The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-05
BY LILIAN c. RKITAN

ALL my life I had been eager to
n educate myself for q career. In
grade school and high school. I be
lieved what the teachers told me!
That the opportunity for higher ed
ucation would be mine if I was
willing 70 work. I began TO work.
Temporary. part-time Jobs. even
full-tine Jobs came my way. All
through was haf-starved. trying
to save money to continue my edu-
cation. However, 7 had hope and
energy, and eventually I got q col
lege degree. and began to specialize
in my chosen field. There, where
I expected to enter into what |
considered really worthwhile work,
I was thoroughly disillusions0 by
discovering that the instructors pri-
marilv noticed and c5,srtG to sons
and daughters of wealthy families.
The common" students those the
instructors referred to as the "un-
important" studentS) were ignored.
Education. had thought, was the
gateway to freedom, and there at
the door, stood teachers bought and
paid for by the wealthy. selecting
those who could enter. Ny c0ncep-
ton Of my country" as a democ-
racy began to collapse.
The depression was geeting wen
under way and I was laid off my
job as part-time worker in q large
department store, and was told By
the university employment bureau
that they had only a Job at house
work for me, was desperately in
need and took the lob.
If any workers does not know the
meaning Of "class-consciousness,
let him for one day work as a SER
want for one of these wealthy fam
lilies, Let him feel what 1t is to
enter and depart only by 9, rear
entrance; never to be allowed to sit
down in one Of the beautiful rooms
he has to keep clean; to be rele-
gated to tiny back room where
there is no space left when the
folding bed is down, and where
there is never any sunlight; to be
forced to eat left-overs from the
beautifully served bourgeois" table:
to be forced to take any kind of
treatment the spoiled and pampered
children happen TO feel like giving
you, not daring to object on pain
of losing your Job; to work every
day until your mind and body be-
come numb with WEAKNESS twelve
hours being my average working
day, and while you rise early, still
tired, to continue the drudgery
again, they rest luxuriously, sleeping
late, although they have not worked
at all; while they spend hours upon
their toilettes, your hands are get
ting constantly more roughened and
you nave scarcely time to keep
clean; seeing their pet dogs lolling
in luXurywhile you, human being
in luxury while you, a human
being, are constantly being crushed
down-these are the common ex-
periences of a servant.
I had become so tired during my
two years of service during which
they gave me only four DAYS vaca-
ton, that my chest, lungs, and back
are beginning to have constant
ache. and I feel generally exhausted.
But I have seen the process worked
out with other servants and know
how they do. The common practice
is to wear out the servant and then
merely get another, and so on, as
you replace old clothing.
I BEGAN to attend public lectures.
1 I soon discovered, in spite of the
capitalists attempts to muddle the
public, that the Communists were
the only ones who went at the prob
lem with full understanding Of
what must be done, and how, and
why. Any worker can see for him
self that before socialism can be
established, he will have a despe-
rate struggle with capitalists who
are viciously determined to retain
possession Of the means Of produc-
ton. I have learned that we must
struggle hard and bitterly for the