Blackwell Family Blackwell, Alice Stone GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE Lazareff, George - 1920-1921Paris 30-V-20 Carte Postale My dear friend, You will be surprised on receiving this words. Now 10 days I am in Paris. In 2 days I am going to Clarens, and from there to Prague alone, my wife staying in Switzerland. She is sick, and it is not advisable to take her from nice lodging to Prague in the only one small room in overpopulated city at hot summer time! Myself, I am so tired. Up to the last month Babushka was well. Since that time I have no news from her. I stay a week more in Clarens before my start. I am sorry you did send me a word to Clarens. I thought I shall come soon back. How much changes in the world! Formalism, burocrat, and ever loss of precious time! My greeting to you and to all friends. G. Lazareff Miss Alice Stone Blackwell 3 Monadnock St., 3. Dorchester near Boston Mass. U.S.A. Etats-UnisG. Lazarev c/o Rudolf Vynin Praha-Karlin August 6th, 1920 1920 My dear Alice, I got your kind letter of July 6 on my arrival to Praha. The first what stroked me is your mentioning the "oculist has frightened me about my eyes"... You have reminded me that we are all old and liable to physical weakness...I left my wife alone in Switzerland though weak but in good lodging... Yesterday I got a letter from her; she writes she cannot stay longer alone, lonsome; she wants to go to Prague ready to live in one dark room instead in a good, bright lodging...I have to look for a lodging near by Prague where she can get milk without which she cannot live and which is very difficult to get in the city. Probably I must go once more in Switzerland to bring her to Prague. In two-three weeks I hope we can begin to publish our Russian paper. Great part of the staff of redaction. Pour la Russie will come to -2- Prague. Can you imagine how busy I am... TO look for lodgings for the friends, typography and so on. [N] Babushka still near Uzhorod living in a village in the mountains during the sommer season. She is well. I send her your last letter. The bolshevikRed Army is nearing the Galicia and Czecho-Slavia. All people oppressed by the Entente are rejoicing of its approch, even Germany, because Bolsheviki are going with the motto of national liberty. And we glad they keep a sound forein policy againsta foolich desorganized, ever hesitating policy of the Entente dictature. Down with foreign intervention! Hands off from Russia! _But unfortunately, once Bolsheviki enter into the country, they introduce their "Communism," abolish allpolitiecal liberties and provoke reaction, and the civil war inogurated. WE hope that when the real political and economical cituation in Russia will be known to the working mass, the reaction will follow from the part of the working class The Second Intermational will grow and the III -3- one will go down. We hope the leading role in the Second Internaional will take England instead of Germany. The communist parties in different country of the world in reality are noughty. But they are dangerous in a moment of general agitation and excitement. entertained by starvation and lack of production. Being led by the blind but energetic fanatics they are able to terrorize the peaceful and tired population: "Proletariat has nothing to lose but the chains"... In the end of month of June we had a splendid athletic Sokol show. We had guests from the all countries of the world, including the U.S. In order to give you a proximate idea of it, I send you some illustrations published here. Beginning with the children of both sexes, [the] youth, men and women consecutively, 12,000 in number, were making splendid drills, exercizes and different performances. Checo-slovakia is a country of Sokols. It is a peasants country. Praha is a beautiful city, unfortunately here-r- there is a great lack of lodgings and furnished rooms. Please give me the address of Mrs and Mr. Mussey Have they left the Sonnevank forever? For how long you left your Dorchester nest? I address this letter toyour previous address. My dear Miss Alice, take care of yourself. The health is the best treasury that is left for us. Cordially Ithank you for yourkind invitation my greetings to all friends Yours affectionately G. Lazareff[?] Praha. Miss Alice Stone Blackwell 3, Monadnock St. 3 Dorchester Mass. U.S.A Etats-Unis [Chilmark Mass] [Postmark: Praha, C.S.P. -9.VIII.20XI]Paris. 