The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-01-02
A Portrait of a Comrade


TT was the day OF the great victory. The people
had won On every face was radiance and quiet
Far down the street heard the sound OF men sing
ing together.
The great leader sat quietly in his own room The
praise that had made him happiest had not been MS
own But all day long line of people had heapeo
roses ana laurel upon his fathers grave murmur-
ir~ ovnu died end the Great Cause seemed to die
with you but The Day Of the Dawn Of Justice has
come"
The leader himself sat in the great quietness of
fulfllment and watched the FIRE on his own hearth
shaggy man he was with eyes that burned and
N-4-
III one might know all of the graves that should
have roses today, he said, at last "the graves OF
those that served US all WE'LL who laid their lives on
the altar day by day Fate sent the days For all
of us to see this dawn is enough But those who
did not live to see it-Yet think the very earth
thrills around them they rest and makes them
dream of Peace and Brotherhood. Yoa have not
beard me speak of my mother"
For long time he was silent
ut is hard to put 90 quiet life into words.
river flowing steadily to the how shall one talk
ebout it? And she used few words herself.
remember her mainly going quietly about her house
her hair plated closely about her face. She
went to market every morning buying very shrewd
ly Then she cooked dinner. We were always
poor and she had very little help. Often our meal
was bread and cabbage soup. she made very goou
cabbage soup.
In the intervals of housekeeping she taught
my letters and my multiplication tables. We were
compelled to move about so much that | should
have had little learning otherwise. She impressed
1t me firmly that must grow up to be learned
like my father. She had no sense of humor at
all and took my fathers jokes as she would have
taken his dropping into foreign language She her
self never laughed. No, remember once.
One of my first recollections is lovely April
morning when I was playing around her feet in
snow Of apple blossoms falling. Suddenly my faith
er coming up, made all her lovely fair hair
down, her neck and shoulders, falling down to
her waist. She looked up at him and laughed
little low laugh. My baby mind much amazed
at this result and felt it great disorderness in
her orderly world Then she saw me and was quiet,
putting her hair up again and reassuring that
all we'll
1 think perhaps she had as little sense of humor
as anyone l saw. 1t was like her absolute
lack of music. My fathers whimsical smile at her
at times seemed quite lost upon her, but not his
music She was very proud of that tho she her.
self could not tell one tune from another.
Altho she laughed little there pleasant
renity about her not easily disturbed. The house
hold affairs entirely in her hands, and my faith
trusted her judgment entirely whenever she gave
her judgment. She offered it except in affairs
which she considered her province, the house, my
food and so on. In fact, was almost entirely in
her hands That came perhaps partly from my faith
er's many absences from home. He never denied
me anything. Therefore my mother never allowed
to ask for anything in his presence. She
very firm with about few things. My father
believed in very little restraint for children and his
beliefs were my mothers religion. Yet like the
devotees Of many other faiths, she trimmed its