4

and incapable of growing old.”’)

or tears,

door.

Were done,

The Passing
of the Backhouse

(A Classic by James Whitcome Riley)
(What is aclassic? Perhaps the best definitid% is that given by
Lowell: “Something that can be simple without being vulgar; elevated
without being distant, that is neither ancient nor modern, always new

When memory keeps me company and moves to smiles

A weatherbeaten object looms through the mist of years.
Behind the house and barn it stood, a half a mile or more,
And hurrying feet a path had made, straight to its swinging

Its architecture was a type of simple, classic art,
But in the tragedy of life it played a leading part;

_And oft the passing traveller drove slow and heaved a sigh
To see the modest hired girl slip out with glances shy.

We had our posy garden that the women loved so well.

I loved it too, but better still, I loved the stronger smell
That filled the evening breezes so full of homely cheer
And told the night-o’ertaken tramp, that human life was near.
On lazy August afternoons it made a shady bower

Delightful, where my gandsire sat and whiled away an hour.
For there the summer morning its very cares entwined,
And berry bushes reddened in the steaming soil behind.

~All day fat spiders spun their webs to catch the buzzing flies
That flitted to and from the house, where Ma was baking pies.
And once:a swarm of hornets bold, had built a palace there,
And stung my unsuspecting aunt—I must not tell you where.
Then father took a flaming pole—that was a happy day—
He nearly burned the building up, but the hornets left to stay.
‘When summer bloom began to fade and winter to carouse,
We banked the dear old building with aheap of hemlock boughs.

But when the crust was onthe snowand sullen skies were gray,
In sooth, the building was no place where one could wish to stay.
We did our duties promptly; there, one purpose swayed the mind,
My father was a frugal man and did not waste a thing!
We tarried not nor lingered long, on what we left behind.
The torture of the icy seat would make a Spartan sob,
For needs must scrape the goose-flesh with the lacerating cob
That from the frost-encrusted nail was suspended by a string.
When grandpa had to go ‘out back’’ and make his morning call,
We'd bundle up the dear old man with muffler and with shawl.
I knew the hole on which he sat; ’twas padded all around,
And once I dared to sit there—’twas all too wide, I found.
My loins were all too little and I jack-knifed there to stay,
_ They had to come and pry me out or I’d have passed away.
My father said ambition was a thing that boys should shun
And I must use the children’s hole ’til childhood’s days

And I marvel at the craft that cut those holes-so true,

The baby hole, the slender hole that fitted sister Sue.

That dear old country landmark! I’ve tramped around a bit
And in the lap of luxury my lot has been to sit.

But ere I die, I’ll eat the fruit of trees I robbed of yore,
Then seek the shanty where my name is carved upon the door.
I ween, the old familiar smell will soothe my jaded soul.
I'm now a man, but none the less, I’ll try the children’s hole.

Linclon and Liberty

" Tre world has never had a
i good definition of the word
Liberty,’ and the American peo-
Ple just now, are much in want
of one. We all declare for lib-
_ €rty, but in using the same word
We do not all meanthe same thing.
ith some the word Liberty may
Mean for each man to do as he
Pleases with himself, and the pro-
duct: of his labor; while with

_, Others the same word may mean

©r some men todo as they please
‘With other men, and’the products
.°f other men’s labor. Here are
two not only different but in-
Compatible things, called by the
‘Same name— liberty, And it fol-
lows that each of the things, is
y the respective parties called
Ystwo different, and incompat-
le names, liberty and tyranny.

“The shepherd drives the wolf
from the sheep’s throat, for which
‘he sheep thanks the shepherd
te his liberator, while the wolf

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_,, Pavlov, true to his principle of
© close connection between psy-
ee and medicine, made a
ae discovery. He revealed the
ems of sleep in health and
ted out that sleep might be
used in therapeutic aims-for the
atment of various disorders.

denounces him for the same act,
as the destroyer of liberty, es-
pecially as the sheep was ablack
one. Plainly, the sheep and the
wolf are not agreed upon a de-
finition of the word liberty; and
precisely the same difference

prevails today among us human j
creatures even in the north, and
all professing to love liberty.

