The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-10-01

big meetings, but in the circle OF in
innate friends. We attended all kinds
of election meetings in Paris. We
were better acquainted with the Gus
toms and life of the workers of the
country in which we stayed, than
emigres generally are.
l remember the time in Paris when
we had a passion for French revolu-
tionary chansonettes. " !, made the
acquaintance Of Monteguste, the very
talented author and professor of re-
evolutionary chansonettes. The son Of
a communard, Monteguste, was the
favorire of the working class quart
ers. At one time, IIyitSh liked to
hum his song: I'VE greet You, soldiers
of the 18th regiment song was
addressed to the French Soldiers who
had refused to shoot on strikers.
Ilyitch was also very fond of Monte
guste's song which ridicufed the So
cialist deputies elected by the back
ward peasantry. who for $4,000 francs
(the salary of a deputy, were selling
the peoples freedom in parliament.
We began to visit theatres Iiyitch
hunted up advertisements about thea
trical performances in The suburbs
of Paris where Monteguste figured on
the program. With the help of a
plan of Paris We found our way to
the outlying suburbs. We watched,
together with the working class au-
dience the piece which was generally
some sentimental and rather impro-
per nonsense, with which the French
bourgeoisie is wont to amuse the
workers.
After the play 1t was the turn of
Monteguste. The workers greeted his
appearance. with frantic applause, and
he, dressed in the jacket of work.
ing man with a kerchief tied around
his neck, quite in the French working.
mans style, sang to them topical
songs, ridiculed the bourgeoise, sang
about the hard lot of the workers
and about working class solidarity.
The working class crowdssin the Paris
suburbs react very quickly to every.
thing; the sight of ladylin fashion.
able tall hat was enough to set the
whole theatre agog. ~
Socialist Out For, Votes
They get easily excited by the sub
ject of the piece "You scoundrel'
shouted a working man to the actor
who played the role ofrthe landlord,
who made indecent advances to a
young and pretty lodgers lIyitch liked
to feel himself one withlsthis working
class crowd. Monteguste appeared
once at one of our Russian social
evenings, and he and Ilyitch sat and
talked until the small hours of the
morning about the coming world re-
volution. The son of d Communard
and the Russian Bolsheyik had each
of them his own ideas about this
revolution. During the war Monte.
guste began to write patriotic songs.
There was also a time when he had
the passion for election meetings to
which the workers brought their
children, for there was no one to look
after them at home. We listened to
the speakers trying to find out what
II was which electrified the audience
and watched with pleasure the athle.
tic figure Of blacksmith who could
not take his eyes off the face of the
speaker, and his little son was Just
pas interested as his father.
We listened TO a socialist deputy
Of the chamber when he addressed
a working class audience, and then
we went to hear him at meeting
of the intelligentsls, and we saw how
different was this orators tame and