The Washington times., 1933-02-07

scous as always of what he calls his historic function
comes off with dignity. That he has been belittled
and maligned is no secret; in the films of the
revolution his part has been mercilessy cut as II ne
were an intrusive "extra." We do not need his own
word for it that he the star far as any single
man could be.
Forgetting Trotsky
The habit of showing Trotsky aside has spread to
other countries naturally since it is semoffcia doc
trne that Trotsky existed or was only an error
on the part of the Creator, imaginary creature
in Lenins mind. Thus in John Strachey's very able
book, "The Coming Struggle for Power (Wh1ch Covlc
Friede have Just brought out) read: with what
dazzling audacity did Lenin conceive his project; with
what colossal tenacity has Stain chung to Its execu-
ton" And say, with what abomlnable un1arnesSS S
has Trotsky been omitted, because he isn't regular
For the general reader the best part of the history will
be the account of that period which John Reed called
Ten days that shook the world Trotskys brilliant mas
terry of the art of dramatic narrative has never been more
spectacular the way he lays down the broad lines OF ac
ton sps in detail so striking that instant pictures flash
before your eye ranges widely from fortress to river
sinks shaft of irony psychologist penetration into the
spirit of those who fought on botn soesan taC Is su
premely satisfying.
These pages have the quality of the Russian movies OF
Eisenstein and Pudowkin Actually I understand the
movies now for the first time, since when they were
shown the captions and explanations were insufficient
remember a corridor filled with anonymous men and
among them who seemed furtlvely to walt Ior
signal presently he removed his disguise ana was Len
rotsky tells how and why Lenin was In hiding Wnen ne
came out and how he took command 1t was great event
and it still seems miraculous that who had snare IN
making it great should nave Cne power dHu Ihe
pence to make so inspiring and accurate record of it,
Generals are infrequenty good historians remember
Julius Caesar and historians are almost never gooo gen.
erals Trotsky is the magnificent exception
The Wrong Man?
suppose he has grave defects of character do not
know enough about Russia to be that ne would be the
better man to lead Russia today PROBABLY not ne
might have urged Russia profit by the chaos of the
world through melting Europe and America to revolu-
ton and thus he might have reunited Europe and Amer
lea for the destruction of Russia Perhaps stalin VINO
has made the Soviet lion lie down beside the capitalist
lamb and has taken away from Russia much of its ideal
ism and almost all of it's is the right man in
the right place.
Nevertheless Trotsky is inspiring Edmund Viii re-
Gently wrote of him in the New Republic and wrote WE'LL
as he always does He mentioned Trotskys own descrp
ton of his banishment To keep the record straight as
we would say-o play his historic role as Trotsky would
say-he refused to quietly since it was that
protest against his enemies should be record So we
have the ignominious picture drawn by himself OF
Trotsky ostled and manhanded, dragged through the
crowds thrown on the train, crying out all the time to
porters and travellers, You what they are doing to
Leon Trotsky."