The Daily Worker Newspaper, June 20, 1925, Page 13

William Jennings Bryan and Other Animals By T. J. O’FLAHERTY. William Jennings Bryan, America’s most perennial presidential candidate, has lent the lustre of a well advertis- ed name to many causes and also the aid of an eloquent tongue, but it is doubiful if at any time during the long public career of this spectacular Mountebank, he got entangled in an issue that will contribute more to his political delousation than his espousal of the lost cause of fundamental ig- norance ig. the realm of biology, thru the medium of the Scopes case about to be tried in Dayton, Tennessee. The facts of the case, briefly stated are: John Thomas Scopes, football coach and science teacher in a Doyton high school taught the theory of evo- lution to his pupils. Until the year 1924 it was perfectly legal to do this, but the state legislature of Tennessee among others, under the influence of ignorant cave-men like William Jen- nings Bryan, had a bill passed which made it a violation of state law for a public school teacher to inform his pupils on the Darwinian theory or any other theory of evolution. John Thomas Scopes deliberately set about violating this law in order to test its constitutionality. He imme- diately became a national figure, thereby banishing James A. Stillman and his concubines from the front page, for the time being, and forcing the Chicago gunmen to resort to un- usual forms of murder in order to make the eight column headline. Publicity means as much to a poli- tical mountebank as water does to a thirsty mule, so when William Jen- nings Bryan, scented a chance to break into the headlines as a leader of the forces of darkness he hit the trail to Tennessee with as much zest as a tomcat on his way to a love tryst. Religion, according to Bryan, had one foot on a banana peel of ancient vintage while the other foot was standing on the brink of an open grave and smeared with gudgeon grease in addition. Clearly there was need for a savior. Bryan, who was at this time busily engaged selling real estate lots in Florida, threw up his $1,000 a day job and seizing his bible and his torch he called on the organized morons of America to proceed to defend the sacred sepulchre of ignorance against the demon of knowledge. Many an- swered his call, because there are many ignoramuses in America. The bible would help to make confusion more confounded while the torch would serve as an intoxicating symbol for those in whose veins runs the blood of the witch-burners of all the ages. Even if the law forbids the im- molation of John Thomas Scopes on the blazing faggot pile, the sight of the torch would remind Bryan’s pious followers, of the good old days when the smell of burning ‘infidel would soothe their nasal passages and send them on their way happy in the thot that a merciful and just god was still in his heaven. The battle was on. We must admit that ignorance was well served in the person of Bryan. He is no comprom- iser in this respect. He will defend fundamental ignorance without the crossing of a “t” or the dotting of an “i.” Those who have rallied to the defense of evolution are not cast in the same mold, it must be respectfully admitted. Led by the Civil Liberties Union, several lawyers have offered their services to defend Mr. Scopes. Among the number are Bainbridge Colby, sec- retary of state (for a while) in Wood- row Wilson’s cabinet and Clarence Darrow, one of the most noted crim- inal lawyers in the United States, and sole proprietor of a “what’s the use” philosophy, that has no use for anything except high legal fees and a general acceptance of the capitalist system as an endurable phenomenon. According to Bowepaper, _ Teports, which are not always reliable, the Scopes defenders hope to use the trial for the purpose of “reconciling religion and science,” thru the testi- mony of heads of more or less liberal denominations, or denominations that cater to a clientele that cannot swal- low the immaculate conception not to speak of the special creation theory, and yet like to hold on to the god of their fathers even tho he is much the worse for wear. The liberal churches put this god thru a fumigating process and serve him up to suit the tastes of their more advanced customers, while churches that carry such ata- vists as Bryan on their books, feature the old reliable Jehovah, the same old boy who used to command his favorite sons of Israel (before they fell from grace) to kill all their male captives and the old females, but to keep the virgins for procreative pur- poses. The hope that evolution and science can be reconciled is that one must be deferred. And the bible said that “hope deferred maketh the heart sick.” Religion has fought science down thru history. Every advance made by science has been over the wounded body of religion. Beaten in the battle, religion has tried to main- tain some footing by compromising with science or with some alleged scientists to the extent of trying to prove that there is no fundamental conflict between science and religion; that god is still there, tho heaven is gone. Religion can no more be reconciled with science than the conflict between the capitalists and the workers can be reconciled. Capitalism must go. It’s on its way and so is religion. Re- ligion is based on blind faith. Science is knowledge gained and verified by exact observation and correct think- ing. Capitalism is not fighting those sciences which it needs in its busi- ness. It is fighting the science of sociology, with Which Marx armed the workers and in the hands of the great revolutionary engineer, Lenin, opened the door to the new order of society, where ignorance as well as exploitation will be treated like a criminal. Capitalism would prefer that the workers still believed they owe their origin to a piece of dirt moulded by Jehovah's paws and set in motion by a whiff of his breath, but it takes intelligence to run the capitalist industrial machine and you cannot prevent intelligent workers from thinking. What can’t be cured must be endured and the capitalists make th best of the situation. The “Battle of Tennessee,” as the militant pacifists like to label it, may result in the anti-evolution laws passed in Tennessee and other states being declared unconstitutional, As to teaching of the theory of evolution does not endanger the existence of the capitalist state, the United States su- Preme court will undoubtedly rule on the side of safe and sane progress. This will please the radicals who have deserted the fight against capitalism and now get their thrills taking it out on Jehovah. Dayton will get a lot of publicity out of it and real estate values should go up, despite the pres- ence of the ungodly Scopes, who by the way declares he is as good a friend of god’s as anybody else. But he’s got ~to show the