The Daily Worker Newspaper, October 16, 1926, Page 12

Ome Re bhi ACW By JAY LOVESTONE Reminiscences of an American Loy-| Those of our devout who haye no alist 1738-89, Edited by Jonathan Bou-|sense of humor might well chafe at chier. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston and New York. HE Reminiscences of an Ameri-|uso of the church and their faith in ean Loyalist” is the autobiog- raphy of a certain Reverend Jonathan Boucher who was rector of Annapolis on the eve of the first American revo- lution, The memoirs thus gathered are edited by his grandson. Mr. Boucher was a well-known preacher in hig day. He was pro-government to the core. With the outbreak of, armed struggle in the colonies Boucher was forced to go back to England where he was subsequently entrusted with the education of tha sons of several outstanding figures in British tory politics at the close of the 18h cen- tury, The writer of these memoirs came to Virginia in 1759 and soon became an inthmate friend of George Washing- ton. This friendship continued till late in'1775 when the preacher, much harassed by revolutionists, was com- pelled to flee the country: Thru Tory. Eyes. A good portion of these reminis- cences ig of no interest at all to the reader. The details of personal and family life concern us only to the ex- tent that they give us a picture of the social conditions at hand. In this re- spect, the Boucher memoirs have last- ing value to the student of American history. Of course, no primary-school historian will gather any inspiration from this book. But for the historical materialist, the Marxian student of the first American revolution, there is substantial instructive material available in this writing. Reverend Boucher looks at the first ‘Wmerican revolution solely thru the eyes of the hide-bound tory, pro-gov- ernment man at any cost and at any and all times. He tries hard to give us the impression of fair-mindedness | ‘hat. He succeeds /bowever, to question all the means and aonpartisanship. Reverend Boucher’s implied disap- proval wf the reactionaries’ skilful the prowess of the heavenly father’s representatives on earth as a shield against revolutionary bullets and bay- onets. To go on: “The unpopular part I had lately taken respecting government had set the people against me,” says our tory preacher, This leads Boucher to char- acterize the Americans of his day .as “indeed @ singularly violent, © purse- proud and factioug people.” .Ali of which goes only to show that the masses were right in their attitude to- wards the church which then, as is today, was primarly an integral part of the whole state appartus which they were fighting to destroy. Boucher clearly reveals to us the close work- ings between the assembly of -Mary- land and the chureh in these enlight- ening lines: “The management of the assem- bly was left very much to me; and hardly a bill was brought in which 1 did not either draw or at least revise, and either got it passed or rejected. It Is not necessary here to set down how such things are done; they were doné In that pro- vincial assemply; and | have not a doubt but that they are done in the Same manner and by the. same means in the British parliament. All the governor’s speeches, mes- sages, etc., and also some pretty im- portant and lengthy papers from the council were of my drawing up. All these things were, if not certain- ly known, yet strongly suspected.” Indeed, the pious and righteous preacher doesn’t utter a harsh word in alt his. reminiscences: about the means used to forge ‘such a oneness of church and government. The tory confession ig not so all-inclusive as all The reverend takes much pain, only in emphasizing his tory view- | used by his enemies—the opposing point. For instance, Boucher speaks disdainfully of George Washington be- cause his first education was received at the hands of a convict servant whom his father bought for a school- master, The Church and Our First Revolution. OUCHER vividly describes the weakening, the sharp shaking. of the foundation of the established church’ in the colonies in the immedi- ate pre-vevolutionary days and during the revolution. He says boastfully: “In my own parish | remember with pride and comfort I had not a single dissenter of any denomina- tion. Some of the thoughtful peo- ple of those less happy parishes ap- plied to me to go amongst them and endeavor to check the delusion. Accordingly | prepared some ser- mons which Hdelivered among them, and by the blessing of God with such effect, that many who had been decoyed from the church returned fo Hi. # In the eyes of Mr. Boucher, who was a typical tory preacher, the forces op- posed to the government “seemed to aim at a total renversement, and to Stick at nothing to attain their end.” This is the usual criticism of revo- lutionists at all times by all shades and sections of the defenders of the status quo of class relationships, Tho admitting that some individuals of his order “had: been irregular, licentious and profligate;” he bitterly cries out against an act providing for the trial of his fellow bible-pounders by a court composed equally of laymen and clerks, ; Then Boucher Nfts the lid off the at- titude of his church: to the ravolu- tion when he declares: “The church and the churchman did stand much in thelr way; or the great placemen had cupningly contrived to place ‘our or- der in the front of the battle, that themselves might take shelter behind us,” LL seen class, struggling for supremacy, An Estimate of Washington. VERY interesting tory estimate of Washington is thus given by Boucher: “1 cannot conceive how he could, otherwise than thru the interested representation of a party, have ever been spoken of as a great man. He is shy, silent, stern, “slow and