29.VII-20. CARTE POSTALE On the eve of my departure from lovely Paris, let me send you my best wishes, to you and to all our friends. Now I shall be able to enter in more regular communication with my sister. I am affraid she simplicified too much her mode of living in the country without elementary comfort, amidst a starving population. I am guilty in some negligence in my travelling to and fro. My wife being in one [country] and the sister in the other, and I am in Paris!..Yours Geo. Lazaroff Miss Alice Stone Blackwell 3, Monadnock St., 3 Dorchester Mass. U.S.A. Etats-Unis [Chilmark Mass] [*G. Lazaroff*]1210 - Paris - L'Église Notre-Dame et Perspective sur la Seine J. H. KOHTOPA ГAЗETЫ "BOПЯ POCCIИ" ПPAГA. ADMINISTRACE ČASOPISU "VOLJA ROSSII" PRAHA. PRAHA 21. Decembre 1920 [Jindřšská ulice 20.] Uhelny trh. n l. My dear Alice, I am so guilty before you. I look first in the Woman's Magazin my beloved "A.S.B." I am glad we have at last the Russian organ of our own. I am sorry I did not ask[ed] you to change my direction for the papers you kindly subscribed for me. I could send them our paper in exchange. I have already sent Volia Rossii for The New Republic", but did write nothing to them. New Republic and the Nation are necessary, or desirable, because we need American information. The New Republic especially. I am affraid it is too late to arrange the exchange with our paper if you payed it. For the first time, The New Republic would be sufficient alone. I do not wish you waste your money for it. But what is necessary for me it is The Non-partizan Leader. I am very interested with this original movement in America. But we are short of some paper [of] on the socialist and Labour movement particularly. The New Republic I found the best in this relation, though it was one time too much a bolshevisant. But it was conducted very well against interventionists and Kolehovists. Now all these fool dictators are gone. The Russian socilist democracy is left alone face to face with the bolshevism. The reactionary Entente policy soon must be changed. 5 millions of Russian refugies are living now outside of Russia. No more Russian ambassies, consulates. Nobody help them. The destitution is terrible. All other parties, supporters of intervention, are asking us now to step on and to take the Russian cause in our hands in coalition with them. The Entente also has nothing at last against it. But we cannot work together with the parties and men who are compromised by collaboration with reactionary generals-dictators. No coalition with them possible. It would kill our own now recognised authority and prestige. Mean while something must be done. Probably in short time we shall go to Paris for consultation. We were knocked down by reaction and Entente; we are not responsible for the situation. We continue to contend that the Bolshevism can be conqued only from inside by the force of the working people. We are socialists, and cannot give up any of their interests which are conquered by the Mars Revolution.- I sent your letters to Babushka. She is working hard. I love her as never before. Forgive my silence. I am always with you.Prague, Checo-Slovakia. PRAHA 23 Decembre 1920 Uhelny trh. N1. Though you cannot read Russian I send you our paper, it has many interesting informations. If you give me another address for the person who can read Russian and use our information, I'll gladly send the paper [gratuotousely] for any and fore some persons you indicate. My poor wife still alone, in Switzerland. There is no room for both. . .There is no lodgings here . . . We had a little communist trouble here, but now it is all quiete. [Nabushka?], Mr. Kerensey and many other of our friends we are working together. You understand how great and tremendous responsibility lays upon us. Forgive my silence-you and Helena and other friends. Babushka makes a great work, thanks to you and other American friends. My hearty greeting to Mr. Robinson . . . Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!.. for all. . . . . Any big daily newspaper from America would be too much cumbersome, meanwhile the worKingmen movement is not known, but from the European papers. For [the] our paper the news must be fresh.If our supposition will be realized and all members of the Constituent Assembly have to go to Paris for consultation, Babushka ought to go too, because she is the M of the Constituents. We suppose to move a conference there 8 January. But probably we shall start 3 of January. It is too tiresome for her to make such long trip. I have not receive yet an answer from her. Now I got today some letters from "The Woman Citizen, Lafayette Magazin, probably we come more. Simultaniously I write to the editor of The New Republic" with the proposition for exchange of our papers. Thus, if you did not subscribe before my letter is received, pleas do not trouble yourself with this matter. I feel I have much abused you kindness and generosity. The