The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-01-05
YOUNG WORKERS
SHOULD write
AS THEY FIGHT
The Importance of Youth
Correspondents
BY NAT KAPLAN,
Editor of Young Worker.


besides the need for the organiza-
- ton of cadre of worker cor
respondents around The DAILY
WORKER there is the need for the
organization of the young worker cor
respondents around the Young
Worker. Altho they have not yet
been crystallized organizationally
there are some "a young worker cor
respondents who participate in the
writing of the Young Worker.
The Young Worker went thru three
main stages in its development as the
organ of the Young Workers League
"a development similar to the league
itself. These stages were a. the pc
riod of isolation of the league. Dur
ing this period the Young Worker was
literary magazine. (2) The period
of propaganda for the struggles of the
youth. During this period the Young
Worker was quite loud, exaggerated
to a certain extent and remained
pure propaganda and not an organ
izer of the working youth 60 The
pei AOu Va UlCdhluB VI Tic loOldblOug
when we actually participate in some
of the struggles of the working youth.
During this period the Young Worker,
besides being propaganda, becomes
an instrument for the organization of
the working youth.
We are in the latter stage now.
During the first two periods there was
no great need for a large cadre of
young worker correspondents. The
present period thru which the Young
Worker is living implies that it must
have such force. Not only that, but
the paper is trying to pursue broad
and flexible policy in order to become
the organ not only of the Communist
youth but of the non-party working
youth as well. What better guarantee
for the realization of the policy than
the encircling of the paper with
large group of non-party young worker
correspondents.
In considering this question we have
decided that writing for the paper
cannot be separated from the question
of the distribution Of the paper. What
concrete organizational gains can the
Young Worker make If it prints the
story of a young breaker boy on the
conditions in his anthracite colliery
and this story is distributed only
among needle trades workers in New
York and Chicago? The writing of a
shop story must be the signal for the
rallying of the workers in that shop
around the issues raised by the story.
This means that young worker cor
respondent must not only write for his
paper, but arrange for its distribution
and boost its circulation in his field.
That is why we are combining our
young worker correspondent groups
into Young Worker Booster Clubs,
which will have the functions of train
ng young worker correspondents and
boosting the circulation Of the press.
Besides the other weli-known ben
eflts of worker correspondence, our
experience has shown us the follow
ing: q) The Young Worker is a
collective organ more than ever be-
ore. (2) 1t has helped us carry thru
/ correct policy of criticism and self
criticism, and thus We have corrected
many errors. 90 1t has helped to do
away with famboyant revolutionary
phraseology and the ceaseless use of
Communist slogans.
There must be systematic co-opera-
ton between the young and adult
worker correspondents. The building
of movement of young worker cor
respondents around the Young Worker
means the building of such move
ment around The DAILY WORKER
at the same time.