The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-12-03
ONANlNVERSARYOF
John REEDS DEATH

also something more than that.
Through that book many millions
Of people, not hundreds Of thou~
sands-but millions of people
have been given not only an evaltF
alton OF the events of the trar%
sitlon Of power from one class to
another in the greatest revolution
history has seen, but they HAYS
been given the feeling Of thess
events and an understanding Of
IT, e events; and, more than thats
they have been given an impetus
toward duplication of these events
in other capitalist countries of the
world. That is, his book was q
tremendous revolutionary weapon
through which the influence and
lessons Of this mighty upheaval In
Russia was transferred to the corr
seriousness and understanding OF
masses all over the world, and even
more than that. His book becan1e
one of the principal instruments
whereby the Russian people theIT1-
selves observed the lessons of their
own revolution. John Reed was no
passive reporter, a register OF
events. He was an active fighter
taking part in these events.
Shortly after he participated in.
the founding of the Communist .
Party in the United States and
after the Second Congress Of the
Communist International, there was
first great gathering of represent
tatiYes Of numerous colonial peo-
pies in what was called a great
Congress of the peoples of the East
h2ld in the Wilds of Turkestan
somewhere.
John Reed went down there to
represent America in this great
gathering at which was laid the
foundation for the present Soviet
Republic Of China-12 years ago.
On that trip this great figure was
stricken with typhus. When was
in the Soviet Union a year later
was inquiring about the circun1-
stances of Reeds death-and one
Of the Soviet doctors Of that time
was describing to me the illness
from which John Reed died. He
said Reed had the kind Of typhus
that is usually transmitted by the
bite of a gray louise. 1t is one Of
the ironies of history that a little
gray louise took away John Reed,
just in the beginning of his really.
fruitful period of work. We can :
have some understanding Of the.
tremendous capacities inherent in
this man when we remember this: !,
that John Reed died just at the
moment when he had found him :
self and found his real work. ard :
before he had an opportunity Ca,
seriously take up this work. In
spite of that fact, the fewifyearS
in which his influence was ex-
erted has had a profound effect--s
growing greater from year ooryear
and already being expreSseus
the growth and developments ofsa q,
whole series of organizationsq that
bears his name. This gives rus q
little indication of what MIGHT
have been if we had only killed
that gray louise before it had a.
chance to bite John Reed.
SIGNIFICANCE OF s. 50.
JOHN REED CLUBS q
These significant organizations Of
all these multiplying hundreds of ?
the best writer's, artists and pro-
fessional elements chiefly, who are >
travelling much the same road that
John Reed travelled, almost univer-
sally when they come together for
permanent and serious work and
for binding themselves for better
or for worse with the revolutionary
movement in this country-assufSie
the name Of John Reed Clubs. If
they take their name seriously, and
more and more they are taking the ,
name seriously, these John Reed
Clubs are going to provide for the
revolutionary movement in the U
s. and for the great revolutionary
battles that are maturing right now
in this countTy-they are going to
provide us with strong, fine, new
crop of young John Reeds that will
make the American Revolution take .
its place in history right alongside
of the history Of the Russian Revo-
luton in which John Reed played
such mighty role.