Evening star., 1934-12-30

the Soviet Union. And IS years old.
Partly because of her age-with a life behind
her filled with honor and unparalleled achieve
ment-partly because of her devotion to the
revolution and its leader, her husband, but
chiefly because of her own personal vision and
leadership Mrs Lenin has become the best
known woman in her country. Her husband
was the father of the Russian Revolution. She
was it's mother Hers is the one name always
mentioned by every Russian-no matter how
much the Communist conquest may have up
rooted him and despoiled him-with reverence
and deep affection. Greater tribute than TINS
no woman ever had.
When I entered her Office (she is one of
the commissars- -ministers-of education), I
saw strange figure waiting to greet me. I
say strange because the figure offered such a
sharp contrast to the very young and very
alert girl secretaries outside. She sat, leaning
on her desk if extremely tired, black
shawl held close about her shoulders and
Snow-white hair falling in careless wispS about
her strong but kindly face. Her weary lids were
half closed Here was woman who had en-
dured appalling suffering. who had fought.
fought, fought all her long life for what
seemd to be, for most Of it, hopeless dream.
She followed her husband in exile to Siberia.
With him she returned in 1917 to help him
overturn world. She saw him shot down by
enemies, but live. She saw perhaps a quarter
OF the population of Russia perish from the
World War, the Civil War, banditry, famine,
pestilence, before the Bolshevik trt-
umphed. And her eyes reveal the anguish they
have beheld.
QUT when those eyes gave me smiling well
come, that weary face seemed to spring to
life. And when she spoke, 40 years vanished
from her age. She spoke rapidly, vigorously.
nIA I. H1o,-
character arrested me Immediately, as they
arrest every one who comes in contact with
this old lady. I understand why, as an orator
and a leader, she had been one of the great
est forces Of the revolution. Even now at u.s.
she speaks often at public gatherings and on
the radio, and when she does all Russia listens.
I was allowed to talk to Mrs. Lenin for an
hour fortunately she speaks English). Her
great interest-now that she has helped her
husband overthrow dynasties, suppress rebel
lions expel foreign enemies and clamp Com
munism on one-sixth of the land area of the
worlds the education and emancipation O..
women. In this respect Citizen Krupskaya
and her department have accomplished stu
pendous things.
From a state of almost Oriental enslave-
ment and ignorance before the World War, the
condition of Russian women under Communism
has leaped overnight to the other extreme
Now they have absolute equality with men In
every reSpect-economcally legally, politically
In no way are women set apart protected or
favored. There is longer a Mrs" a
"Miss"-only "Comrade'' and Citizen" They
are given the same work and the same wages
rs men. They must struggle for life on exactly
the same footing as men, fighting with their
own fists Half the work in the vast new in
dustrial plants is done by women-in the
machine shops, the automobile and tractor fac
tories the mines. Women build the military
tanks, the airplanes, the artillery, the locomo-
tives.
In one electricmotor factory I visited, the
manager apologized for having SO few women
workers 80 per cent In this plant they
were wearing mems clothes, boots, caps. They
were as grimy, as greasy as the men, and as
hard. They used the same locker rooms, ate
at the same factory kitchen, punched the same
time clocks, lifted the same weight, carried the
Bame load.
Moscow is building new skyscraper hotel
and new subway. And the sand hogs" the
rock miners, the steel filters women Squat
and red, they shovel gravel eight hours ON a
stretch into the concrete mixers, run the steam
derricks, excavate foundations with picks and
dynamite.
A new street is being paved. There is hardly
a in sight The rock crushing and the
asphalt spreading are done by gangs Of women
And the final steam roller is run by a girl
wearing overalls.
Women have seized not only the heavy in
dustries as their province. The professions
have fallen, too Seventy-fve per cent Of all