The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 10, 1927, Page 11

The Thirteenth International Youth Day Te foundation for International’ Youth Day was laid during the dark days of world slaughter, when the workers of various lands were turning their bayonets against one another, and world social de- mocracy had betrayed the working class and sent it to its death for the bourgeoisie. All the leaders of the Second International, in- cluding Plekhanov, went over to the bourgeoisie, and came out strongly in favor of war. The only ones who took a stand against war and the treacherous activities of the Second International were a group of social democratic youth under the leadership of Lenin and Liebknecht. ° “War means the downfall of capitalism and the task of the revolutionary workers is to turn this war into a revolutionary path, the path of trans- forming it into a civil war.” This was the line of Lenin, and it was followed by the more revolutionary section of the socialist youth. From the very beginning they carried on a struggle against militarism, meeting with a sym- pathetie response both on the part of these young workers who had been sent to the battle front, and those who were being subjected to such terrible ex- ploitation at the rear. In 1915 an Intemational Congress of Socialist organizations was called at Berne, Switzerland, at which it was proposed to carry on an energetic struggle against militaritm and militaristic ideo- logy; and it was at this congress that International Youth Day was founded. We shall always be proud of the fact that during these years the working class youth, following the guidance of Karl Liebknecht, refused to be over- whelmed by the general wave of treason and strug- gled against it courageously. This then is the history of the origin of Inter- national Youth Day, and it constitutes one of the most splendid and militant chapters in the history ef revolutionary youth the world over. This year we celebrate the Thirteenth Interna- tional Youth Day. On this day, the world over, the proletarian youth are thinking, feeling and demon- strating their class unity to a greater degree than ever before. When we turn to the east we see that tens of thousands of Chinese workers and peasants have raised the banner of struggle against world im- perialism. At the critical] moment of the revolution, when Chiang Kai-shek and Feng Yu-hsiang deserted to the bourgecis revolution, the youth, with the ex. ception of a certain section of the liberals, refused to follow in the foot-steps of the traitors, but re- mained true to their posts, and kept up the struggle for the interests of the workers. and peasants under the leadership of 40,000 young Communists who con- rs BACK TO THE SCHOOL STRUGGLE School has again begun. “Vacation” is over. The workers’ children must again-go back to their fac- tory, the school, and be poisoned with bosses’ dope. Again our teachers will tell us what a wonderful world we live in. They will say, “What a fine va- eation you must have had!” But the children of the workers will answer, “We didn’t enjoy our vaca- tion because we had to work.” Or else, many of us will answer, “We had to suffer in the hot city, we eould not go to the country.” Now that school issonce more here we must again ENTER INTO THE SCHOOL STRUGGLE. We workers’ children must demand better school condi- tions. No more fire-trap school buildings. A seat for every child. We mugt demand that hitting as a punishment be abolished. And most important is the demand for the doing away with the teaching of bunk. The children of the working class must not allow the teachers, the tools of the bosses, to make the schools “poison factories” where the workers’ children will learn to hate their parents, the work- ers. The Young Comrade Corner points out to the workers’ children how much bunk there is in such subjects as history, civics, and other things we are taught in school. Comrades, we want to be able to help you in your everyday struggles*in the schools against, these teachings. In order to do this we must know what is going on in YOUR SCHOOL. Become ® reporter for the Young Comrade Corner and write us about conditions in your school. Let all the work- ers’ children know how rotten it is in the schools, Let us learn how to fight against these conditions by getting INTO THE SCHOOL STRUGGLE, COMRADE Edited by the Y. oung A Page for Workers’ By J. I. RIJAK sistently followed the line laid down by the Comin- tern. When we turn toward the west we see the League of the Communist Youth in France | carry- ing on anti-militarist propaganda against the capi- talists with most effective results. The Same thing is also occurring in the other eastern and. western countries, For us, the working class youth of America, In- ternational ‘Youth Day has a special and immense significance, because of the fact that we are living in a country which is the sharpest ideological ex- pression of capitalism and of the capitalist dictator- ship in the world today. The Américan capitalist state needs military forces with which to guard “democracy” within the country, and to aid the American magnates in exploiting and murdering the revoluticnary workers of Nicaragua, Mexico, Porto Rico, as well as in the Hawaiian and Philippine Is- lards and other colonial possessions. And no country is prosecuting the militariza- tion of the youth with such energy as America, Compulsory military training in the high schools, the Boy Scout organizations, the Citizens’ Training Camys, the Reserve Officers Training Corps and other organizations; all have the same goal, the preparation of the youth for the coming wars, to turn them aside from their class interests so that in the period of class conflicts the working