The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-03-22
By Fred Ellis

made by the Soviet Union in the working out
of the "Five-Year.P Plan" of industrial and ag-
ricultural upbuilding Especially is the agri-
cultural progress menacing to the imperalists
and counter-revolutionist the world over who
have always counted on the Ignorant" and
"individualistic" Russian peasant as support
er of the attempts to restore capitalism in
Russia. These peasants, it seems, are now
getting their eyes open They are going in
for collective farming. With tractors on these
farms they are blowing deeper and thus getting
better crops. They are using fertilizers and the
most scientific methods of farming. And they
now fight insects and pests with other weapons
than priestly incense and incarnation.
In carrying out the great drive for collective
farms vigorous and often violent opposition has
come from the kulaks, the richer peasants, who
5 have been strongly supported by the priests
Some priests have predicted all sorts of dire
calamity for those who went into the collect
ivies They have told the peasants that their
children would be born with black tails! They
have told them that God would destroy their
crops. Thus the church has again acted as
force against social progress.
In the face of this sort of opposition and
provocation the Soviet Government has, on the
whole, shown extraordinary restraint. AS
rule churches have been closed not as an act
of vengeance or retaliation against the priests
but only when the population of village or
city district have made application in writing
asking that it be closed or converted into
school, hospital, club, reading hall, or museum.
Other churches have been closed when the con-
gregations themselves decided they no longer
cared to contribute to the support of priest to
care for their souls. 1t is estimated that al
together about w per cent of the churches
OF all Russia have gone out of business since
the revolution. Some of these closngs, it
may be added, have been due to the fact that
priests have voluntarily changed their occupa-
tions, acquiring useful work on the land or in
factories.
The position Of the Communist Party Of
Russia and the Soviet Government is still the
same as it was when it was explained to some
of us on the American Trade Union Delega-
ton by Joseph Stain himself when we inter-
viewed him on September 8, 1927. He said:
Our legislation guarantees to the citizen
the right to adhere to any religion. This is
matter for the conscience of each indivi-
dual. That is precisely why we carried out
the separation of the Church from the State
But in separating the Church from the State
and proclaiming religious liberty we at the
same time guaranteed the right of every citi-
zen to combat by argument, by propaganda
and agitation any and all religion.
And the Communist Party of Russia like
Socialist and Communist Parties the world over
for years, has taken it's stand for science and
against religious superstition.
Returning from Russia through London in
1928, was asked by George Lansbury, Labor
member of the British Parliament, to prepare
a statement on the so-called Society of Goddess,
+ as at that time there was also much clafi1or
about the anti-religious activity of the Soviets
This statement, read in Parliament, contained
description of this atheistic society which
holds good today
ssThe Atheists or Nationalist Mouemcnt in