trouble is the value of our crown is terribly low. There was $1=100 crowns. A poor man in American will be a reach man in Tchecho-Slovakia and vice versa. $100 is sufficient to live here a year . . . For this reason no commodity exchange is possible. There are great deal of goods in all countries, but in all countries we find starvation and destitude. If an organization abroad will be organized by our party we propose to appel to international help to the Russian starving people. The Bolshevik's regime become intolerable. I wait a word from you - your health? I did not read your book the byography of Babushka. Can I get a copy? . . . My heart with you. G. Lazareff Strasburg 3-1-21. Dear friend. We supposed to go together with Babushka to Paris, but she suddenly became undesposed and did not come to the Station. We had to start alone. I hope she will be alright in two days and will join us in Paris. New happy year and courage. We are! To dear Helene, Mabel Henry and June. Yours for ever G. Lazareff. Miss Alice Stone Blackwell 3, Monadnock St., 3. Dorchester, Mass. U.SA Etats-Unis.Strassburg Evang. Garnisenkirche u. Munster REDACTION DU JOURNAL VOLJA ROSSI PRAGUE Tcheco-Slovaquie. Adr. tel. : Prague Volross. No.................. PRAHA 1 26 III Uhelny trh 1.tel. 9802. My dear and Beloved Alice, my spiritual sister I have no Time to express fully my gratitude and thankfulness for your help. We are so busy at the moment Tomorrow Resurrection day! My best wishes! I got your letter with good suggestions. I have already sent to given address since 17 Mars 1921. I include a list of printed addresses. Look it over. Perhaps I forgot someone? Please send my greeting to all our friends, to Miss Jane Adams and L- Ward including. I should like to get a book on the History of organization of Non-Partisan League. There were mentioned two of them but unfortunately I forgot their titles and authors.Kronstadt knocked down, Long live Kronstadt! We are not discouraged. We do not afraid of any Trade Treaty with Soviet government. Under Bolsheviks or The Tzar but the Russian people must not die from cold and hunger. It is our affaire to fight bolsheviks from inside not outside. Babushka is better - all letters from [Nogorad?] only not long ago I sent her to Paris Among them I saw [9?] of yours. Spiritually she is young as ever. We keep her in Paris forcibly. We hope to get her to Prague in the second half of April. To my friends Helen, Mabel, Harry, June and all others. If you find somebody else to send Volja, Rossii, please send me a word. Of course gratuotously. Forever yours G Lazareff.April 30, 1921. Paris Sanatorium Alice, my beloved friend! You see, I am here till now. The weather in Tchkoslovakia is a very rough and wett, and my tutor Alexandre Kerevsky wishes not to let me go there before the sun comes to rejois the nature. He promised to take me there in two weeks, when his affairs will demand his presence at Prague. He is a faithful adherent of mine as ever. The more I see of him the more I admire this noble heart, quite absorbed by his devotion to the interests of Russi people. He lives and works supported only by hope to see Russia free, on the way to achieve all the reformes and innovations our revolutions of March 1917 promulgated so unanimously, so we feel well together, and he makes what I never could do: he takes care of my persone. Yet my time at Paris was not quite lost. We have here, in Paris great many scientists, students, writers, artists of all arts; and they all suffer having no possibility to procure russian books they need. No more serious books are printed in Russia (except communistic one), nor abroad, being a very dear matter. I remembered that our banished professors and political emigrants wheil the Tzars had, nearly every one, scores of excellent special books,often enough to compose a bibliotheque. As they never those books back to Russia, (for it was easy to procure them at homes) and most of those bibliotheques fell into indifferent hands - so it would be reasonable to discover them, assemble them together and organize a conservatory admissible to those who will continue their scientific work. As nearly all our prominent men worked in foreigne Academy, Universities, or had their own studies, their bibliotheques must be searched over all the Europe. London / England / Swizerland, Italie, France, Germany. And we are aware of the lot of some. Many are already spoiled by mouses or[e] bad location, but there are many offer real treasures of admirable collections. All those pieces, and all compleets must be get up, brought in Paris and constitute a scientifique sample, out of which thousands of [Russian?]