The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-20
PART II


In COULD not but admit that, too
1 lacked the faculty Of understand
ing that, to an enthusiastic soul, the
artistic form OF q nose should be a
triangle, and that the revolutionary
pressure Of facts should change the
human body into 8 formless sack
placed on two stills and with two FIVE
pronged forks. Lenin laughed heart
ny. yes, dear Clara, we two are old
We must be satisfied with remaining
young for a little longer in the rev.
olution. We don't understand the new
art any more, we Just limp behind it, :"
But" Lenin continued, "our opin-
ion on art is not important. Nor is it
important what art gives to a few
hundreds or even thousands of a
population as great as ours. Art be-
longs to the people. 1t must have its
deepest roots in the broad mass Of
workers. It must be understood and
loved by them. 1t must be rooted In
and grow with their feelings, thoughts
and desires. 1t must arouse and de-
velop the artist in them. Are we to
give cake and sugar to a minority
when the mass of workers and peas
ants still lack black bread? I mean
that, not, as you might think, only in
the literal sense Of the word, but also
hguratively. We must keep the work
ers and peasants always before our
eyes. We must learn to reckon and to
manage for them. Even in the
sphere Of art and culture.
$50 that art may come 70 the
people, and the people to art, we
must first Of all raise the general
level Of education and culture. And
how is our country in that respect?
You are amazed at the tremendous
cultural work We have accomplished
since the seizure Of power. without
being boastful we can say that we
have done much in this respect, very
much. We have not only cut off
heads, as the Mensheviks and their
Kautskys in all countries accuse us Of
doing, we have also enlightened heads.
Many heads. But many only in
comparison with the past and the
sins OF the ruling classes and CliqueS
of those times. We are confronted
with the gigantic needs Of the work
erS and peasants for education and
culture, needs awakened and slim
ulated by us. Not only in Petrograd
and Moscow, in the industrial centers,
but outside them, in the villages. And
we are poor nation, mendicant ma
ton, whether we like it or not, the
majority of the old people remain cul-
tlTally the victims, the disinherited.
OF course we are carrying on vigor-
GUS campaign against illiteracy. We
are setting up libraries and reading
hutS' In the small towns and villages.
We are organizing educational courses
Of the most varied nature. We ar
range good theatrical productions and
concerts, we send educational tab
leaux' and travelling exhibitions over
the country. But I repeat, what is
all that to the many millions who
lack the most elementary knowledge,
the most primitive cultured While in
Moscow today ten thousand-and per-
hapS tomorrow another ten thousand
are charmed by brilliant theatrical
performances, millions are crying out
to learn the art of spelling, OF writing
their names, Of counting, are crying
for culture, are anxious to learn, for
they are beginning to understand that
the universe is ruled by natural laws,
and not by the Heavenly Father and
his witches and wizards"
Don't complain so bitterly of the
illiteracy, Comrade Lenin," I inter-
jected. ITO certain extent it really
helped forward the revolution. It
prevented the mind of the workers
and peasants from being stopped up
and corrupted with bourgeois ideas
and conceptions. Your propaganda