The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-11-27

eral times in bringing Vladimir nyitch to attend q
concert at his home at which the same Romanovsky
played, also told me that Lenn enjoyed the music
greatly but that he was obviously very agitated.
will add that Vladimir Iyitch was very critical
about the government theater. pointed out to him
several times that enjoyed the theater at rela-
lively moderate cost but he insisted that state sub
sides for this theater be abolished this matter
Vladimir Ilyitch guided by two considerations.
The he named forthwith at is not fair to spend
large sums magnificent theater, when we have
no means to maintain the most primitive schools in
the villages" The other consideration he brought
out at meeting, where refuted his attacks the
great theater. 1 emphasized the unQuestionaby
great cultural value of this institute Vladimir lily
itch screwed up his eyes sardonically and said,
"And yet, no one deny that it is piece of the
purest "feudalcuture"
1t does not necessarily follow that Vladimir IIyitch
was hostile to all culture of the past Specifically
he considered "seignoriaI" the entire ostenatious
courtly tone of the Art of the past general
and especially, Russian realism Gncluding also the
tendencies of the "Peredvshnki") was rated very
highly by Vladimir nytch.
These are the facts which can present out of my
reminisceses of nyitch. repeat that to Lenin his
esthetic sympathies and antipathies never became
principles
Comrades interested in art remember the decara-
ton of the central committee concerning questions
of art and directed severely against futurism I
have no further information on the matter, but
inclined to think that Vladimir nyitch was in some
way connected with it. Lenn at that time quite
enormously considered me follower of futurism
and a who supported that view exclusively;
and therefore, perhaps, he did not consult me be-
fore the publication of this rescript of the commit
tee-apparently endeavoring to correct my behavior
80
existed between Vladimir nyitch and myself on the
braided me very harshly. will observe first Of an
that Vladimir nyitch by no means denied the impor-
lance of workers for the purpose of develop
ing authors and artists of proetarian ranks; he
even considered aLRussian federation of such
groups advisable. But he feared the preentions of
the proletcult-the endeavor to take over the en-
tire development of proetarian science and culture
This seemed to him in the first place entirely pre-
mature and task surprising the resources at hand;
secondly, he of the opinion that the proletarian
would, by such a system, be caused to neglect the
study and the acquisition of the already existing
science and culture; thirdly, Vladimir nytch obvi-
ousy feared also the possibility political dissen
tons growing up in the proetcut He was quite an
noyed, for example, by the important role played by
A. A Bogdanov in the proletcult
In the year 1920, when the conference of the pro-
letcult was in session. Vladimir nytch asked me to
there and to point definitely that the proIet
cult must work under the leadership of the peoples
eommssariat for enlightenment, that it must con-
slider itself part of that institution etc. In a word
Vladimir Ilych desired that the proletcut be drawn
closer to the state, while he at the same time took
measures calculated to intensity the relationship
between the proetcult and the party The speech
then made at the conference fairly evasive and
conciliatory. To me it seemed wrong to injure the
assembled workers with violent attack. Vladimir
nyitch learned about the speech in form stin
milder He called me to him and there was an ex-
plosion Later the proletcult reconstructed ac-
cordng to the directions of Vladimir Ilyitch re-
peat he never intended to dissolve the proletcult
on the contrary, he was sympathetic with its purely
artistic pursuits.
The new artistic literary formations which grew
up during the revolution received little attention
from Vladimir Iyitch. He had no time to occupy
himself with them. At any rate, know that the
Hundred and Fifty Millions" of Mayakovsky did