~ their

Read

- Editor,

‘NAM’

Pacific Tribune:

Permit me to point out to all
comrades the knowledge to be

gained from the pages of our -

National Affairs Monthly.”

Those who do not subseribe to

that journal are missing some-—

thing they “know not of.”

For instance, in the December

issue appears an article by Dy-
son Carter which clearly ex-
plains the so-called “disappear-
- ance of matter” in/ connection
with experiments carried out in
nuclear physics) which bourgeois
scientists like Eddington and
Jeans have made so much of in
recent year's.

This of course was real grist
to the mill to the metaphysical
philosophers who never failed to
boost this ‘so-called new dis-
cevery of science.

~ Had they been grounded in
dialectical materialism, they
would have seen how unfounded
were their reasons for jubila-
tion

‘There is also appearing in the
journal a series of articles by
Stalin dealing with the dialecti-
cal method couched in such
simple language by the transla-
tor, Comrade Weir, that any or-
dinary intelligent mind can easily
take it in. When one considers
that dialectical materialism is the
basic philosophy upon which our
whole belief in proletarian social-
_ism is founded, one cannot stress
too much the importance of such
articles,
—A,. CHEVERTON,

White Rock.

’

Dialectic of unity.

Editor, Pacific. Tribune:
“There has been . interesting
discussion in the P.T. on the
values of religious faith and dia-
lectical materialism. It was ad-
vanced that christianity had
progressive merits which was
denied by a writer who claimed
it was regressive and only the
Materialist concept offered the
highest aspirations to mankind.

At this time, when the broad-
est people’s front is: imperative
to defeat the drift towards de-
pression, fascism and war, when
the people who must be rallied

o go_to church, it is wrong to in-
dulge in a derisive controversy
that would make progress ap-

pear synonymous with atheism.

‘It arouses a certain repugnance

in people of religious faith who
also see the need for social
_ change but are shy of associat-

_ ing with anyone who might be-
little their beliefs.

‘Lenin advised — teat we must
spect the religion of the wor-
kers and win them for progress
and socialism, ‘The LPP accepts
members without
creed. Freedom of con-
science is written into the con-
stitution of the great USSR. The
Soviet delegation to the UNO

joined in a church service for -

ah peace in New York.

It is in Been: not controversy,
that the progressive way of life

proves itself, in the struggle for ~

. the needs of the people. In the

an’ Europe, christian and com-
- munist fought together and many
died. In Tito’s — army of resis-
tance many. priests wore the
ee POL the Barer and

ed out, that religious ideas are
PACIFIC eae = PAGE 5

Write What

- questioning |

and = clothes.

dark da f :
: ys of the underground ~ committee,

up prices.

oie ee Tie Mais “nas point-

our Derarjnent

rooted in the economic order, go
along with it. Yet we have
men like the Dean of Canter-
bury, Dr. Harry F. Ward and
many other great christians, who
are certainly a force fox. pro-
gress,

When religion is used to cloak
reaction it must be exposed for

_its evil social effects. There are

the political cardinals of the
vatican whose clerical fascism
means death to freedom. These
have protestant prototypes who
would organize a ‘christian front’
to preserve monopoly ‘capitalism
and its ruthless exploitation. In
Alberta. there are Social Credit
leaders who peddle fascism in
the name of
racy.’

Essentially, christians aim for
the highest personal principles
and must be encouraged to over-
come an aloofness, and join in
the fight for great social prin-
ciples, Dialectical materialism is
a scientific method of analyzing

‘the development of life, society

end economics. It seeks to end
exploitation and misery.” It also
stands for full freedom of con-

science. These are glorious ob-
jectives, surely.
When one’s house is afire,

there is no questioning the faith

of the firemen and that is what
is approaching ‘in the economic

sense in Canada when the post- ~

war boom will bust. Men and
women who face the misery of
another depression even greater
than that of 1929 must find com-
mon grounds for action with
full respect for differences of
faith. That is the issue now!
H. G. SWANSON.
Edmonton, Alta.

Straws in wind

Editor, Pacific Tribune:

Recently, an air vice-marshal
has been sent from Ottawa to
Vancouver to establish a- B.C.
blood bank. They say that it
is for the B.C. hospitals. ®

Before any worker donates his
hard earned blood wouldn’t it be
wise to get full information, For
instance, why an officer of the
armed forces? Why not a B.C.
doctor? They can store blood
plasma for a long time now,.
right up to the time that they
can get another war started
ahd longer. Is this along the
same lines as the pseudo-péoples’
army which another half-baked
general talks about for Canada?

