The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-09-01


sold himself stories under any
In the crisis years, his racket wore
thin. His market virtually dlsap-
peared. Only a few large firms with
| capital were able to keep their pub
locations going and rates were cut
to about cent a word. My friend
married q girl with job, so it didn't
became a matter of bread and but
ter, but the last time I saw him he
hadn't sold a thing for year. He
didn't know what hit him, couldn't
make head or tail out of it. We
walked down Lexington Avenue and
had our last argument about
straight writing" and propaganda"
MY friend stuck by his guns. A
straight sports" story was meant to
amuse readers and that's all there
was to it. No larger implications
1t was rot about the pulps being shot
through end through with ruling
class psychology in its subtlest, most
effective and opiate form. Every
onoe in while, he said, you get pulp
stuff that stands up with Kipling
and Wells.
He shrugged his shoulder and kept
inviting me downtown for a shot OF
rye while L talked. Possibly the dam
age to my wind may have been COM
pensated for by the breath might
have saved.
I REMEMBER expressing contempt
| for both KipIing and Wells. l
talked from 57th st. to 34th. The
Boy Who Makes Good Illusion, on
which every pulp story based itself,
was sapping the spirit and taking
the rebellion out of ten million young
factory hands, students, farmers.
Older people who knew better escaped
into the fictitious atmosphere OF the
ring and the baseball diamond to
recapture shreds of their youth,
plunge into fleeting pipe-dreams OF
what might have been, snatch
moment of triumph in life OF rail-
ure by identifying themselves with
the sickly boy who built himself up,
and the old pitcher who sided I'M
assumingly to the mound and slow
balled his way to World series
victory.
In those days, the manner IN
which pulp sports stories affected the
development of a revolutionary
movement assumed more or less
negative aspect. Little open animos-
itv toward revolutionary struggles
manifested itself and the class char
acter of their approach was almost
totally obscured. Only recently
could you put your fingers on bla-
family obvious illustrations OF the
theory.
Disregard, for the moment. ANA
zing stories dealing with the future
when psuedo-scientifically equipped
Red Army hordes will invade the
U S. Look at the current issue OF
Street and Smiths Sport Story
Magazine" Read the leadoff piece
bv prolific Burt L. Standish, the
originator of the Frank Merrlwell
series.
AIRY DARNELL is an amiable
l. but ambitious youth working for
tire factory. He wants to make
good. Hard listed Foreman Lachl1n
is the menace. An eX-heavyweight
boxer. he goads Larry into fight
and whales the living hell out OF
him. The boy is made to quit the
factory.
Larry determines to become a
"scrapping tornado" He signs up
with Bradley, another ex-fighter,
who shows him the ropes. OF course
the boys got the stuff. He gets his
first bout and scatterS dental work
all over the arena. He's ready Tor
| Lachlin.
Report comes-"The men at Plant
have gone on strike and Lachlln's
got them fighting mad. They're
picketing the other plants and
there's talk of militia. :.
Larry tenssd. This strike was
going to cost the company plenty OF
money if it wasn't stopped soon. 1t
might even wreck business for long
time. And all because that crowd
was swayed by man who could dish
it out faster and harder than ne
took it."
There's a sure-fire battle scene be-
tween strikers and scabs. Larry ar
rives on the spot. The superin-
tendent who fired him is in trouble.
Larry fights his way through.
"Me,' said Larry, I'm tire man,
not a rioter. You seem to be in a
spot, Mr.. Meanwhile. :"
Arrangements are made to have
Larry and Lachlin fight it out for
the fate of the strike. Four full pages
of ring stuff. Lachlin, a vicious,
snarling animal.
Justice prevails. you're through,
Lachlin," exclaims ''she boy in a
| clinch, Through! Here's one to bite
on and take your strike with you"
"He shook loose, timed his shot
! perfectly, and bounced one off