RUSSIA’S DISEASED & CHILDREN.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 June 1926, Page 4

RUSSIA’S DISEASED & CHILDREN.

HORRORS -OFFICIALLY ADMITTED i By Dr. Edouard l.ubofi’. Author of " The Soviets in 1925.”)

New light is thrown on Communism activities in British m liouL liv official disclosures that have iust been made of the appalling conditions prevailing in Russian schools. 'flu- Soviet Press is devoting considerable s]):ice to the tragic and overwhelming consequences of experiments on the children in the Soviet State. The mind of a. oniIII is a "delicate met’danism; to tamper with it is an unpardoiinhle crime. In the' case of Russia, our only example of IJolshevisod children, the results of such a crime arc proving too horrible for words. Nor do the Reds deny it. Already it has heen admitted that much of the present evil can he traced hack to the so-called Child Towns—that is. schools and institutions founded in 11)18 to I bring up children under "pure” Com-1 munistic conditions. One of the foremost .among these j was the “ Third International ” Child ; Town outside Moscow. 'There the ox-!

perimont' was vigorously and rigorously conducted. Self-government, atheism. co-education, the Pioneer movement, Lite Communist Youth movement —these were the main features of the institution. THIEVING AND IMMORALITY. But after two years of existence it was .found necessary to open a special Home for the so-called “difficult children.” An official report reveals an amazing condition : f reed from adult control, the children never learned anything anywhere, liecause none id' the schools could keep them. In addition to being hooligans, these children interrupted lessons and were actually infecting the weakerminded among their fellows. Wherever they went they created trouble and terrible disorder. I bey started tbe day when they pleased, some at ten o’clock, some at | eleven. Alter getting up they did not wash, hut dressed anyhow, and went to the kitchen to cat something. After the meal they spent their time as they liked. M.oxt of them vanished for the whole day, taking with them, bread and

sugar and sometimes things belonging to the Home, which they sold to dealers; their own boots and clothes went the same wav. The money thus ob-

tained was spent on circuses, knives and straps. They also “speculated” among themselves; they raided other

schools, while those who remained at

home lay about on their cots. and. from having nothing to do, used to break up tile furniture. . . Any interference aas replied to by insolence and insenate destruction.

Ihe girls ttsed bad language; the forms ot organised play were chiefly raids by the boys on the girls’ bedrooms in the evenings and at night, these raids wore generally accompanied by indecent behaviour.

Wild shouts were always heard in this Home and the noise was such that, even the children became exhausted. I lie air was full of brawls, in every corner there were fights, insults and foul words were bandied about, while the majority of tlies boys. even those eight years of age, smoked. The report quoted above suggested that, the real reason for this state of affairs was “ the inactivity of the staff.” tint it is obvious that the system was also largely responsible.

MOSCOW’S 50,000 YOUNG CRIMINALS. Further reports serve only to deepen the tragedy of the situation. Thus it appears that when ail “ isolation ” department for children was established in Child Town, it was impossible to accept tlie first detachment of patients from the Children's Home called “Aluravey.”

“ These children,” stated the official report, 1 ‘ were absolutely unfit even for a temporary stay in the isolation department.” Many children were infected with terrible diseases. Outside the Child Towns matters are equally deplorable, and every year the Soviet schools produce hordes of young hooligans and promising criminals. A Special Commission recently appointed to investigate the work of the Institute that had been set up to combat the spread of criminal habits among children reported thus:

“In Moscow alone tho number of criminal children dealt with was 50.000. This figure is sufficiently high, even if it is remembered that Moscow is really tbe rallying point for the whole Union. Children are naturally attracted to .Moscow from all parts. They arrive on train buffers, under the carriages, and on the roofs of the carriages. “ Ninety-one per cent, of this army are the children of the workers and peasants, and only 9 per cent, can be described as destitute orphans. At least half of these children—2s,ooo of them—are between 12 and 1.4 years of age. and are suffering from every kind of infectious disease.” CHILD DRUG FIENDS.

The horror of such a state of things is deepened by (lie report that in a period of eight months only 1.2 per cent of the children were sent to hospitals, only 5.3 per cent, were placed in Children's homes, and only 10.5 per cent, in industrial schools. For the rest no provision whatever was mack?.

And even if they are sent to houses of detention, the conditions are so appalling that no beneficial results whatever can be expected. One of such homes is described in “ Prnvaila,” the tlie official Communist paper: “The most depraved of these young offenders are herded togetner, with children who are merely homeless and entirely innocent. They are quickly demoralised and imbued with tbe regular “ traditions ” of the prison ; they adopt the prison slang and the prison altitude. They smoke, they swear, and they fight. They have no idea of obedience to control and no respect for their governors or for the whole administration. For months they do not wash. ’’ The hoys are allowed to mix with girls of a had class outside. The children never work : they have no inclination to do anything. There is nq library and not a single hook—hut the children never went to read. Many of the youngsters have the cocaine habit and all of them are skilled gamblers.” The report continues for many pages ill tbe same strain, but nowhere is there any reference to the fact that all these children have been under Soviet control for the last eight years and must therefore he regarded as the product of the Communist system. For Russia the future is indeed black ; her young generation is growing lip in a tradition tliat call lead to nothing but degradation and degeneration. The price she is paying, and will still pay, for experiments in Communistic education s a heavy one. .She should serve as a warning to tho parents of the world.