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The People’s Co-op Bookstore stall

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at the PNE attracted

attention.

considerable

Women under

capitalist society:

more steps on road to freedom

As we pointed out in a re-|their own sons wives were de-

* cent article, the development

of a surplus led to the estab-
lishment of property rights
which could be inherited. This
inheritance was through the
father, not the mother. It be-
came of the first importance
to establish paternity of the
children.

At the same time certain
other developments occurred
For example, the discovery of
the use of fire and the use of
metals — all much more im-

‘portant to man’s work than to
woman’s. Improvements in
methods of tilling the soil,

which was done by women,
did not result in food surpluses
to the same extent as did the
possession of large herds of
cattle.

The old tribal society based

-0n common ownership began

to break up. Tribes went to
war for possession of surpluses

Men began io acquire cattle,

land and mines. Prisoners of
war were no longer killed but
kept alive to work for their:
conquerors. Society had reach-
ed another stage in history —
slavery, and with it, the first
great class division; that is,
owners, and slaves who own-
ed nothing but their labor

|) power. It was at this time that

the state developed as the in-
strument of. repression--by «the

ruling class.

Women did not become own-

ers of the new found wealth

and became solely dependent
on man. Now, in order to en-

sure that only his sons would |-

inherit his, property a man

) would mate for the express

purpose of begetting sons to
* whom to bequeath his wealth.

In order that men might know

nied the ancient custom of
free mating. But while man in-
sisted on this radical change
in woman’s status, he made no
similar one. So, the yicher he
became the more wives he
took. The wives could mate
only with him and woman‘s
greatest offence was failure to
produce sons.

The only free women left
were those, who, at a price,
kept their ancient right to
mate freely. While they were
kept in luxury by wealthy
men, any children they had
were killed. The circle gradu-
ally narrowed down; eventual-
ly man abandoned the old cus-
tom of numerous wives and
took only one, calculating
thereby to.make certain who
were his sons and the inheri-
tors of his property.

Monogamous marriage (one
man, One wife) remains with
us today, basically for the
same reasons, and so do cer-
tain inequalities, but now the
whole matter is much more
complex and appearances are
very deceiving. However, a
return to ancient customs is
not the solution. History can-
not retrace its steps.

Although, monogamy had its
origins in the establishment of
man’s. property right, it also,
as Engels pointed out, created
the possibility “for the great-
est moral advance’ which.
derived from it, namely mod-
ern individual sex love, pre-
viously unknown.

So far in modern times only
socialist society has restored
women to a position of full
legal and economic equality
but old .habits and. customs
cling yet in many facets of

even socialist society. The
fundamental change has been
made, however, through en-

lightened constitutional meas-
ures, guaranteeing the open-
ing of economic equality of
opportunity for women in all
jobs and professions.

What of the position of wo-
men in our modern capitalist
society? Very many women
will vehemently deny — that
they are in an inferior posit-
ion.

The fact remains that wo-

men under capitalism are siill
woefully -_exploited, -openly
and concealed; legally, econ-
omically and morally. It isn’t
accidental that the proportion
of women in highly paid jobs
and professions is quite low,
It isn’t accident that generally
speaking women are paid far
less than men — even for do-
ing the same jobs. Nor is it ac-
cidental that the laws of our
land operate less favorably for
women. A little thoughi on her
Own experiences outside and

inside the home tells a woman’

that this is all very true.

It will be a _ mistake, of
course, to become feminist or
“anti-male’”’ about it. Every-
thing should be done to widen
woman’s horizons; to increase
her understanding of her pre-
sent position in society, of her
potential powers as an equal,
really equal, member of soc-
iety. For example, let every
woman who is concerned with
the threat of war — and what
woman isn’t? — express her
concern. in any. form she
chooses, and there would be a
mighty deterrent to war!. Wo-
men’s voices, ringing un uni-
son, are not yet strong enough
on this theme. (K.B.)