I must admit that all service
officers are suspect to me, my
experience in the first
taught me that most of them
are not very bright and a lot
of them are tainted with fas-

- cism.

Preparation for another war
also- ‘covers.

other fields. The
American radio is always howl-

ing for fats. The original short-

age was because the war need-

ed fats to make glycerine which
' makes .explosives.
war needs to civilian life and ~

Transfer

there should be’ no shortage.
So, they must still be collecting

fats for war purposes.
To just mention one other
vital war necessity, wool: they

need wool for military uniforms
The
of which Russia is
not a member,.is supposed to
be holding wool back to keep

usually done by other methods.

If we workers are not pre-
pared to do something about
some of the things going on
_ today, we are going to get it

“Ff

‘christian democ- |

. destroying” their lives. No,
do not wish to end their lives,

war ™

‘the :

_international

Such withholding is —

you Please.

where the chicken got the axe
one of these fine days.

And if any worker thinks that
dying capitalism is going to in-

troduce socialism to make
things better for the worker
and farmer, said worker is truly
naive. Capitalism will always
try to destroy what it cannot
use. War is an ideal way to
destroy.

SAM REYNOLDS:
Vancouver, B.C.

Peace on earth

Editor, Pacific Tribune:

The peoples of the earth long
for ‘Peace on earth, goodwill to-
ward men.’ Too long have they
suffered war on earth, illwill
toward men.’

Recently, a correspondent in
your columns argued the superi-
crity of the ‘materialistic ethic’
to the ‘religious ethic,’ charging
the latter is too emotional. Our
feelings, being as they are, we

‘cannot but be creatures of emo-

tion. The spirit of the peace that
is indivisible is working against
time to create in us, the emo-
tional unity which will bring a

synthesis of thought and action

from our social, political, and
ethical differences. that will
guide our steps into the - pros-

perous ways of peace. Atomic
gangsterism must be met with
a mighty peace crusade, a crus-
ade, that will bring freedom
from want to all peoples. Many

people, whose lives are destroyed,

by the deadly killer of economic
want are accused of committing
suicide.

_ Those of our old age pension-

_ €rs and other destitute persons

who commit suicide do not do
sa because they are desirous of
they

they wish to end the slow tor-
tuous killing of economic want.
Peace calls us to her banners,

to end the sordid housing con-

ditions that are responsible for
So much crime, sickness and dis-
ease. Peace is the glorious con-

dition of things that will allow.

the prostrated genius of warped
and stunted lives to find expres-
sion and so enrich the common
good. Peace lovers of the world
unite. You have nothing to lose,
but the chain that bind you to
war and all its horrors. You

have a world of life, health and.

happiness to gain. '
E. MARSH.

’

Vancouver, B.C.

os

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Short Jabs by Ol Bill

Gene the Indian question was being discussed in the House of
Lords a few days ago, Lord Simon, one of the many ‘evil
geniuses of the British people, had his little reactionary contribution
to make to the discussion.
Anarchy Anyone who knows the unsavory past of this ultra-
in India Liberal-Tory saboteur of the progress of the British
people could not be’ surprised at what that contribution® amounted to.
Of course, he warned his fellows in the gilded chamber of “an-
archy in’ India,” if they did not deal with the matter in the most
forthright manner. The “greatest sense of responsibility” he an-
nounced, lay on that august House. “Any reliance on a Hindu ma-
jority,” he claimed, “threatens India with civil war and bloodshed.”
Such touching concern! .One would think from such solititous
“ phrases (pardon, phrasemongering) that Simon, side-kick, we might
even say lead horse, in evil with the umbrella-man Chamberlain,
had ‘been born again. :

But it is not so. His attitude to supposed bicgaehet and civil
war has always been of the same calibre! a thin sanctimonious
veneer that covers his real hopes, and always led to the war and
bleodshed he deplores in pious phrases.

The canting sentiments he gives vent to at this time are repeti-
tions or parodies or near-approaches to the words he uttered in
other critical periods of world history. When Japan invaded China,
when the fascists attacked Spanish democracy and when ‘Chamber-
lain made his alleged peace agreement with democracy's greatest :
enemy, Hitler, Simon was on the wrong side every time.” History
has already proved that to the hilt.

