The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-16
Reviewed by
MARGUERITE YOUNG

NO WONDER this exciting little
IN journal gained more than one
hundred subscribers last MONTH Is
sue by issue, it presents more strik-
ing evidence that a sad day Of reck-
oning is coming to the capitalist
publishers whose ladies magazines
offer an insult to the intelligence
Of everyone who reads them.
I say insult advisedly. Look into
McCalrs, The Ladies' Home Journal
or The Woman's Home Companion:
you will find only reams of proof
that their editors still expect women
readers by the millions to be content
with Cinderella fiction, moronic
morality lectures and few fash
ions. The fact that this insulting
editors concept is thoroughly I'M
justified is demonstrated by the
growth Of The Working Woman, a
magazine addressed frankly to work
ers who happen to be women.
The October issue is full Of ex-
hilaration. From its first excellent
article, Merle Colby's masculine
tribute to the go per cent Of the tex
tile strikers who happened to be
women and often took matters into
their own hands" to its final
Household Corner" beginning, I'VE
all want to look our BEST" this num-
Der is zestful, human, warm. Which
is not meant to minimize its polit-
icsI sharpness and significance.
In fact 1 suspect that there are
men and women Communist candi-
dates for public office, who could
we'll take tip from Elba Chase's
contribution, why I am Com
munist." 1t is a fine example Of the
application of political theory in a
concrete appeal full of regard for
the psychology, the language, and
the issues uppermost in the minds
Of the audience. Candidate Chase,
Communist choice for Governor of
New Hampshire, writes thus simply,
thus pointedly:
For the past twenty years we
have lived and farmed in this
small town of Washington, n. II.
knew nothing about farm
ing before we came here 1t
was terrible struggle while the
children were small, in fact, it has
been a struggle most of the time.
That IS why 1 am Communist"
GRACE HUTCHINS' discussion of
U the textile strike is as excellent
as Colby's article. But it seems to
me that the combination, plus two
brief editorials on the same strug-
gle, is unwarranted repetitiousness
especially when there are only fiji
teen pages in all. say this despite
the Importance Of the textile strike
and the editors managing to cover
great variety of topics. was
especially pleased at the inclusion
of professional writer's stories, such
as Myra Pages fine Water" along
with storytelling letters from work
ers. Sasha Smalls acute notes on
the thrill magazines and judith
Bloch's report Of events customarily
neglected by capitalist newspapers
women's columns make good use Of
that important weapon, satire.
There is one article to which
take exception-an article proclaim
ing somewhat loftily that the Sen
ate munitions investigation show;
"sameness" with all capitalist
congressional inquiries which dis
close nothing that could really harm
those who were being investigated
and very rarely anything that any
body didn't know all along" This
is simply incorrect. True, the Sen
ate Committee is set to recommend
4 no real cure for the stencil it hat
raised, and it may propose reaction
airy measures which will, effectively
further the imperialists' war plans
But if radical anti-war spokesmer
will follow Karl Marx practice O.
explaining and interpreting-insteac
of pooh pooling the facts tina
such Investigators turn up, they vii
find in the record already made By
the Senate committee very grea
deal that could really harm" tht
war-makers.
Publications like The Working
Woman need to present the rev
dictionary Interpretation of the in
vestigation, pointing out the made
quacies and the pitfalls in the Sen
ate Committees proposals. But the,
cannot do this by emitting to max
use of the facts. They should shov
why the measures beyond which tn
Committee cannot go even in recon
mendations-measures such as EN-
bargoing, Matchmaking munitions
etc.-are both reactionary and
mockery of the very evidence whicl
the Committee itself produced.
Note: The criticism of the ar
ticIe in question is correct. The
effective way in which The Daily
Worker treated this Senate inves-
tigation should be guide to all
other periodicals.. The exposure of
concrete facts showing the con-
nection between preparations for
! war and the attempt to suppress
the workers fight for better con-
ditions. gave added stimulus to
; the strike of textile workers, then
in progress, and proved to more
workers, the correctness OF the
many statements of The Daily
J Worker: that workers must carry
on a struggle against inperialist
war.
Editor, "The Working Woman,