Evening star., 1929-12-15
NEW viewpoint on Russia is pre-
...A.A l.. Al.n YNnnnr,nknn. icCi1a nf

! ~ international Cancellation,
4 A published by the Carnegie En-,
| dowment for International
Peace. Prof. Paul Monroe, director OF
the International Institute, Colum1lS
! University, In his article explains the
cultural and social pattern of Soviet
| Russia in the present day. Excerpts
from his article follow:
ITO generalize about Russia or condi-
| tionS In Russia seems quite unwise. Yet
this article, which is largely an account
| of recent direct observations, assumes
three generalizaitons as valid and basic;
These generaliZations are not formulated
| a priori, but evolve from observation,
comparison with previous contact, and
from the testimony Of other witnesses.
"The first of these Is that the revolu-
| ton in Russia is a complex, not SIM
| pie phenomenon, and involves social
| as well as a political and an economic
revolution. The second is that while 1t
may be true that the political revolu-
ton occurred in 1917, the social and
| economic revolutions are yet in process
The third is that the three revolutions
| are intertwined in a very complex man
ner but that the social or cultural revo-
luton may have values quite independ-
ent of the political and economic revo-
lutions or of the theories, policies or
experiments involved in these.
Part Of General Plan.
"This brief account relates almost ex-
| clusively to the cultural aspect of the
social revolution, the principles from
| which 1t springs and the concrete pro-
gram which 1t involves.
"The cultural program is not an iSo-
lated program, but is vitality connected
with the entire social and political pro-
gram. 1t is well thought out and art1c-
ulated, single institution but part OF
comprehensive general plan, substan-
tiated by general theory, scientific, ped
agogical and social. Such institutions
should be considered as experiments.
"The difference between social ex-
Fermentation and experimentation ir
the field Of natural sciences should be
borne in mind. In the latter field q
negative instance may disprove q n.y.
pothesis while in the former a positive
instance may establish hypothesis.
In the social field the major question
is, will the theory work? II it works In
one instance, or in several instances
there Is no reason, except that OF con.
trollable conditions, why it should moi
work in others. Furthermore, no one
in Russia claims that the remarkable
achievements in some cases are indica-
tive of general much less universal con-
ditionS. All concerned are fully aware
that the present situation is one OF
transition, and that the realization Of
any phase Of the social or cultural pro-
gram is only beginning, only
demonstration.
Program That Of RevOIutiOnists.
"Quantitative estimates Of the scope
and influence of the present program
are obviously beyond the reach of caSua
or brief observations. QuantitativC
| efa4 Re fvn q fnrritnrV
SO fluid a population, whether made by
those responsible for the system or BY
observers, friendly, unfriendly o.
neutral, are just as obviously OF very
limited, If any, reliability, or significance
"One further consideration which il
seldom noted or even realized outside
of Russia should be remarked. Not only
is the theory upon which the move
cultural experiments are based vel
thought out in every respect, but these
} theories are largely, and the practices
even more largely, the formulation o.
men who labored under the old regime
for the betterment of the educationa
/ and cultural conditions of the maSSe:
of the Russian people and who were
among the intellectual revolutioniSts
Many of them labored for a generation
under the old regime for such improve.
ment. only to find every effort thWarteC
by the harShest OF measures, and fol
reasons which seem now quite irrational
Not a Paper Scheme.
"The cultural program of Soviet Rus
sia is quite unlike that Of any country
of the Western world in one funda'
mental respect-it is not worked ou
| as is the program in any one Of thes:
countries by piecemeal through TIT
accretion of isolated parts. 1t Is
unified whole growing out Of q genera
theory of philosophy.
This philosophy has a foundation II
scientific and pedagogical thought ant
experimentation, as well as In Socla
theory and political program. The maiT
point of significance in answering TIT
charge that foreign visitors are shown
Is that the program is not a paper one
but one vital, vigorous and thorough!
interviewer with the interests and l1t'
of the people.
mo people has given as much atten
ton to the use of various social 1nSt1
tutions for educational ends. In prin
ciple every such institution should b
organized Many of them are so organ
lied, especially in the cities. Museum
theater, opera, playground, business
ofice, shop, factory, the garden, thu
farm the office of any professional mar
or shop laborer, the activities OF tbs
home of the pioneer or Boy Scout, al
are used to this end. ,
Naturally, this Is not done in al
! places, nor are all OF such lnnuencs;
brought to bear on a single child, mucf
less on every child. But enough Is done
in a center like Moscow to make re-
markable contribution and remark
able impression upon the observer.
Museums systematically Used.
"The most systematically and the
most frequently used OF all sucn lnSti'
buttons is the museum. Moscow ls Salc
to possess more than 100 museums
Each smaller city visited had several
It was a very poorly equipped scnoo
that did not possess one.
THE interest in and enthusiasm tol
these museums is unbounded. Within
an hour after our arrival at Moscow
our little party, under the guidance o
some of the cultural leaders, was visit
ing one of these museums, which hap
pened to be the leading art museum
chief also under the old regime. Thi:
had visited previous to the war.
"The contrast was striking. Then ar
art museum for the elect, 1t was devoted
chiefly to few modern Russian artists
! The fundamental theme OF all the can
vases was war and the phases of thu
oriental life brought by conquest under
, the CZar.
Now this collection has been ex'
pensiVely supplemented by many of th'
treasures formerly privately owned, un'
. til it has become one OF the outstanding
collections in Europe. The entire pos.
sessions of the gallery have been ar.
ranged to show the development o.
Russian art out of the earlier European
: schools and the influence of these anC
of later movements on the development
of native art,