Thi i
: Wute

DeMille and Moses

JUDITH TODD, London: “Cecil
B. de Mille is making a super-
Technicolor film, Moses. The
miraculous Dividing of the Waters
presents difficulties. These will
solved in California.” , (News
item).
Super-colossal! An epic sensa-
tien!!

Aedeepie! a widie! whose scope
is so vast

As to leave, in its breath-taking
immoderation,

TV and the Pentateuch wholly
outclassed.

To one who has coped with the
home-life of Nero,

It’s child play to manage a mari-
time gap,

Or to launch a Gargantuan daugh-
ter of Pharaoh,

With prophet and bulrushes, right
in your lap.

One tiny misgiving alone mars
the splendor

Of such a conception: there may
have to be

A tactical circumlocution to ren-
der

In some other form the expres”
sion RED Sea.

White chauvinism

READER, Vancouver, B.C.: The
article on Jim Crow in Vancou-
ver didn’t go far enough. It should
have pointed out, as Lloyd L.
Brown once wrote, that “Jim
Crow is a talking bird, and it was
inevitable that his raucious
speech: has become part of our
language.”

What I mean by this is that
there are in existence many white
chauvinist words which are used
by people in daily conversation.
It is unfortunate that progres-
sives sometimes use these words,
too — for example, a letter from
a progressive appeared in the
News-Herald and the writer spel-
led Negro with.a small ‘“‘n.”

Some of these chauvinist words
have a history, as Brown pointed
out in an article on words and
white chauvinism in Masses and
Mainstream. I. quote:

“The slave-holder who bought,

Your

sold, worked, beat and killed his
slaves as if they were animals,
had to insist that they were mere-
ly animals, Words denoting that
concept, were regularly used by
him. Thus a strong worker was
a ‘prime’ field hand; a male slave
was a ‘buck,’ ete. Today these
words are still in use together
with many others which designate
the Negro as a brute... .

“The white chauvinist insists
that the Negro is not only brutish
but also childish. To the South-
ern white ruling class every
Negro male is a ‘boy’; no Negro
is ever mature enough to be dig-
nified with the title of Mr. or
Mrs.

“In the North the expression of
this is commonly found in the
designation ‘girl’ for Negro do-
mestic workers regardless of
age. The Bourbon insistence upon
calling all Negroes by their first
names is another form of this
white ‘superiority.’ Negroes are
not religious like other people:
they always have a ‘child-like’
faith.

“The brute who must be hated
and feared, and the child who
must be treated as such is also a
very comical person who must be
laughed at. His name is Sambo
or Rastus. His color is inher-
ently funny and inspires a nev-
er-ending series of humorous
designations: snowball, chocolate
drop, spade, shine, dinge, eight-
ball, etc. These are indispensable
for telling anti-Negro jokes,

“The ‘superior’ white not only
exploits, cheats, segregates, beats,
insults and lynches the Negro —
he also insists he loves him.
This strange love has given us
many terms of: master-class ‘en-
dearment?: darky, pickaninny,
auntie, uncle, mammy. And many
expressions of ‘praise’: good
Negro, intelligent Negro, etc. (in
this peculiar system of com-
mendation the noun modifies the
adjective)”

Powell Street

R.M,, Vancouver, B.C.: Two
little girls laughed and ran across
the street, while the on-coming
car screeched to a stop and
angrily sounded the horn. The
little girls ran to the safety of

THE OCCUPATION TROOPS-

e

.««. then the people tidy up!

Departinent
What you Pleae.

the curb, laughed again and con-
tinued up the street.

Further along two elderly
Chinese Jabored over a load of
wood dumped on the road. A
small crowd of people looked on.

Powell Street was alive: people
shuffled up and down, cars and
buses swished by, and neon signs
gleamed red, blue, green, yellow,
flashing on and off. Underneath
one a pale, thin man in a dirty
shirt and baggy pants leaned
shakily against a plate glass win-
dow. A small, chunky woman in
a tight sweater and a loose skirt
held on to his arm, strands of
hair dangling over her forehead,
her make-up caked on her un-
washed face.

“Come on, mate, buy me a
«beer. I haven’t had a drink all
day.” The man swore and slid
down to the sidewalk. The wo-
man moved on,

The sea breeze smells fresh and
clean in some parts of the city but
on Powell it reeks. Neon signs
which look -gay and bright else-
where appear cheap and phoney
on Powell. In other areas little
girls laugh and run in pleasant
play grounds, but on Powell they
dart across in front of traffic.
And on Powell old men labor
over piles of wood.

Oliver Twist

FILM FAN, Vancouver, B.C.:
‘Remembering the reviews in the
progressive press here on Oliver
Twist (which criticized the Fagin
portrayal as ‘‘anti-Semitic’”) I was
interested to read in New Hun-
gary that the British film kad
been given a warm reception.
Here. is what New Hungary says:

“The British film Oliver Twist
and a new stage production of
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
have won high praise from both
critics and public in Hungary
during the last few weeks.

“The leading newspaper Szabad
Nep reviewed the film in an
article running to 2,000 words.
There is a big Dickens following
in Hungary and the critic declar-
ed the film’s greatest value was
that it generally remained faith-
ful to the British writer.

“Producer David Lean was
praised for the ‘sharp picturing
of the contradictions, quick-mov-
ing, impressive scenes and cor-
rect characterizations.’

“John Howard Davies, the
critic added, portrayed ‘a charm-
ing, unusually lovable child, faith-
fully interpreting the character of
the unforgettable hero of Dickens’
novel. Anyone who sees the film
takes this Oliver to heart just as
much as the one in the book.’

