The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-26
Fairy Tales and Facts

Haywood Broun, the socialist" coIun1nist
the liberal N. Y World-Telegram, is on
vacation granted by his capitalist boss to allo'
him to run for alderman, and as pinch-hitte
the Telegram has brough in somebody calm
himself 1.-THE Spectator to fill Brouns colum
with something just as rotten.
He does it. Only, not having his head fuddle
with gin, the Spectator writes much clearer fas
cism than Broun. In the issue of Oct. % h
opens up with something which is worth takin.
apart. He says:
"This world is ruled by fairy Stories and I Z.
by actual facts" thus re-stating one of the IA
theories of ~ F. Calverton, that known in socis
philosophy as the social myth" theory whicl
has practical implications in asserting that TO
example "The Russian workers win never at
tain socialist society, but Stain the artfu
rascal keeps them BELIEVING that they viii
so they are effectively controlled and KEEP
obedient to the Stain dictatorship"
The poison of this is clear when followed t
conclusion from the abstract formula that fair
tales rule the world" though two Communist
have remarked to us that they didn't see tn
necessity of Comrade Landy, the Daily Worker
ragged trousered philosopher" politically de
stroying Calvertons theories in the Octobe
Communist because said they, Calverto
theories "dont reach the masses"
Like hell they don'tl From what we have see
in recent days it is clear that they reach RICH
into the heart of some OF our Party member
And we don't write this little aside-talk light
We have seen in the last week the appearance
of that historic hour in which the crystalliza
ton, long expected by Communists, Of the pre-
else and definite imperialst grouping (whicl
we know for years MUST COME out OF tn
ceaselessly shifting mperialist disagreements
that will really begin troop movements agains
the Soviet Union
Yet we have also seen that SOME Part
members can no more absorb the meaning o
this when explained in the Daily Worker, thal
a rock can absorb water. Trey are basically be
levers in Calverton's social myth" and thin
that the Daily Worker is just sounding tn
alarm of war "again" because it's good propa
ganda" but really" there isn't any war brewing
Such an idea Is at base shameful disease, a
Stain has said of contempt" or "snobbisn
ness" toward the masses, or lack OF faith u
them And that is getting back to The Spec
tator" again who in the World-Telegram logic
ally develops the fairy tale" theory by saying
"The majority OF all men, women and chi
dren will never quite be able to understan \
Ninety-five per cent of all mankind Is COM
posed Of followers"
It is quite natural for bourgeois pig to scor
the masses To assert thus that they are onl
dust to be trodden on by leaders" But eve
the faintest germ of such a notion Is poison
the brain of Communist, and that's what Cal
yerton and the World-Teegram is peddling.
fact the Spectator" goes on to develop his con
tempt for the masses to its fascist practlcs
program:
"What this world needs is leadership. Whist
the world needs in order to be shown the road
to recovery is-a MAN"
In short Mussoni against the masses
Disguised as "for" the masses by the "fairy-tale
demagogy Of fascism or the social myth' q
Calverton, who pretends that ne Is Col
rnunist!
Tell 'em we're Communists:-Why is 1t, sasi
a worker of New York. that at street meeting
where the Communist Party speaks, 1t does no
take the trouble to put up the Party emblem o
name and often speakers seem to avoid evel
| ment. oning the Party for the first half hour
| Workers want to know which organization is ap
pealing to them, but If they can't find out !
| at least ten minutes, they're inclined to wal
away. The point is well taken
! Maybe the speakers think the workers al
Got radical enough yet" to want to listen /
| Communists (and maybe that's a right deviatio
on their part). Anyhow, one Of the best way
to take crowds away from another speaker
to get up and begin right off telling everyboc.
that you speak for the Communist Party an
want to tell em about the Soviet Union. ri
| 1t and seel