Bryanites. Whether the anti-evolution laws will be wiped off the statute books or not, the trial should be valuable. It will make the study of biology more in- teresting for one thing, and provided there are no juicy murder cases with a sex flavor on the boards while the trial is on, or Coolidge has not sent an expeditionary force to Mexico, Darwin will get a real introduction to the American public. His name will no longer mean a word of six letters in a cross word puzzle. In other words let the trial come on and do it’s damndest. We are for it, but more interested in what’s taking place in China and Morocco; in Nova Scotia and Mexico. ‘ The New Drama Under Soviet Rule bere Bolshevik revolution has had far reaching effect upon the Rus- sian theater. The Russian theater has fa many ways become an experi- mental laboratory for dramatic art in all its departments, including the dra- ma proper, the dance and the ballet; and the pantomine and mass recita- tion. The fire of dramatic art is express- ed today in Russia as never before. There is nothing to stop the drama in Its onward development. There are no limitations. Anything maybe attempt- ed, and as a consequence the drama flourishes mightily. : — development is in line with other changes that have taken place in Russia side by side, and grow- ing out of the proletarian revolu- tion. It is dicult to estimate the vast changes that have taken place in the lives of the Russian workers. It is of course, perfectly obvious that such cultural changes could only take place in the wake of the revolu- Uon. It is the expression of work- ing class ideals and working class unity. What is the revolutionary theater? It is the theater for the propaganda primarily of proletarian ideals. It is therefore propaganda; but it does not nature and its courage to put across & powerful and revolutionary idea it is capable of tremendous artistic pos sibilities. It breaks with all theatrical staging and lighting, and develops a dynamic and powerful art fulfilling its twin functions of propaganda and art, ef the impressions you are receiving. Not that there Ia any magic—only the magic of a new psychology --but that it is so new and so different that it sweeps you off your feet. IN you enter Meyerchold theater you are greeted by an cmpty stage curtainless and wholly without ornamentation. In the background te the brick wall of the building. A lad- der is leaning against it. On one side is a curious looking scaffold like the first construction for a building. A carpenter walks across the stage. int this is not part of the play-—not yet, but during the performance, carpent- ers do walk across when they have work to do for the immediate scene. A bell rings; a group of well set up fellows and girls all in blue Russian jackets file in talking excitedly; an- other worker pushes past and mounts the scaffold and begins in a passion- ate, pleading voice to argue with the group. There is the sound of an an- tomobile and a gentleman in full dress; a flower in his buttonhole and with white gloves, alights from his car and begs the workers to vote for him and to stand for hia party. Ho is surrounded by journalists, secretaries and telegrpahers. The play is fairly launched. You are struck by the two groups; ths bourgeois group of the social demo- Pp and demagogues in elogant at- and the workers ali in the bise Russian blouses. ious; then you blink with amazement and then you want to get to the bot- tom of it and understand what is back HE play continues; it ts a ced coffin of the hero is borne away, nis mother points the way to her grandson,. child of the fallen Com- tunist and says: “He is dead but you Inust take up the battle.’ Between ese two scenes there are other scenes in which the bourgeoisie is so ridiculed and caricatured that you are carried from one spasam of laughter to the other, but It is in a way a kind ef intellectual laughter if such a term may be used, for you laugh also, be- eause the caricature is no caricaturo, but the real truth brot naked to the audience, This is Meyerchold; no scenery; prac- tically no settings; no curtains; the light comes from various angles and broduces a grotesque and poster like effect. The movements and voices of the players are the strong supple movements and the strong ringing voices of workers. When the bour- geoisie is Portrayed they look weak eud stupid, ineffectual by contrast. Almost enuf to make a bourgeois of inteliigence turn against his own class. And the director, Meyerchold, @ tall, thin gray-haired man, ts lovable and mild and a Communist. is curious to turn from the fresh ness and dynamics of Meyerchold to the old theater whfch still oxists in Russia, Here you can hear the old operas of long ago sung in the same old style. You can also see the old ballets danced to the old music, a sweet and often meaningless, color- ful in a pretty and tame way but years behind the times. There is of course also the splendid new expres- slionist dancing a whole world otf trength and rythm, “ : ‘Then thore is the draina of the wameé school as the modern drama of New York or Pariz. Just drama; the ‘id ‘stories, the old trappings end stage effects. I did ‘not see this but I did see the theater of the old tech- new play: the play as they exist thé social and Weavers.” Then there is the Russian art then- ter. I saw here a remarkable produc- tion of the “Blue Bird.” It is incom- parable like a rare jewel cut and radiant. The stage from the rising of the curtain to the drop was a series of delicate paintings, to which light- ing, color, groupings and backgrounds all contributed. These are like paint- Ings of the school known in the tech- nique of painting as pointilism; light, opalescent—glittering. I was far from understanding how some of these beautiful effects were achieved. The acting is not new but very good. To me it was too dream-like and un- teal. Too much removed from life to give vigor or inspiration for life. To turn from this to Meyerchold is like turning from the scent of exquisite flowers to the Niagara, K gaa Meyerchold Theater may as- sume different forms in the future, But it will always be revolutionary. It does not mince things. It is the heart and pulse of the proletariat, articn- late for the first time in history. It is strength of the longshoreman and the suppleness of the Greek runners. O! the technique, of the acting it Is difficult to speak, it is so different trom the old technique and at timos 80 curious in itself. Propaganda it is certainly. Always tha struggle and the victory of the workers and the brutality and tho ste. pidity of the bourgeoisie, But. above sil it is the powerful heart beats of. Uwe new proletarian drama—Sadle Anster, Distribute a bundle everyday during Week? GRIGER & NOVAK GENTS FURNISHING and MERCHANT TAILORS Union “Merchandise 1934 W. Chicago Avenue (Cor. Winchester}