class youth can be utilized as strike breakers against their own brothers. The reply of the working class youth to these vile attempts of Washington to mili- tarize the youth must be this: we refuse to enter the Citizens’ Training Camps because we refuse to go into the coming war. We will not shoot our brother workers, we have given enough blood, enough lives, to the capitalist class. The only war we shall go into will be the war against you—the class war. The struggle against militarism must only be one part of the whole struggle of the American youth, Although America is today the richest coun- try in the world. In the last years, in the course of which the rapid development of industrial technique, and new machinery, a mass of skilled workers were elimin- ated from the factories, forcing them to take their Sons and daughters from the schools and send them into the shops. At the present moment out of 35 million workers in the United States, 11 million are young workers, of which 3 millions are children, tre most unskilled and exploited section of the American working class.’ THE WORKER By MILDRED MEDELIS Their home was cold, Their stomachs empty Waiting, for something to eat, Which to them would be very tempting. The mother sat with a worried face, She looked at the children around her chair, For they all sat in one corner, And the rest of the room was bare. The father went looking for a job, He was shivering from the cold, He was very™poorly dressed, And hungry, that could be told. Our Letter Box Teacher Didn’t Know Dear Comrades: One day while my Sister ‘was having her geography class and I was supposed to be studying my lesson our teacher started knocking Russia. I forgot all about my lesson and when my class came I didn’t know my lesson. As soon as I got up I started in telling her about Russia, and all she said was, “Why, I didn’t know that.” She also forgot to call me down.—ANNIE HEARD. ==——lllaaeaSEah™4VE=E==E==S——EEE More Answers to Puzzle No. 28 Clarence Reaver, Dayton, Ohio; Emma Sechooler, Chicago, Ill.; Mary Brklacich, Superior, Wyo. ose Young SECTION Pioneers of America and Farmers’ Children -Bronx, N. Y.; Evelyn Cooper, Therefore, today it is more than ever before “nec- essary to struggle for better working conditions and for drawing the youth into the trade unions. The working class youth must advance hand in hand with the adult workers in their struggles with the bosses, Although the broad masses of the working youth are still asleep, yet a section of the working class youth is already aroused and following the path of class struggle. The best example is Passaic where the young textile workers not only did not play the role of strike-breakers, but were the most energetic and courageous strikers, on the picket line, in com- bat with the police, with the bosses, and tontinued the struggle until the last moment of the strike, The same can also be said of the young workers in the glass industry, the plumbers’ helpers, etc. The historic role of the working class youth in America is a tremendous one. Their task must be to unite all races and nationalities among workers in one powerful working class, to function as a bridge between the workers of America and the workers of other lands. And all indications point. to the fact that the working class youth in the near future. will be not only a part of the labor movement but the most militant section of the working class which not only gelects the path of class struggle instead of that of class collaboration but will be the strong- est against the present reactionary leadership of the American labor movement. It is for this reason that the bureaucracy of the A. F. of L. does want to draw the youth into the trade unions for it is the young workers which will put an end to ‘their influence in the labor movement, ; One of the reasons for the bad conditions of the working class, especially of the working class youth is the lack of a strong labor party in the U. S., and it is the duty of the working class youth to develop the maximum activity in this field, At this moment tbat we are celebrating the 13th International . Youth Day, American reaction has just snatched from our ranks two of the best fight- ers of the working class (Sacco and Vanzetti). We must look upon the execution of these two workers as a beginning of a new offensive of capitalist reac- tion against the American working class, and we must answer this offensive with a counter offensive of the working class against reaction. We Young Workers oi America must take our place in the front ranks defending the interests of our brother workers.!' We must have a unified League with greater enthusiasm, greatet strength, greater energy, devotion and determination, THIS WEEK’S PUZZLE No. 3] This wegk’s puzzle is a number puzzle. 1 stands for A, 2 stands for B, ete. 2219124 113 15 14 21 13 5 14 20 20 15 2085 13 5 13 15 18 25 15 6 19 13 3 15 1144 22 1 14 26 5 20 20 9 225 10159149147 20.85 25°16 21147 169 15 145 5 18 19 Send all answers to the Daily Worker, Young Comrade Corner, 33 First Street, N. Y.:C., giving vour name, age, address and the number of the puzzle. Answers to Last Week’s Puzzle The answer to last week’s puzzle No. 30 is: THE CHILDREN OF THE, AMERICAN WORKING CLASS WILL NEVER FORGET THEIR HEROES SACCO AND VANZETTI. The following had the correct answer: Gladys Kivowitz, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Sylvia Masler, Yonker, N. Y.; Ma- deline Finkel, New York City; Jack Rosen, New York City. More Answers to Puzzle No, 29 Sylvia Rubin, Bronx, N. Y.; Jack Rosen, New York City; Madeline Finkel, New York City; Ber- nard Rubin, Bronx, N. Y.; ‘Grace Zilnick, Bronx, N. Y.; Veronica Yelich, S. Brownsville, *Pa.; Ane thony Castagna, Chicago, Il. *