual help bust
ness. There is a little village coop
erative in. Alexeivka. Very tiny: $500
is all its working capital. Yet wher
the Saratov education budget rar
short by May, due to the bad harves
last year and consequent small taxes
and our food supply failed, just after
we had put absolutely everything W,
had into the ground this little co
operative gave us credit to the amour
of 5000.
1t nearly went broke as a result
in fact, it would have gone broke if i
had not been helped by the mex
higher up organ But, you see, ou
little cooperative knew it could coun
on that, since 1t is government polio,
to help co-operatives.
Farm 500 Acres.
Our hundred children are farming
now 600 acres, more than three time
what they handled last year. 1t is
great sweep Of wheat and rye and sun
flowers and barley and millet; Their
has been no sweep of grain like it il
this district since the revolution brok,
down the old grand dukes estate. Ou
horses and pigs are already so goo,
that the peasants are coming to u
for breeding purposes.
| There is a real struggle going OF
constantly between the Old Russi
and the New. 1t goes on not only be
tween different classes and differen
individuals, it goes on in the soul o
each individual also. Our manager
for instance, is a Communist But 70
all that, his soul is that of an oil
time peasant.
He is energetic; he is proud of tn
/ number of acres he has sown; he i
proud that he has taken idle childre
from the children's homes and mad
working citizens of them .. Blu
as for schooling, it doesn't reall
seem to him that the children nee
schooling.
He had spent all the colony none
on more and more horses, in order [
make a good productive showing.
After ALL he was treating the childre
no worse than every peasant treat
his own children. He himself ha
first learned to read and write in tn
Red Army.
Schools for Peasants.
But the result of this,--was part
| investigation. For word began I
spread around that we were neglec
ing culture for the sake of our farl
work. And while work must com
first, of course, in a country whic
needs rebuilding, there is measure /
all things. So there were hearing
and reprimands, and two new ASST
tants appeared at the colony, who ha
pedagogical training. Also an enc
getic young secretary was sent out
the party for our Communist Yout
organization.
After had talked with this yout
| saw that the thing for me to do ne,
year was to make culture hum" Fc
the present harvest will give us th
food we need, and even a few sheel
skin coats and felt boots for whit,
and some extra underwear What OF
young Communists wanted now wa
to start a School OF Peasant Youth.
This is the latest thing out in Russia
II does for the village what the Worl
ers College has done for the factor
II spreads knowledge among thos
| a .