. students get necessary knowledge. A little groupe of intelligent women and men formed a Kommittee to rescue and preserve our dispersed and vanishing wealth. - We have already the consent of some proprietors to grant, other to yield as long as Russia is inaccessible and others ready to sell for small catch. - Paris is choose as a center place, for here the most part of people who need several disciplines of sciences and specialities. A persone -- very intelligent and honest is nominated as manager of the future bibliotheque. Now we tray to get a locality, what will not succeed without the aid of some franchmen -, also interested into the Russian literature, empty buildings being not be found so easely. Our second impediment, as always with Russians - is want of money. We are good initiaters but very bad practiques, -My second [initive] of the last time is the edition of a magazine "Slavonic Voice" or "Slavonic Union", no matter. In Paris I could gather addresses, advises and meanings of my future contributors. But the edition will take place at Prague. I believe I wrote you in my last letter about this my enterprise. I cannot be quiet before I see the beginning of coordination between brotherly branches of our stock. They will never progress without being quite independent. - My thirt experience in Paris was my closer connection with members of American Unior Red Cross, and other source... American Women, who are interested into the matter of education. I am very happy to learn that your country - men who approched my work in Carpates were satisfait with it, and agreed that organisation of Internates is the more rational way to benefit a distitute population. The chief of the Junior Red Cross Miss Harrison promised not to forget the existance of our Internatesand my friend Mr Iver Wahren, promised to take me in his automobile, wehen making a ride around Carpatorieleia. He, and his friend Mr Ringland are members of Mr Hoover's mission, distributing food around starving populations. Boths brave, honest, intelligent young men to whom Your indebted for their sympathy with the Internates. Here, in Paris I made acquaintance of Mr R. P. Lane, chief of Americ. Junior Red Cross in Europe, who also acknoledges the utility of my work and is ready to see it progress,- I must avow that the aid Europe experience from the part of American U. States - is a comfort not only material, but moral too. For one must imagine, how terrible it is to have nobody to aid us in our distress, deprived of means and halping hand. Need is profound and large in Europe, I fear it will increase this year, the recolt (harvest) does not promise; no rein, every thing dry.... terrible to think about. - Even sitting in my room I observe the depression unanimous. [I live] Tomorrow the first May ... universall apathy. When you read that here and there arise insurrections - it is artificially prepared. And yet, no doubt, the time will come when [uncoruptable?] votes will definit to the best the common lot. Reason and consciousness are riping everywhere; people go forward. I send you every good feeling abiding my heart.Praha I. 9 May 1921 Uhelny trh 1., tel. 9802. My dear friend, Miss Alice. It is so long time as I have not written you. The situation is so complex and overwhelming that it is difficult to cach a free moment to take freely with the friends. The first is business. I am receiving bills from different papers I have and had been receiving thanks to your kind attention: The New Republic, Nation, La Follette's Magazin, The Woman's Citizen. They ask me to pay my subscription fee. I tried to write to some of them, proposing to send "Volia Rossii," our daily, gratuotously for exchang or for paying my debts. But the administration of The New Republic, for instance, replied me that the Russian language is not know to the redactors and they [ever?] use it .... Meanwhile I for many months had already sent Volia Rossii to The New Republic. After this answer our administration stopped to send to N. R.