The Washington times., 1932-01-20
Hard and Unfunny

GILBERT sELDES ishy taken in by Whatever seems
helpful at the moment, it is convinced knows What IL
wants despses (but does not underrate) its enemies,
takes itself lust seriously enough is not very
ng and is only negligible if any minority negngo.
The January number has luminations of pOletaran
theory, intellectual flashes, no Philosophy puI aS M
author Theodore Dresser the ideas are less important
than the slow march of his and his tacts Aer
that comes studies of starving reports on the
march on Washington, article negro capitalists IN
America and reviews of books and plays Inc Two as
tngushed pieces in the magazine are ootn tcton, m n al
excerpt from John Dos Passoss (soon TO De pu4
lished) and The Boy Who Died for Iammany' superb
"short story by Michael Gold.
Meridel Lesueurs "Women the Breadlines," is part
factua reporting part sad meditation; did not read it
until after had the editorial note and then reao
cit is appalling to think that these uUonen
may uOash street cars from midnight to daUOn
and offices in the early evening" scrubbing for four
teen and fifteen hours day. sleeping only f0e hours
or so doing this their GOhole liOes, and neOer earn
one day of security, haUing alOays before them the
pit of the future The endless labor the bending
back the uOater-soaked hands, earning neOer more
than a weeks lOages, neUer having in the" hands
more life than that.
"It is not the SUFFERING not birth, deoth lOOe that
the young reject but the suffering of endless LABOR
without dream, eating the bread in bitterness
a slove Dithout the security of stoOe."
Not Correct?
This which is earnest and moving and should make
CAPITALIST cry into his hands, does not please the editors
of The New Masses The editorial note complains that
it I defeatist in attitude lacking in revolutionary spirit
and direction which characerze the usual On it
they fee it duty to add that there is place tor
the unemployed woman, well man, in the ranks OF
the unemployed councils and in all branches of the
revolutionary movement There follows the adjuration
to fight and read and join, which quoted before
The author has been considering ways by which these
desperate victims of society could keep alive and if the
editorial note isn't morbid joke it must mean that they
gain food and shelter by joining the councils OF the
unemployed This is the freshest solution of the problem
of starvation have yet SEEM and the editorial apology
for printing anything not quite revolutionary enough is
the item which makes think the be official
after an.
Good Old Ideology
"The Review of 1897 he Sifton play recently produced
by the Group Theater) also suggests official Commu
nism: "The play does not show any symptoms of con-
structive effort among the of the workers
much less any element of conscious leadership 1t gives
them real ideology. WE'LL the word had to creep
in time In short the play is not true picture of
unemployment because it gives no prominence to Com
munist theory and practice.
"When have a Workers Theater movement in
America the review continues, such presentation
this (the reviewer has meanwhile forgiven the Sftons
their sins) will not be at the mercy of hostile bourgeois
critics."