Hence we behold the process by
which thousands are daily pass-
ing from under the yoke of bond-
age, hailed by some as the ad-
vance of liberty, and bewailed by
others as the destruction of lib-

erty.’’ a
—Abraham Lincoln (1864)

“BEAUTY TREATMENT PROJECT

Jensen in the |
Chicago Daily News

Sincere picture of Sicily

OUNT Luchino Visconti, Ita-
ly’s finest stage director andone
of the world’s leading film creat-

ors comes from a noble familv.

and is a member of the Italian
Communist Party. His latest
film, ‘‘The Leopard,” is a log-,
ical combination of two of
his preoccupations as a Marx-
ist: the constancy of change and
Sicily as the most backward, feu-
dally depressed region of Italy;
‘with his own personal experience
of aristocratic life and profes-
sional experience in handling ela-
borate set pieces. The result is
an outstanding film but, surpris-
ingly, not as successful as_his
1960 ‘‘proletarian film, ‘‘Rocco
and his brothers.”
* * *

T HE LEOPARD is set in Sic-

ily from 1860-62, during a
high point of the bourgeois de-
mocratic revolution when Gari-
baldi’s invasion and capture of
Sicily and Naples evicted the
Bourbon dynasty in favor of Vic-
tor Emanuel, King of Italy. The
film ends after Garibaldi’s defeat
at Aspromonte, when he attempt-
ed to extend the revolution to de-
struction of papal power at Rome,
Although Garibaldi himself was
quickly pardoned (and later made
another unsuccessful assualt on
papal power), many of his fol-
lowers were executed. The ball
which takes up the final quarter
of the film occurs on the eve of
one such mass execution.

But the Leopara is con-
cerned with the social changes
and readjustments, not the mili-
tary events, of the period. In
particular, Visconti sets out to
show how ‘‘things have to change
in order to remain the same’’;
that is, how the southern Bour-
bon aristocracy must accept the
Sardinian monarchy and share
power with the rising middle
classes—or perish.

In an intensely revealing con-
versation between Prince of
Salina, Don Fabrizio (Burt Lan-
caster) and his Jesuit confessor,
Father Pirrone (Romolo Valli),
the prince observes that the
church has established itself as
immortal and must go on and on
khrough changes, must even sac-
rifice ‘‘us’’ if necessary to per-
petuate itself, but for ‘“‘us’’ even
a 100-year respite is like im-
mortality.

The opposite side of the argu-
ment is demonstrated by depen-

dent Don Ciccio Tumeo Gerge

Reggiani) who blindly retains his
loyalty tothe Bourbons andthere-
by Opposes current interests of
his patrons.
shows himself as more reaction-
ary and rigid than master.

The lessons for contemporary
Italy (and other parts of the world,
by extension) are obvious. Re-
publican Italy perpetuates the
mass poverty and class privilege
of monarchial italy. Things have
changed ‘‘in order to remain the
same.’ The ruling class has
learned to adjust to changes which
changes which cannot be stopped.

Burt Lancaster

Let the scales fall from the eyes
of the oppressed.

Paolo Stoppa’s brilliant por-
trayal of Don Calogero typifies
the rising bourgeoisie, while the
prince’s nephew Tancredi (Allain
Delon), epitomizes the young ar-
istocratic generation completely
able to exploit the times from
personal and class_ interests
without the reservations of the
prince’s generation, born be-

_ tween two worlds.

Perhaps the film’s most satis-
fying sally comes in the scene
where understanding of the so-
cial process taking place is un-
underscored by the prince’s re~-
cognition of his personal loss of
youth and he feels the chill shad-
ow of ultimate death. Through
a doorway, we see a huge as-
sortment of chamber pots in

that room which preceded flush ©

toilets. For the man and his
class, the future offers only
chamber pots and the death bed.

Thus subordinate’

The Leopard has a great
variety of rich detail and com-
ment, ranging from a major re-
construction of aristocratic life
100 years ago to explanation of
the social attitudes underlying
Sicilian backwardness.

Don Fabrizio’s devout wife
(Rina Morelli) is a really re-
markable realization of the dead
aristocratic soul. She has borne
him seven children but he has
*‘never even seen: her navel.’’

The little Jesuit priest, with
his effeminate frailties, a weak-
ling as a person and in economic
dependence on the prince, who
nevertheless embodies the men-
acing power the church; is equal-
ly remarkable.

