The Daily Worker Newspaper, June 26, 1926, Page 10

Lennie Quits Praying ® © o:es Robins HAT Lennie slept mentally was the fact which belonged to everyone who knew him— including himself. But the basis for the accusa- tion was rather of a peculiar type. Lennie just couldn’t stay awake in church. Outside of this he was a rather lively sort of chap. He played alley marbles and corner-lot baseball, and really “didn’t don’t” when it came to the Charleston. But there was something about the church that didn’t strike an “awakenin’” cord on the Hell bound soul of Lennie. Rev. Smith had said every- thing he knew to say during the first two or three weeks of his pastoring at the little church and the remainder of the four years had been spent in repetition. The prayer meetings were droll rehearsals of lamentable cant. “Lord, our Heavenly Father, I have trod the ol path of prosecutions. thru the wilderness of afflictions for lo these many years, a honorin’ and a praisin’ you night and day. Some would build their castle on this ol’ earth where the rust rusts, where the worms eat, where the moths de- ‘ stroy, where the work of Satan does flourish much; but as for me, Lord, I build my house with Thee in the land where the streets are paved with gold, where the milk and honey does exist in abundance for them that praise your name, and I build my home an everlasting mansion of joy and delight. ‘Teach me to beaf with the pain and persecu- tion of this earth and lead me in that end to thy throne, O Lord, to praise Thee forever and ever, Amen!” The shriek with which Brother Williams an- nounced his “Amen” so startled Lennie from his nap that he started and jumped quickly. To begin with, Lennie wouldn’t have been there at all but for his.mother who dragged him bodily to the meeting house all day Sunday and Wednes- | day nights. “Thunderin’ Moses, mom, I don’t want to hear _ all that ol’ racket any more, I’m gonna quit pray: in’, that’s just a lot of bunk. I been readin’ in the paper about the way they treat us Negroes and I don’t see why you and paw have wasted all your lives a prayin’, shoutin’ and singin’. You can drag me out if you will, but I will never open my mouth to utter another prayer. If there is a God and he lets my people be burned, and lynched and starved like he does I DON’T WANT HIM!” What made Lennie say that. A serious consul- tation was held between his. mother and father that night and the old gentleman finally led Len- nie out into the woodshed. Gfving a serious lec- ture he beat Lennie until, in his own words, “you pray to God to tek’ me off’n your hide.” In spite of Lennie’s vow not to pray again, he did utter that prayer for the old Christian was an artist with the lash. Lennie continued in the old way from all out- ward appearances, but he eagerly sought informa- “tion about the way the “white folks” treated Ne- groes and especially studied. the condition of. the Negroes in the North, which, was a far away Oan- nan Land te the Negroes of the South, In the _ dirty little Southern Hell-hole where he lived “crackers” were always giving him an original taste of Christian meaness and a yery profound hatred against all whites was bred in his heart, The “jini-crow” school he attended was always closed up early so the Negro children could work and was opened late in the Fall so they could pick until the last ball of cotton was shipped, ia RR a eo aC NC His father and mother were both illiterate and lived in the. very worst of conditions. Lennie had dreams but he never expressed them, Early in the Spring Lennie was awakened by his father and told to dress quickly. Without question he obeyed hastily sensitig danger in the air. Finally his mother told him that a white man and white woman had been found murdered and three Negroes had been seen near the spot of the crime. The whites were hot for revenge and swofe they would wipe out every “dam’ nigger” in the county. There was an old, dilapi- dated gun in the house, and old model Winches- ter, and not over 25 cartridges. Hours of suspense then the sound of gun shot in the distance—nearer and nearer. The Negroes ‘in their little colony made a desperate attempt to hold their own, but the “crackers” were too numerous ‘and too well armed. ( Soon the. door was forced open and a blodd smeared Negro stumbled in. “They’re comin’ close and they say its me. Lord, what'll