“Alec Guiness was commend-
ed for the ‘ruthlessly revealing
force’ of his characterization of
Fagin, and Robert Newton for his
‘very convincing’ Sykes.

“Hungarian audiences received
this creation of the British film
industry with ‘interest and res-
pect,’ the critic concluded.

“To the mary translations of
Dickens’ works in Hungary will
shortly be added a new transla-
tion of David Copperfield,

“Romeo and Juliet, produced
by the National Theatre, was
given a 2,500-word review in
Szabad Nep, whose critic said
Shakespeare’s work expresses
‘such beauties of deep feeeling
as have no equal in world liter-
ature.’

“A few days later another na-
tional newspaper, Magyar Nemzet
reported that the play had been
broadcast in its entirety by the
radio.”

BY WILLIAM KASHTAN

Labor must enforce TLC

‘no raiding resolution

JN estimating the results. of the
Trades and Labor Congress
Convention one could easily make
the error of being supercritical,

seeing only its negative features -

and thereby failing to note the
new currents making themselves
felt.

One of these new currents
found expression in the resolu-
tion on trade union unity.
original resolutions introduced
by Local 46 of the Plumbers of
Toronto, and Transcona Lodge
484 of Winnipeg, called on the
convention to instruct the incom-
ing executive to consider ways
and means of “reaching the goal
of a United House of Labor for
Canadian workers.” The substi-
tute resolution adopted urged ‘‘all
of the affiliated organizations of
the Congress to refrain from at-
tempting to entice members from
any other legitimate organization:
into their own~ and concentrate
upon organizing the unorganized
as the first step towards closer
relations and eventual organic
unity between the national cent-
ral bodies of organized labor in
Canada.”

With all its weaknesses and
vagueness this is a big step for-

ward. It reflects the growing re-

cognition that raiding not only
has helped the employer, it has
stood in the way of concentrating
on the organization of the unor-
ganized and thereby made it.more
difficult for organized labor to
maintain and advance its living
standards. Above all, it expresses
a growing awareness by the rank
and file that unity is today a mat-
ter of life and death for the trade
union movement.

But there are three important
aspects of the problem that were
not dealt with by the convention:

+ The need to ensure that
there will be no raiding of any
union, be it TLC, CCL, Catholic
Syndicates or independent. The
rank and file should see to it that
the resolution is not interpreted
as’ giving carte blanche for an
open season on the independent
and progressive-led’ unions but
that a concerted effort is made
to really organize the unorganized

_— of which there are close to

three million. Quebec particular-
ly needs the united attention of
the entire trade union movement
if the fight for wage equality with
the rest of. the country is to be
achieved.

+ The need for unity of action.
The no-raiding resolution is a step
forward and could help create
the conditions for improving re-
lationships between all unions.
But what will cement that rela-
tionship and lead towards or-
ganic unity is united action on
problems of concern to the
workers of this country. What

better way is there to eliminate

the artificial barriers created
over the years than cooperation,
not only on legislative matters,
but on economic issues as well, on
the part of all unions?

Is there a better way to move
towards organic unity than by
solidarity with the teamsters and
gold miners now on strike? (In
this connection the UE Westing-
house local and the Stelco Steel
local are to be commended on the
support they are giving to the

The -

teamsters, including their ©
sion not to handle “hot ©
Such examples of solidarity
united action should
standard practice in 4 2s
There should not be @ a
where a group of workers |
on alone while other unions ™
by with folded arms.

No ideological or other
cences must be allowed 1
in the way of maintall
sound principle of ~
and one for all.” »%
action and solidarity 18 ©
not only to beat back th
of employers and gové
is at the same time the bes é:
cation the workers can 8
helping them achieve a
Canadian House of Labo

Moreover, solidarity, -
end at the borders % —
Why is there no expressidl
support from the Canaont
union movement to the a
lion French workers pe
given us a splendid examit
unity of Catholic, Soci
munist and other workers 4
today face the troops 9”,
of the reactionary Lame
ment? é

Bengough and Moshe 1

quick to jump to arms wh pet
les cracked the whip W# a
tion X in Eastern Germ® = §
were so busy falling ove ape
selves in support of UY." |
ist policy that they Have ¢
to defend the interest.
teamsters, the gold mr",
the French working class
whom face the force 2

of employers and state:

. mil
Yes, we need genuine ©

- tional solidarity als0-

+ Finally, the debe
from a speech of one “ne 2
gates from local 46 of sigh
ers, did not raise itS 4
the kind of United
House needed today.)
later organic unity will :
ed. Of this there cat
The question the 1"
needs to consider a
basis will it be achieve
will be master in it? .

Will we have @ uni
union movement wh! 5
an appendage of the
shall it be a united -
House of Labor, whl
all trade unions 1). ue
joys fraternal relatl?
trade union moveme 4 ’
world but is master ?
house?

Meanwhile it is esha
the locals and unions a ppl
the TLC fight for the ® i
of this resolution 0?
in the CCL and Cath
cate Conventions !
among the independ set
gressive-led unions; 4 oo
favorable answer be ont!
resolution. The 28
raiding, if it is follow”
action on all questio”® 0%
to the trade unio? oil
whether they be om est!
lative or political, W é 4
conditions and the poi?
bringing into peing 4 wor
adian Trade Unio?
And that would be * ot
vance, not only for as
the Canadian P wane

@ This is the seco”
ticles on the

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — SEPTEMBER 4, 19