Claudia Cardinale (as Don Ca-
logero’s daughter whose mar-
riage will link aristocracy andthe
nouveakt tche) has little to do’
(or offer) besides looking beauti-
ful and passionate, while Al-
ain  Delon’s Tancredi substi-
tutes surface charm for the
shrewd power so successful an
opportunist would be expected to
have. - * BS
Burt Lancaster’s Prince. Here
is an instructive example of a
gifted and sincere actor manipu-
lated to perfection by a great
director, who lacks that spark of
creative genius necessary to car-
ry the role past ascreen image to
flesh and blood reality. Still, it
is a creditable performance ané
undoubtedly Lancaster’s best to
date. (The ‘‘leopard’’, by the
way, stems from the prince’s
characterization of his genera-
ation compared with the*‘ jackals

and lambs’’ to follow.)
* * *

Is it Lancaster’s essentially
non-Italianate pivotal role? In-
sufficient familiarity abroad with
the subtleties of Italian history?
English dubbing? (quite good with
the advantage of the chief actor
being able to dub himself), Or
the greater immediacy of con-.
temporary working-class life
and problems, perhaps with more

clearcut argument, covered in
Rocco?

Whatever thecase, this muchis
certain, Visconti is a major crea-
tive intellect who makes great
demands on his audience—but
amply rewards those willing to
make the effort to understand
him.

—N.E. Story

OPEN FORUM

Congratulations

W. C. Vancouver, writes: As a
long-time reader and subscriber
of the ‘PT’ who for personal reas-
ons has to write anonymously, I
wish to say that I particularly en-
joyed reading the October 4th
issue of the paper which was ex-
ceptionally good for its variety
of news, comments, editorials
and illustrations, all of which
were well-written, stimulating
and well balanced.

I believe most readers would
agree that if this standard could
be maintained it would be a help
to increase circulation.

“The Hostage’

R. H. Vancouver, writes; ‘Cri-
tics’’ of the Vancouver Province
and Sun newspapers described the
Irish play ‘*Hostage’’ recently
staged in Vancouver as ‘‘bad;
a bad play and sloppy acting’.
Big banners carried outside the
Queen Elizabeth Theatre de-
manding freedom for Irish politi-
cal prisoners weren’t seen at all
py these ‘free press’’ reporters
and ‘‘critics’’.

This press blackout keeps the
public from -knowing that there
are still Irish political prisoners
held in Crumlin Road Prison,

Belfast, without trial. Britain
controls all people and things in
this Northern Ireland police
state. To me the play ‘‘Hostage’’
was quite significant. Ireland is
a **Hostage’’ of Britain.

, Permanent Fund?
M. H. of Salmon Arm, writes;
Several friends of the late Frank
_Coleman have sent in donations to
the ‘PT’ in tribute to his memory,
as I have been glad to see.
Wishing to do something, I
have decided to double my month-
ly donation to the paper, putting it
in his name, and paid quarterly as
before. So please find enclosed
a MO for $6.00 for the past quart-
er. :
In this regard as you know, 1
am a strong believer in a per-
manent sustaining fund for the
‘PT’. In this regard I wondered
if it would not be possible for
many party or non-party people
to consider this fund idea; to de-
velop it as a lasting memorial
and tribute to all the devoted
though humble supporters whom.
time and illness have taken from
our ranks. A list of their names

could be carried occasionally in ~

the ‘PT’ under the heading ‘‘Me- ~
morial Sustaining Fund’’ or sent
out as a letterhead to donors once

a year or so. Best wishes to all
‘PT’ workers. _
Learn From Past

W. A. Squires, Burnaby,
writes; Am enclosing asmall do-
nation towards the usual election
debt. The election turned out just
about what I expected. There

-was really no choice between any

of the four parties and the work-
ing people voted for them all as
usual, :

We polled more votes 60- years
ago on a Socialist ticket because
our election slogans stressed the
socialist position -and the neces-’
sity for the workers to own the
**means of production’’. We
didn’t waste much time on point-
ing out the evils of capitalism as
it affected the different parties;
they did all the pointing out neces-
sary. And when Dunsmuir said
**the mines are mine and I can
do with them as I wish’’, he help-
ed elect two Socialists in Nanai-
mo and Newcastle.

I have been donating to the
socialist cause for the last 60-
years and would like to see the
socialist cause brought to the
front, not avoided as it is by
the NDP, whose officials hate
labor as much as anyone, at least
according to their program. —

October 18, 1963—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 9