I do. They’ll hang me if yo’ let ’em get me Brother Williams.” “On yo’ knees, son, let’s all pray.” The little group all knelt, including Lennie. However, he did so listlessly and never closed his eyes. Again the door was opened and this time seven “crackers” came in. The men looked at the kneel- ing, trembling Negroes, then laughed boister- ously. Cursing and shouting they snatched them to their feet, and began to drag them to the open doors. “Say, Deacon, whatcha think this is. Who tole you to protect that Johnson boy. Didn’t ou know we want him? Let’s hang ’em all, we 7 g want to clean these “niggers” out once and for au, tien we'll hang up a T, N, T, sign, “Travel, nigger, trayel, ha, ha, Baw that In q@ Northern town last year, Ha, ha.” this from one of the huskies, Lennie was dangling on the armg of hig father e ‘ erate a aE A SE 9 SAREE SERA Ee VRE oe NSIS MENS FT? SO eS eee The Middle Ages Come -and Go Again |} [HE great medieval spectacle is over, A papal legate, ten cardinals, 200 archbighopa and bishops, thousands of priests gathered together fn Chicago and under the eyes of hundreds of thousands of the faithful worshippers wine and swafers that they belfeve to be the actual body © atid blood of Christ were eaten. The Eucharistic Congress is over-—the prestige of the catholie church is vastly enhanced. From the president of the United States to a lowly Chicago police magistrate, politicians paused in their unseemly duties to let it be known that they too are awed by the power of the Ro- - man catholic hierarchy. The Chicago police department, the Illinois national guard and a division of United States troops were at the service of the celebrants. It was the best press-agented pageant | held. Newspapers vied with each other in givin picture and news space, the latter marked by the lowest sort of grovelling. From the beginning, prominent members of the hierarchy, withholding their-names, took oc- casion of the free news space to launch a vicious attack on the Mexican government for its attempt to curb the unbridled educational and political rampage of the church in Mexico. The press eagerly licked up these stories and had their Mexican correspondents send fresh stories of atrocities against the bishopry and clergy. It was indeed a revival of the dark ages. |The flourish of gold in altar, crozier and mitre, the jewel bedecked prelates, the costly vestments— all these added to the mysterious rites that marked every day of the Congress—were calcu- lated to dazzle the multitude. There is no doubt they were dazzled. The millions of dollars spent for the Euchar- istic Congress were well invested for the church. It attests to the fact that religious power is not built on faith alone. HE Roman church and its Eucharistic Con- gresses are welcomed by the whole machin« ery of American capitalism, | Thevehureh: serves? a useful purpose for capitalism. It mentally en- thralls the most exploited portion of America’s industrial serfdom. But this thralldom will be thrown off with the awakening of that same proletarian at a tigj when it is prepared to accomplish what anoif proletariat accomplished—and also settled sco™’s with its mental oppressors. —THURBER LEWIS. FAILURE BY A WORKER My eyes hurt me, If I can’t see—. What will become of me? j : My eyes hurt me. If they. fail me— I can now see Myself On the Bowery. and they were led into the midst of the mob, The minutes were hours—black hours filled with ter- ror, Lennie saw his father and the “Johnson boy” tied to a post, Soon a fire was lashing their stripped limbs, Their shrieks of agony rent the air, The “crackers” laughed, He saw a few women and children in their midst looking fiend- ishly at the burning men, Other Negroes were added to the “bonfire,” and then, before his turn came, an armed force led by the sheriff came to the rescue, - = A few arrests were made but nothing was ever done to the mob leaders, Lennie and his mother, robbed of their supporter, left for the North with a few other stragglers, Bitter, and raggedy, Not knowing what it was really all about—not knowing how to strike back, His mother was still praying, but in his heart the boy was cursing—cursing them who had killed his ae em his eyes—cursing the South,—curs- & ‘as orn sae nein te mass i | | a a a ee oe oe gs ee en eee S| Ss & = r ee a ae Se RBRESVvVeEerPsessaz Be SErpece ee ees Eee