When fascist aggression made its first wolf-like moves by ihe
Japanese imperialist invasion of Manchuria, even the Geneva corres-
pondent of the London Liberal “Economist,” writing of the speeches
at the League of Nations, could not refrain from observing that:
“Sir John Simon’s insistence on the importance of k g an open
mind until the Assembly is fully informed, suggested that he
cannot say whether China invaded Japan or Japan invaded China.”

During the same discussion; but a few days later, while the
Assembly of the League had before it all the facts, which were that
Japanese military forces were in Manchuria in full battle order,
seizing town after town and establishing Japanese rule, Simon made
the following profound statement, reported in London Times of
March 12, 1932: “The first duty-of the League is mediation, The
League could not pronounce a judgment on matters in controversy
but it might make a declaration reaffirming the fundamental oie
ciples of the League.”

The Japanese were in Manchuria, looting, spreading death and
destruction; bloodshed and war were being visited on the long-suf-
fering Chinese people, but to Simon who fears civil war and blood-
shed will follow any progressive move in India, what was happen-
ing in China was merely “matters in contr oversy.”

His attitude to the so-called civil war in Spain was the same.
Nothing must be .done which would put any ‘obstacles in the ‘way
of success. of the reactionary forces of Franco, Mussolini or Hitler.

Even before the attack on democratic Spain, Simon, as foreign
secretary, in collusion with the odious traitor Premier Laval, who
since has met a well merited death at the hands of French execu-
tioners, jigged up the first concession to Hitler, hoping for a war
in the East but selling their own country at the same time, the re- |
sult of which was that the British and French governments an-
nounced a joint agreement to release Nazi Germany from certain of
the disarmament provisions of the Versailles Treaty. Thus began
the building of the pocket battleships and submarines which cost
the lives of many thousands of British sailors, soldiers and civilians.

. And in the days when Chamberlain brought back from Munich —
the “peace in our time” that meant world war on the vastest scale
that we have ever known, a great deal of the credit for that sell-out
of the British people belongs to Simon who was the alter ego of _
the feeble-minded Umbrella-man.

It is little wonder that when the evacuated British army from
Dunkerque landed on the beaches of Kent and Sussex, one news
paper correspondent in telling of the hatred the soldiers had for the ;
men who had led them into that disaster, reported them as de-
manding, “Where is Simon? He’s the bastard we want!

On another occasion when he stuck his nose into the business of
‘the Indian people as the chairman of the commission that bore his
name, the Simon Commission, when he visited India, everywhere
he went he was, greeted with signs which read, “Simon go home.”
The Indian people surely knew him better than the Britishers who —
allow him to sit in the House of Lords. ~ .

pes the Christmas exchanges I received a Christmas card, I

received many, but one in particular which connected the sind * :

Christmas with the one just past.

‘Jesus It was not a fancy or elaborate job. It was just a :
simple line drawing and the artist was a good draftsman.
wept’ It depicted a hostelry in Bethlehem on the night of that

first celebration of what has grown to be the vast commercialized
ceremonial of the “gi-me’s,” —

On the roof of the inn, protruding feet proclaim that all ae
space in the house is occupied. To add emphasis, “mine host”
stands in the doorway displaying “nothing doing” sign, two palms in
full view and above the entrance hangs the familiar slogan:
rooms.’

Mary, sitting on an ass, waits patiently the while Joseph tries”
to convince the hotelman that they need a room worse than some
one else. That was thé first Christmas eve.

On an inside page is Christmas Eve, 1946. A war veteran, his
wife and bairn, sit on a piece of squared timber while the snow
falls around them and a brave and gallant-looking mountie stands -

guard over the empty shacks they are not allowed to occupy.
On the same day I got that card I read an excerpt from the Van!

‘couver World of 50 years ago in which the CPR complained to the

city police about homeless men sleeping in their box cars. These
things taken together made me think of a quotation from some-—
where a the Bible: “Jesus Christ, the same esompies © today, and
forever.”

On second thoughts I saw that. I was wrong. On the first

-* Christmas there were no empty houses but in 1896 there were. The

man who slept in the box cars could not pay rent for them and in

_ 1946 there are empty houses Which the owners cannot make enough

profit out of until the rents go up and if a iat 3 should move into

_ one he'will surely land in jail.

And another marge from the Bible comes into” my mind,
“Jesus. wept.”

\ PRAY, JANUARY 3, 1947

ag Sage