The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 20, 1926, Page 9

By E. Hugo Qehler. ARION TALLEY’S operatic debut has been heralded by the bour- geois press of the country in the 100 per cent style. The bourgeois press of Kansas City, Missouri, her home town, has outdone the rest in present- ing Marion Talley to the people from an emotional standpoint, praising and presenting her as press supporters can, ‘This incident is well worth consid- eration in getting a focus on art in its relation to the econemic factors. However, in considering this Marion Talley incident we will not allow ef- fects to dominate causes. The United States having emerged successfully from a long struggle for a dominating position in world economic affairs, desires the same success in the field of fine arts. Master clagses of the past were confronted with the same task and the same desires, This coun- try’s economic system is of maturity, but her development in the field of art is in its infancy. The nation has reached the point where energy in greater quantities can be released and spent in this field. All: parasitic ruling classes in their advanced stage of power can enoputage and finance the arts, Like nations of the past, ruling groups in economic supremacy idle away their time in luxury and de- bauchery, with art of a distant na- tional character. The imperial United States is floundering into this period when the parasite class’ ego cannot be satisfied unless the arts can be called their own. Marion Talley’s ca- reer lines up with this awakening na- tional ego of the mmaster class. A young ruling class within such a social order as the United States first uses its wealth to purchase the mas- terpieces, the art treasures of other countries, and to import those works of greatest talent. The United States, like all other groups of the past, passes through. this stage first. Eco- nomicaéHy- the Uftited States is in- creasing the fumber of nations that fall under its imperialist policy, mak- ing them subject nations. Following these economic subjections, we find the art treasures of the weaker countries being imported in ever increasing numbers by the United States. This, of course, does not take’ place in the colonial territory, but in the “civi- lized” countries of Europe that have long been the dominating authorities of art in Occidental civilization. The talent of Europe has for years been imported by this country, but now the valuable art possessions of European nations are being purchased by our master class in ever-increasing num- bers, This grasping, acquiring success of the Americans has been met with alarm by the Europeans, for they find that their art galleries are being j stripped of their valuables. The Amer- icans can afford to pay any price for the desired art objects and collec- tions, Nations of the continent facing financia] post-war difficulties succumb to the wealth of America in art as well as in the political field. The ego of the United States capi- talist soon tires of this. Tires of buy- ing the art of the conquered and the subjected. New powers dematid new art or at least that which they can eall their own. They must have their own art and we have launched a campaign to fulfill these desires. This does not mean the-discard of what has been acquired. “The capitalists of ‘the United States do, however, desire to stamp their personality upon the future art of the world. Opera is an excellent field for such purposes, as it enables the imbeciles of the “better class” to mask their ignorance and at the same time it indulges this class’ thirst for fine arts, Of all the branches of art none so much as opera can rouse the art con- sciousness of the national bourgeoisie, and at the same time draw upon the working class for its support. For example, take the graphic arts (art of drawing, painting, etc.), The results that can be accomplished nationally with Marion Halley as a singer in grand opera could not be accom- plished with the art of drawing. In it the public does not come in contact with the personality, with the emo- tional, that is needed to rouse a world ruling class to consciousness in the field of art. In the art of drawing the emotional siamese Te extent in the st t 4 contact with the people by the indt- vidual artist is a concrete factor. This Marion Talley incident is not the first nor will it be the last in this world ee ‘If a distinct American basis of art can be found in one branch, the field as a whole gains rapidly. As long as America must “borrow” her art from Europe we will be subject to the art criticism of the ‘European continent, which is a powerful weapon against the desires of the capitalists of Amer- ica, To have prima donnas we .should have “capable” art critics who can conyince the world that they are right. But in order to have this grade of critics we should have an art basis that can be used as a leaning post for the capitalist art puppets, Research work by archeologists’ in the Maya ruins of Central America are followed by our forsighted art- ist as crows follow a new turned field of an exploited farmer. They expect to find a basis in the Indian civiliza- tion of the past. One way or the other the ruling class of this nation must find the way to take its place in art as it has in economics. The necessity of such is felt at this early stage. The attitude of Europe toward “our” Marion is a manifesta- tion, tone that the city which gave her to the world speaks in. A group of “be- nevolent’ Kansas City business men made the career of this talented singer possible by providing the eco- nomic end that is lacking in the plan- ning of the millions of wage slaves’ children, London papers and the continent do not view this debut of Marion Talley with what could be termed support. Instinctively they realize the effect that this will have. They seem to see it as a move toward art domination that follows economic conquest. The London Evening Standard says, regarding Marion Talley’s operatic debut that, “some super-organization has been at work with only one hitch in the proceedings—that compara- tively cool tone of musical criticism. In this case the shouting seems to have been done too soon.” However, we can say the hitch is not in the “super-organization,” as the Evening Standard thinks. We must reme: that,Marion Talley is but ividual and- the forces that moves this “super-organization” are those that brush aside opposition, not even caring for such persons as Ma- rion Talley if the unexpected happens and others must ‘be pushed forward. Such criticism as London gives us is detrimental to the aspirations of the American capitalists who intend to spread their influence in the field of art. A parasitic class with the gold They do not speak in the same - Art and Marian Talley, a Product of Capitalism that America has can, with time, do what reason should. No doubt they will to a great extent pacify the pres- ent and see that “fanatic” critics do nol stand in their way of the period Of art and luxury that every master class must look forward to. Marion Talley is but a flash across the space in this drama of art devel- opment in this stage of imperialism. It is a rehearsal for the fast changing art conditions that is taking place be- tween bourgeois nations in the