The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-28
Literature on the
Origin of MayDay.
byMarxiSt Writers

BECAUSE May Day arouses the |
u workers of the world to trans
form their smallest or biggest |
struggles into one great political /
demonstration OF labor, clearly it is
essential that the occasion must /
be used to train and sharpen the
mind Of the working class so that
its struggles may ever rise to
greater heights of political con-
sciousness.
This is the function of the revo-
lutionary press and its literature,
and this was the function that
Marx and Engels carried out so
brilliantly in one of the creates.
pieces of revolutionary working
class literature-the Communist
Manifesto.
The Manifesto was no lofty pro-
nouncement intended to be enjoyed |
by a sectarian few. Born of the
fierce political struggles that rocked |
the continent in 1S48, its rayolu-
tionery character was reiterated by
Engels in a preface to the German |
edition OF 1890. The eight-hour
day movement, which, like May
Day itself, was started in The |
United States. was then occupying
the attention of the working class.
In his preface Engels wrote:
CAS- I write these lines. the
prOletariat of Europe and of
America is holding review of its
forces; it is modified for the
first time as One army, marching |
forward under One flag, and
fighting for One immediate aim:
an eight-hour working day.
This spectacle we are now wit
Messing will make the capitalists
and landowners of all lands re-
alize that today the proIetarians
of all lands are, in very truth,
united"
Inevitably the working class,
which has gone beyond the state of
skirmishes with the capitalists and |
landowners of all lands" and is now
near the final onslaught-the |
spreading of the November Revolu-
ton and Soviet Power throughout
the world has richer treasures of !
Marxist theory to guide its strug-
giles In America particularly the
working class is adding to its ar
senal of revolutionary theory. |
Through the series of Marxlst
Classics, for example (these are
published by International Publish
ers), the working class attack on
capital is sharpened and political
lied.
These MarXist classics will be en-
riched by further Marxist writings
long before next May Day, Interna-
tional Publishers announce. is
spring list includes such works as
Herr Duhring's Revolution in
Science (Anti-Duhring), by EngeIs;
Letters to Kugelmann, by Marx;
the Housing Question, by Engels;
"Left-Wing" Communism, the mas
terly analysis of Communist STRAIT
egg by Lenin, long out of print
Pamphlet literature hastenS theo-
retical development which must re-
ceiYe an impetus from the May Day
demonstration. Through the series,
History of the Working Class" the
May First marcher will be enabled |
to relate his struggles of today with |
the background of proletarian his
tory Through the handy Marxist |
Study Course in Political Economy
the worker may understand why |
his class interests are opposed to |
the rule of banker and boss and |
why, from his day-to-day struggle |
with the ruling class, he must de-
velop the fight into a political
struggle for power.
A brief survey of indispensable |
literature, whose serious study |
should be part of preparations for
the greater May Day to come, |
would include Stain Reports, de- /
scribed by Earl Browder as a
Handbook of Bolshevism"; The
History of May Day, by Alexander
Trachtenberg; Life and Teachings
of Lenin, by Paine Dutt and Dia-
lectical Materialism, by v. Adorat-
sky (both these latter will be ready
in a few weeks) The Foundation
of the Third International, by
Lenin, ten-cent pamphlet eX-
pected off the press in few days;
and Lenins the Proletarian Revo-
luton and Kautsky the Renegade.