The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-01-30
The Beyond = By Henri Barbusse

others in ordinary clothes. Some hafcostumed; men
in sack suits wear sabers
Victory is the leading lady, whose beautiful breasts
are only half hidden by the trcolor scarf This little
woman, called Rosette of the Legion of Honor-brand
1shes flag and at the top Of the pyramid like a
hoisted divinity she opens her mouth L can guess
what she is crying-"Long Live FTance!"
Homage and conservation are lifted to her; the
symmetrical gestures of the hands and bare arms of
troop of chorusgrls whose skirts shortened to the
top OF the thighs, make great wheel Standing with
their hand lifted to take the are statesmen sena
tors, plumed and helmeted generals; the great indus
trialist who works hard to enrich France and
civilization and the good colonial with his adoring lit
tie flock of all colors and the good schoomaster (he
angelmaking education); and the wrter-thinker with
his embroideres who rectes ode of Victory;
and the artist who presents her offering of the
fruits of the national genius, the statue Progress
a sort of big vulture of plaster.
And lower, the good workingmen dressed up and
docile do homage to her with their tools: one holds
out his shovel another his pick the peasant his
nice clean blue shirt offers his SICKLE the house
wife offers plump wooden stocking, and the old man
offers his toM
The terrible immobity of this big parade showsthe
unbelievable baseness of the public ideal All these
bright lights, the tumult of music the excitement
spurred on by nudity for the purpose forcing
base ideal into the collective mind. For it is this
that really leads, in the manner clearly shown here
the whole human mass
leave the place. 1 go before myself, like Lazarus
1 think, all of a sudden of the master of masters
the richest of the rich, of the Baron de Chest
WHEN one is very tired, one becomes dull and one
" sees nothing more; know it we'll l am harrassed
and am already calm. Alas already / do not shud-
der with horror when say to myself "You are sur
rounded by cemetery in human forms. 81 shoulder
my way now like ordinary passer-by among the
numberless images of men and women fayed out of
life and set in the mould of the world already
their drama is no more striking to than before,
when alike. Our malady is in losing so
quickly the of what we touch Man is not made
to understand.
hgfAt moments when get back some of N.Y. elastic
ity or when see my face reflected in a mirror, STOP
and bits of ideas to me-
This one "When the pestence comes NV
neck sinks down between my shoulders / drive away
that idea. Then "No, the catastrophe certainly hasn't
hit the whole earth, it must have been too small
and however is there be survivors beside
myself" But voice answers Look, listen: nothing
Nothing more here" l overwhelmed with the sill
ence and the beyond And this idea Also with start
of surprise: 81 have millions at hand -"
My head is spinning All the worse. all the bet
ter to know.
With barred breast, queerly armed with my hammer
in my hand like a cave-man, my pockets stuffed with
boxes Of matches (my insane prudence makes me think
Of evening and stocked up-with matches in store)
l arrive at the splendid Florentne villa where the
golden ball was in full swing night before last
No need here to break down doors, They all yield
to the hand dociley, beside dunkey turned stone
He
That shines the center of all this splendor
He is seated, half lying down. on crimson velvet in
his Arabian Nights studio He smiles. A girl is en-
braclng him: the delicate bent shoulder the scattered
hair the half-naked young body beside him, and one
arm around his neck. peer closer at this tangle
All, the caress of the bare arml
The woman! leap toward her. lift her with both
hands in spite of the rightly of DEATH l turn her
face to mine-and Cara gives the sweet smile she
always gave
Happily have a level head . But recoi to the
furtherest corner, screaming like tiger manned by
hunters -sN
u
am astonished that my head remains so cool. Yes
erday nothing in the world would have prevented me
from raining blows upon this and woman if had
discovered them so. should have beaten them even
II they had been dead, even for nothing. But leave
them alone now.
Continued on ne1t page page 6)r