The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1931-11-12
sAUK CENTRE HERALD, Sank centre, MINI.

SAUK CENTRE HERAI
forgotten conditions Of that period.
Once again one saw bread cards
and black bread, far more black
and sour than any one knew In the
war.
"Once again one found bread
lines, rationed food and clothing,
with most Of the shops and stores
closed or empty, and only here
and there an open store Of cooper
ative' where scant assortment OF
staples, but no comforts or luxur-
les, were to be had. Once again
one found oneself among wretched-
ly clad people, in the midst of gen.
eral delapidation, poverty and
squalor, with everything in disord-
er, wearing out and run down at
the heel. Once more one smelled
the pungent odors of throngs who
never battle, recalling the atmos-
phere in crowded dugouts fourteen
years ago, but now these smells
were everywhere, on trains and
tramways, in railway stations, mo-
vie houses, theaters, dining halls
and clubs. In wartime such for
lorn conditions were confined to the
area of the battle zone. In the land
of the Soviets they now prevail
generally, even in the best parts OF
the biggest cities.
Suggestive of war days also was
the presence Of soldiers everywhere,
on guard with fixed bayonets in
front Of many buildings, lounging
off duty in the public squares, or
parading through the streets at all
hours in step with bands playing
stirring marches. The soldiers
were the only well clad people one
saw in all of the Soviet Union, but
they, in their high leather boots,
trinity cut breaches, and tightly
belted blouses, are as smartly uni
formed as any troops in the world.
The great military parade through
the Red Square in Moscow on May
Day was one Of the most imposing
displays of the kind that can re-
call having seen anywhere in peace
time.
Seemingly endless files Of fresh
ly uniformed infantry, well mount
ed cavalry, machine gun battal-
ions, artillery, armored motor cars,
tanks( at least hundred Of them)
moved with speed and precision for
two full hours before the reviewing
stands around Lenin's Tomb, while
massed band of six hundred
pieces furnished continuous music,
and scores of planes whirred over
head. Similar parades were held
that day in every city Of the Soviet
Union. For although the Soviet
government purports to be pacific
in aim, it maintains the largest
army in the world, and compels
every able bodied youth to serve
from one to two years in its ranks.
Reminiscent Of wartime, too,
was the ransacking Of baggage at
the frontier, both upon entrance
and exit (Which involved the minute
examination of letters, books and
papers of every sort), the petty in
reference with the taking Of photo
graphs even Of the most inocuous
subjects; the obligation on frequent
occasions to cross the street in ord
er not to pass too close to govern
ment buildings; and the necessity
of handing over ones passport to
the police at every town one visit
ed (Which often left one with the
uncomfortable feeling that his fate
might be to spend the rest of his
days within the Bolshevik borders).
Like war conditions, too, was the
ban upon all foreign newspapers,
weeklies and magazines, and prac-
tically all foreign books. During
the five weeks Of my trip, never
was able to procure a single Eng
lish, American, French or German
newspapers. One had to depend
upon what he could CLEAN from the
Soviet press for any knowledge Of
the world, and from the Soviet pa
pers one gathered that little was
occurring in Europe and America,
except strikes, riots, labor troubles,
the burning of monasteries and
impending revolution.
above all, one was reminded Of
war by the ubiquitous use Of propa-
ganda on a scale never dreamed Of
by the nations engaged in the
World war; hortatory posters in
every shop window, and on every
wall; banners with emotional slo-
gans everywhere on the fronts Of
buildings, in the corridors Of fac
tories, schools hospitals. dining
halls, clubs, museums, hotels,
cinemas, theaters, even hanging
from the the balconies and boxes of
opera houses; rhetorical speeches
broadcast by radio and beloved
through amplifiers on the public
streets; anti-foreign cartoons and
optimistic graphics on the front
page of every daily and weekly
paper; museums In every town or
city to promote the cult Of Lenin,
Marx, and the Revolution, or to
disparage religion; moving pictures
and plays-even ballets-designed
to inspire enthusiasm for what is
taking place.
Propaganda to the right Of
them, propaganda to the left Of
them, propaganda in front Of them,
the people of the Soviet Union live,
eat, work and sleep in the midst Of