BOLSHEVIK IDEALISM

Hokitika Guardian, 7 November 1925, Page 4

BOLSHEVIK IDEALISM

t.liy John Blunt in the London “ Daily Mail.”)

Tim lorpiaf ions Trotsky, who is everlastingly bursting into speeches or print, has recently written of the Russian Revolution that some people can “ see only lice and mud. when, in truth, above this there is also the agony of birth.” The idealisation of the Russian Revolution into something grand and noble, when in reality if is the excessively horrible product of debased minds and is only- kept going by terrorism and villainy, is the greatefraud of modern times. If there are idealists among the Bolsheviks they are mad idealists who would stick at nothing in pursuit of their insane dream.

BRUTALITY AND CONCEIT. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the results of tho Revolution are “lice and mud ” not merely the temporary results of an intermediate state Imt the absolute results. The new generation in Russia, far from being fired by a magnificent ideal, are given over to ignorant brutality and fantastic conceit of themselves. The new heaven on earth which we ought bv now to see evolving is simple hell upon earth, and Boleshvism, far from producing a splendid new type of human being lots simply dragged up from the abyss the horrible dregs and riff-raff of mankind. For the great truth is that out of vileness no good can come. When people argue that the end justifies the means they know that they are arguing falsely, for how can a person who is ready to wade through blood for an ideal have an ideal worth thinking about ?

HOLLOW WORDS. It may sound specious to say that when you have achieved your end then you will be able to show your humanity, but people who talk like that have no humanity. They are either complete humbugs or they are hypnotising themselves. People capable of injustice and cruelty are naturally unjust and cruel, and all their excuses are mere hollow words. Like the insane person suffering from a grievance that nothing you do can ever right, so the insane idealist who dreams of Utopia by way of bloodshed would never find Utopia as long as there was anybody left to kill. But I doubt whether many Bolsheviks are even idealists of this mad kind, i

They are mostly cunning, jierverted people who revel in stirring up trouble and who glory in secret plots. They love power and their evil hearts delight in terrorism and torture. They can

“spoof” some' simple Socialists by their highflown words, and would love to ruin us while talking about the brotherhood of man.