The daily worker., 1933-07-03
BY ANNA LOUISE STRONG

THE loveIest pageant Of the year
the physical culture parade in
Moscow Lacking though it may the
stupendous sweep of the May Day
and November demonstrations, it has
unique perfection of its own Here
are no million masses of Moscow's
entire working population storming
the Red Square under red banners
and factory emblems, under pla-
cards of prowess or statistical charts,
photographs Of udarnikS or grote-
sdues of idlers. reflecting the many
sided life of the proletarian metro
polls. Here is scant hundred thou
sand, but each of them is beautiful
Here is not all of Moscow, but the
Moscow that is new!
Here is the youth of Moscow, the
select" youth at that Only a frac-
ton of even the youth may enter
this demonstration. They are not
select" by any Of the pre-revolu-
tionary distinction Of birth or money,
but select through their own dis
ciplined endeavor, which has formed
in them perfect bodies rhythmi-
cally moving as one with their COM
rsdes
A Colorful Scene
A hot June Sun blages down on
pageant which. in extent and in
beauty, could not be matched in any
city outside the Soviet Union. Short.
sleeveless gymnasium trunks form
the prevalent costume, their color
varying with the different troops.
White and red letter-insignia, blue
and white, lilac and grey, scarlet,
blue and orange, thus come the diff
ferent detachments. Hardly con- |
cealed by the short costume brown
bodies 1.-THE, fit. beautiful brown we'll
formed legs keeping perfect time,
bare. brown knees rising and falling
to the same beat of music.
Cyclists by the thousand pass in
accurate array; tennis girls with
rackets raised in smart, simultaneous /
salute: a thousand oarsmen holding
aloft their oars; boxers saluting with
gloves: fencers with foils-all color
full, physically perfect, beautiful.
Then come the contests of factories
filling the vast Red Square, the tug
qf-war on the rope between Ham
.mer and Sickle" and Plant "a the
bchildren's parade. Last of all the
climax of athletic display by the Cen
trail Institute for Physical Culture.
Perfect Rhythm
thousand wellproportioned bodies
stationed at set intervals across the
The outer groups doing gymnastics
with long red balls the inner groups
with long red parallel bars. held up
by husky youths as the living slin-
port on which soaring athletes rise .
still higher Strength and skill sub
ordinate to perfect rhythm, the whole
group in its various actions making
changing symphony in white and red.
Then the end when the band sud-
deny ssops and a chorus of young
voices storms the air, vibrant, male,
triumphant marching past the Lenin
nausoleum.
Unlike most athletes in capitalist
lands, where youth seeks to excel in
some particular sport. sacrificing even
health to one-sided proficiency, the
Soviet program of physical culture de-
mands all-around development. Its
standard is set by the GTO tests,
passing which the successful candi-
date is declared Ready for Labor and
Defense" These tests cover every
variety of athletics and sport, de-
nianding a certain minimum profi-
cheney in all rather than preemience
IN Tt fnk0c
to pass them. More than half mil
lion young folk in the Soviet Union
have passed the tests