Fi sity of

shows rare

T has been known for film-

makers to buy up a notable
book or play subsequently to
produce another “epic” con-
taining little more than the
bare title of the original.

Consequently one had justi-
fiable misgivings as to what
might happen to The Diary of
Anne Frank.

Fortunately George Stev-
ens, who has produced and

directed the film version of

what was a very moving docu-
ment in print and on the stage,
has only used the camera to
heighten the dramatic inten-
certain moments in
this tragic story.

Also 20th Century-Fox com-
missioned Frances Goodrich
and Albert Hackett, who wrote
the stage play, to adapt it for
the screen, with the result
that little extraneous matter.
has been introduced.

This is not to say that the
film is merely a photographic
version of the play. It is a
good piece of film making,
that takes advantage of the
camera to tie up the outside
world of Nazi-occupied Hol-
land with -the claustrophobic
existence of the two Jewish
families in a crowded loft, ov-
er a warehouse in Amsterdam,
from 1943 to 1945.

Here the Franks,
refugees from Hitler’s Ger-
many, existed with their
Dutch friends the Van Daans
for two years, temporarily
avoiding thesmurderous hands
of the Gestapo.

The film lays perhaps a lit-
tle more emphasis on the dev-
eloping relationship between
the teenage members of the
two families, Anne Frank and

already |

Diary of Anne Frank |

restraint |

Peter Van Daan, but these
scenes are handled with sen-
| sitive understanding.

, As Anne Frank, newcomer
{Millie Perkins gives a remark-
able performance.

She grows from a 13-year-
old schoolgirl into a 15-vear-
jold young woman on the
\threshold of a wonder that
must remain undiscovered,
with a skill and understand-
jing that would be exceptional
in far-more practised actresses.

Complementary to her per-
formance is the playing of
Richard Reymer as Peter Van
| Daan, whose transition from.
\the intolerance of 16-year-old
{boyhood to the stresses and
strains of dawning manhood
jis also excellently done.
Joseph Schildkraut gives a
| first - class performance -. as
|Anne’s father, but about Shek
jley Winters, as Mrs. Van Daan
i\J am in two minds.

There were moments when
|she was, for me, entirely the
jself - centred middle - class
“Momma’’ — and there were
moments when she was simply
| Shelley Winters.

How audiences will regard
jthis film will depend upon

|their comprehension of the
levil fortes consciously at
/work.

There will be those who
|will weep — and forget.
|. Others will share a mingled
| shame and anger — shame

[that men in their own country
should have helped to bring
these things about; anger that
today our statesmen condone
the return to positions of pow-
er those who held high office
under Hitler.

OWEN MOORE

S a leading British physi-
A cist, Prof. J. D. Bernal’s
work is valued both for his
research in his own field and
his contribution to biophysics.
No doubt his intense interest
in life and its origins is related
to his concern with social de-
velopment.

World Without War (avail-
able at the People’s Co-op
Bookstore) is a book with an
exceptional purpose. Designed
as a planning text for co-exist-
ence, it searches for a route
‘by which we may. escape both
economic suffering and nuc-
lear war; an escape, it sets out
to prove, made possible by
science.

“The basis of. my analysis
throughout”, Bernal tells -us

in his prefact, “is socialist. 1

Bernal presents plan

eful world

\believe that capitalist monop-
olies must by their very nature
push the governments of the
states in which they operate to
war preparation and war it-
self, as has happened twice al-
ready in this century.”

However, he sees every pos-
sibility of escaping nuclear
war, now that a third of hu-
manity has been taken out of
the capitalist orbit and is giv-
ing a lesson to the older in-
dustrial countries in the value
of science and education.

“The old path,” Bernal re-
alizes, ‘“‘will not be abandoned
until people see an alternative
to it.”

World Without War under-
takes to line out this alterna-
tive path. JEAN ROSS

Sept. 11, 1959—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 5

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