cau- tious, but has no quickness of parts, extraordinary penetration, nor an elevated style of thinking. In his moral character he is regular, tem- perate, strictly just and honest (ex- cepting that as a Virginian, he has lately found that there is no moral turpitude in not paying what he con- fesses he owes to a British credit or) ... But he seems to have noth- ing generous or affectionate in his character.” Boucher goes on to tell about one of his meetings with Washington while the latter was‘on his way to as- sume command of the Continental Army. “Everybody seethed to be on fire, either with rum or patriotism, or both.” The preacher narrates how he warned Washington that many events would transpire which have since then occutred. Washington then assured him that no such things as a civil war or struggle for independence would ensue, Says Boucher: “With more earnestness than was usual with his great reserve he scouted my appre- hensions, adding (and I believe with perfect sincerity) that if I ever heard of his joining in such measures, I had his leave to set him down tor or everything wicked.” Obviously, Washington couldn't then see the objective logic of class war- fare. The inexorable development of the conflict of opposing classes can- |" not be halted or dominated by per- sonal wishes, promises, or hopes of any individual, no matter who he may be. (To Be Concluded Next Issue.) I Got ‘ Job * By A Woman Worker Correspondent . N the que of about forty women and a larger, very much larger: number of men, waiting outside the employment office’ of Young’s factory om Westminster and Russel, I found myself along with them in the rain waiting for a job. I was “lucky.” Out of the many women there, some husky enough to be used by the bosses to replace men in the monotony of factory work, I, a slim girl, was among. the half a dozen that were given a job, The foreman told me that the work would be- somewhat dirty, but the pinch of unemployment had made me feel brave at the moment that I°an- swered him ‘that I did not mind the dirt. Of course I had to pass thru the regular red tape that is uniform thru- out the factories of Detroit—answer- ing’ questions as regards age, ‘ability. ete, ; Inside the factory there is one very noticeable fact—the large number of women. Thére is no doubt that they outnumber the men—and no wonder! The wage, if we may call it such, is the grand sum of 25c an hour or $12.00 a week. Women’s hands are far cheaper than male hands! , The system of speed-up work is most modern and of course exacting. The bench moves at a certain speed. If one is slow, the work piles up, This means a constant and continuous speed in which one dare not stop even for a second. It is understood that the speed is not at a snail’s rate, but a speed that will mean as great a day’s production as possible—re- gardless of the wage pafd to the work- ers, Nine hours a day on your feet! I have to-gét up at 5 a. m. to get to work at 7.00 a. m., and we have but half an hour for lunch in which time I must get to the nearest restaurant to rush down a meal. The’ dirt of the place is terrible. There is no supply of soap, and one must buy soap IN THE SHOP at 10c a bar, To wash, one must use cold to take off the grease. Such things as towels are conspicuous by their absence, I suppose the next innovation will be a charge of 10c for the use of towels when they will be supplied! Out of the $2.00 a day that I re- ceive, I will have to buy a’ pair of overalls to keep my dress from get- ting all full of that filthy grease and dirt. Besides my regular operation. is have to carry bundles of springs on’ my shoulder, What with standing all day and carrying; at the end of the day I feel not a little tired out, but extremely fatigued. The intense noise of the machinery just makes one’s head swirl. out in the open is like coming out of a jail after 40 years imprisonment. One staggers home to rest and aftér having rested the meal is just chokéd down'one’s throat. All the appetite is killed: thru the noise, the dirt, the speed and the stink. Ivsure am lucky! I got:a job-! WE ARe [STARVING ‘THE TINY WORKER A Weekly. Edited by Margie Locke, Denver, Cote, _ Sohnny Red, Assistant. Vol, 1, Saturday, October 16, 1926 MORDB BUNK By Margie Locke age 13, scope) ra Our teacher thinks Our brains are sunk. issne She always gives Us “—. bunk, Posi She told us that Rates kings were fot. hg When most their “Gosh, I'm as hun a bear,” | eg Sar Heads were Johnny "Red's father said on Sunday mounce = epeomt of wood. morning. New York issue of She told us it we | “Hey, when do we eat?’ AY in eee Bg <4 FE om Johnny’s mother winked at Johnny — —- and ident “some day. | and said; “Come and get it!” and ail the ‘aker little Ti N 1 So Johnny's pier Jj nf had OF ne ebua kent | ped and'wushed up aiickly tecome | go"k Rede, When But we don’t be- “Hol . . r beat SY other: ait lieve ail that old tabhear 1 cow pes th pe, bed siglo junk. ae eee blank for the new ‘SUN: RACE! CE! Now isn’t that | DAY WORKER. tf any other Severe enue lathe | Johnny grinned from ear to ear. Young heard from Margie.| Johnny's ther said: “Can’t you |. and other But she sure is| (2k¢ a bint? Three dollars will pay | City" from any welcome. -Come| for three sub blanks for 12 subs for | Clty send in onuf again. Marge--and.| 20 Weeks. Johnny and I will got the ag D ge mh names,’” unnies “Oh, ho—00. that’s the po enol hin print aa bs A jfumb old guy jenenae ther onid, rmataed of 2 . them thinks no good | Well, uufsne here’s ay rere fast have ‘the >A = va Biel So Jobany's mother jumped up to | {1 ayie*¥e "Phe By Fred Goets, the stove and said: “And here's the | Los ? id Age nage capo? Portland, Ore. Johnny shouted: “Oh, boy— | cisco? yaa —_— wk tales s the syrup.” —, tie a To be- , cpP al a