shift of economic power. Ambitions and fulfillments are two different things. America’s ambition in art is increasing with the success that imperialism is having in eco- nomic and political fields. They still have much to overcome economically, but they have greater obstacles in art, For the transfer of economic control, the redistribution of the earth within a social system has less difficulties than the fulfillment of the art ambi- tions. And although the desired may not be accomplished, largely due to the growing and threatening power of the proletariat, nevertheless the activity along this line will effect and alter much that is dear to our Euro- pean bourgeois cousins. Relatively speaking, the economic change resulting in a shift in the art field is doomed to a short life. The proaching change that the capitalists fear is the change from this order to another which will readjust the arts to the new social system. The bourgeois art in America has been roused from its infant slumber by the Marion Talley debut. In art, as in economics, the bour- geois struggle for the dominating po- sition. On the other hand, an art struggle between the bourgeoisie and the prolétariat, who at present manis fest their expression in semi-prole- tariat form, is going on. The art of the proletariat, like that of the bourgeois in this stage, is doomed to a relative short life, for the , art of the future cannot correctly be termed the art of the proletariat. With the disappearance of classes, when the state withers away, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat will be no more, And the art that is budding in the Soviet Union will at that period flower into its own and will be the beginning of the art of Communist society. The Right of (Other) Women to be Slaves .By Rachel Haltman. N industrial conference that took place recently at Washington showed clearly two’ forces fighting each other. One was supposed to represent organized labor and the _other force was of the class of bour- geois women who fill the National Women’s Party. On Sunday, Janu- ary 17, the fight. had already begun at the protest meeting held in the Be- lasco Theater in Washington. About three o'clock the women gathered for a protest meeting and sent a delegation with banners on which was written: “We demand equal working hours with meni” “We are as strong as work!" This delegation went to the presi- dent, not as a delegation of working women, but nevertheless as a dele- gation asking to solve problems for the working women. They were the bourgeois suffragettes, and they could not see that there are any other prob- lems for working women than what they conceive to be the problems of ‘women in general. In the time of war you could very clearly notice that there are different problems of working women from those of the rest of them. Even the government saw this and decided to urge congress to organize ‘a wdm- en’s bureau in the United States de- partment of labor. Their aini was to study and to report about everything that has ¢o do with women in indus- men to ‘[Ttry. This bureau had also to formu- late ways and means of improving the condition of the working women and to give her better conditions and higher wages. Altho the bureau in Washington thinks that it does a lot for work- ing women, nevertheless, in the na- tional conference there were very few working women represented. There were also at the conference all kinds of representatives of industries, doc- tors, industrial engineers, etc., but working women, whose fate was to be decided at the conferences, were mis- sing. It is true that a great deal of weight cannot be given to this conference. The most that it can achieve is to exchange information, express opin- ions and make recommendations. The solution of this problem cannot be expected in such conferences, in spite of all the strenuous work that the government puts in to solve the prob- lem between labor and capital, For centuries woman has had to suffer at her, work more than man. The first time after the industrial re- volution, about 200 years ago, when the woman started to take a place in the industry without any knowl- edge of machinery and any possibility of learning a trade, her life was still more miserable than at present. ~ For generations she labored twelve and fourteen hours a day. But her work was taken very little into considera- tion by. the boss and even by her busband himself, She was always considered an apprentice but not as one who could do a whole job. She was always a slave to her husband with whom she worked in the fac- tory and at home. Her meager earn- ings even did not belong to her. They belonged to the man whose yee property she was. Fifty years ago whens. the casi de- velopment of industry began to ac- quire more working hands, the wom- en became competitors of men. No- body, not even the immigrants, nor the Negro, were willing to work for the starvation wages for which the women at that time were willing to work. Her situation was indeed a very bad one, From one side the man oonaiterel her as a competitor and treated her as such. From the other side the pitalist tried to press out as much profit from her as the unskilled work- er, keeping her at long hours of work and giving her starvation wages and inhuman working conditions. The state had to see into it to make laws that .would give her shorter hours, sanitary conditions, and a living wage. It is true that the working condi- tions at the beginning were not such good ones, but at least forty-five states passed laws concerning wom- en’s work where hours, and wages were regulated. Ten and nine hours a day and in some states even eight hours a day became a law. Now the bouregois women are coming to the front—those women who never took part in social produc- tion and who can only boast of hav- ing helped spend ail the their husbands got out of the work- ing women. These are the parasites who ask for equal rights for men and women. They say that as soon as women are electors and are political equal with men they must not have any special rights and they are against working laws for women that are not acceptable for men. This means, according to their views, “in- | It is understood | dustrial equality. ag that it is an entirely different equali- ty that the working women want. For instance, there is a law in New York that women work nine hours a day. In order that the law should be equal, the “ladies” ask that the other forty-seven states adopt the same law. Once women worked ten hours 2 day, now they are only working nine. Men being better fighters gained thru strikes in some industries an eight- hour day but for-the sake of “equali- ty” they called back these laws and the men and women must go back to a ten-hour day. The important thing is that such a situation is very favorable for the capitalist who is looking for women’s work and who was always against any kind of preventive laws for women workers. Now he does not need to fight, he can leave this work to the ladies of the Women’s Pagty, They will directly or indirectly, while con- tending for equal rights for women, fight for the capitalists enabling them to exploit the working women. Working women ask no favore of the “Women’s Party.” They can stop profits that| “fighting.” eel .