The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-26
BY SAM DON

ME are not living i'll a vacuum.
" The capitalist class is continu-
ally pressing its poisonous theology
upon the minds of the workers. An
indispensable phase Of the mobili-
cation for imperialist war Is the
mobilization of public opinion"
The cultivation of chauvinist ideo-
logy is at the same time increas-
ing.
The seventeen million unemploy-
ed in the country are crying, Gv-
ing indictment of the system which
creates unemployment and breeds
wars. The material base for the
theological influence of the bourg-
eoisie amongst the workers has
shrunk considerably. In spreading
chauvinist propaganda in the prep
arations for war, we see the increase
of fascist theology, in its various
forms, for the open dictatorship
of the bourgeoiSie. In diverting to
safer channels the growing queS-
tioning of the system Of capitalism,
the ruling class increases in a more
subtle and covered form its agita-
ton and propaganda in the ranks
of the working class. The bour-
geois propaganda in the press, in
the movies, and in the magazines,
has its basis and roots in the vari-
Gus impartial" philosophical, theo-
retical writings Of the open and
hidden apologists of capitalism. Our
struggle, therefore, on the theo-
reticsl, philosophical front is not
just hair-splitting, but is a struggle
against bourgeois theology in the
ranks OF the working class. 1t is
part Of the struggle for winning the
majority of the working class.
THE January issue Of the New
i Masses contains very valuable
article in unmasking and exposing
a "Marxist" who has the official
approval and blessing of the capt.
talist press, the Lovestoneites and
Trotskyites. We refer to the article
"On the Marxism of v. F. Calver-
ton," by David Ramsey and Alan
Calmer. We know that the Amer
lean ruling class is very DESTROYS
of building up the American Social
ist Party as its main social support
amongst the working class. 1t,
therefore, also builds up such
"Marxists" who will cover up the
open bourgeois philosophy and
ideas with thin and thick layers
of "left'' or MarXist phrases. Cal
verton plays this role in this special
service for the ruling class.
The article begins with present.
alton of Calverton's background,
which is well summed up in the
statement, ''It must be manifest by
now that Calverton is a type that
reflects that attitude and ethics of
a decadent, racketeering capitalist
civilization" The literary habits"
OF Calverton and his intellectual
Development is one Of interruptions
plagiarism and endless sonersaults.
The article does not merely make
the charge that he is a plagiarist,
does not content itself with one or
two congratulations on his back
ground, but substantiates these
charges with numerous facts which
are irrefutable.
But one may ask-how Is it to be
explained that such a shady indi-
vidual like Calverton whose main
activity at one time was TO lecture
on sex as the greatest force in
c1ylizat1on,' a man with such lit
erary habits" has become q rec
ogni2ed Marxist" not only by the
bourgeoisie and renegades, but even
by some honest intellectuals who
are drifting toward the left and
who may even be anxious to abb
sorb the teachings of Marxism-
Leninismp Many of the intellectuals
on the road toward the left find
1t very difficult to break with their
past, to break with bourgeois ideo-
logy. Calverton's "Marxism," and his
PHILOSOPHERS, therefore, give to some
of these intellectuals the feeling
that they have broken with the
past and at the same time retain
the comfort of the past and
adopted q revolutionary philosophy.
Therefore, all those who reconcile
bourgeois philosophy with Marx
isn1-Leninism play the role OF in
tvrceptlng and divertIns the grow.