(x) To the Nation I send Volia Rossii regularly. Some of them ask to pay $2., 3 or 5. To send money from Prague to Uncle Sam awfully dear. $1 cost 70-80 our crown. [I to ?] I try to keep a correspondence with my friends of the American newspaper men and editors. But it is too much for my age and feeble focus... I understand that in some cases this notices from administration are the matter of administrative mashine and tradition. But I could not timely to inform the editors, that the subscription is made not by me, and so they continued to send their papers. In spite the warning that their paper will be stopped from sending, I continue to receive them up to now The New Republic, Nation and Woman Citizen. Nonpartisan Leader. Now I am receiving "The New Majority" of Chicago, Perhaps thanks to Miss Adams? Babushka is still in Paris. She is better and is ready to come here. But we can get a necessary lodging for her. The physicians told us that Babushka requires a special care (her heart is very weak), under supervision of a family friend - Anyhow I hope she will come soon here. Her presence is necessary to accomplish her great undertaking of the internates in [Karpashkaya] Russia. That is one of the great of her works, which is done with the help exclusively of American friends. In her absence I must take some part in this matter. You know my view upon Koltohan, Wrangel and other monarchist reactionaries. They are now gone away. Now I have become sick with my friends of Bolsheviki. You know that Lenin, Trotzky, Lunatcharsky [???] are all our old comrades (x) But I ordered in Paris to send The New Republic "Bulletin emigrates.... pour la Russie in French Bulletin pour la Russia in French.My friends bolsheviki fall down to the utmost of criminality and bestiality. They are crasy. They now defend their life, and I do not wonder more of their action. But what kill me it is blindness nearing close madness of the so called socialistic intelligentzia of the civilized Eeast Europe and America, who under the name of "communists" and "internationalists are ready to imitate The Russian bolsheviki and to ruin their own civilization. The name of socialism of this highly humanitarian conception of social life and saintity of individual life - is quite discredited... Bestiality and madness are spreading with the rapidity of infectious disease. The incessant struggle between reactionary and bolshevism made both [extreemitry] bestial, irreconcilable, And all who are in the middle of them become also sick and crasy. In external policy, the Allies pursue such a foolish political and economical policy and are in such disaccord among themselves that the bolsheviki use it up and beat them by their very consistent and expedient policy. The Allies split Russia into the peaces and [f?] encourage the feelings of national separatism so evidently ruinous for the working people and peasantry, who beeing left for themselves are looking [f] at bolsheviki [as their] with the only hope for salvation. The working mass of Civilized Europe being discontented by the governmental policy of their countries beguin to look at bolsheviki as at the enemy of their enemies... [It is] No wonder in it. But the socialist leaders? ... They know what the Russian bolshevism is, and organize their own "communism."-- Today I got a new notice, or bill, from "The Nation." I could not warn of the stopage if sending all periodicals I got, because I did not know the date of subscription. Of all the papers I got [for me] it would be sufficient personally for me - The Nation and The Nonpartisan Leader. The latter is so interesting phenomenon that it is impossible to follow this [?] farmers' movement through the channel of other periodicals. It is excellant pattern of movement for all other countries. We are waiting Babushka in Prague. Your money sent to Babushka I have received from Urgorod - 15 000 crowns (Czech crowns), and put them to the bank, according the order [from] of Babushka from Paris. I thank you from her part. My best wishes to you, Miss Helen and to all other friends. Affectionately yours G. Lazareff -I- PRAHA, 28 September 1921 Uhelny trh 1., tel. 9802. My dear sister, Miss Alice I am guilty before you for my long silence. When I got your letter and your letter for Babushka I was ashamed. But I know your are generous and being a sister of ours. You understand our frame of mind. You and we are both not young creatures. We, Babushka and I, are anxious to rest at last after so long and hard work. But the longer we live the more humanity became stupid... Perhaps they will be more reasonable after our clearing the field for the new generation ... On receiving your letter I got your letter for Babushka. I brought it to her and we read both of them together. Babuska was grumbling, I was laughin for the same motives ... She says the American intelligensia, or socialists, so indulged with their political liberty, that they are ready to exagerate any shortcomings of it compatively with [one] the terror of our communistic regime they are ready to put the signs of equalization between American accidents and Russian terror. Your American working class is a stupid one; they have all the possibilities to get self government, to be masters of their own; but instead of this they criminally and shamefully sell themselves at the first election... The working men immitate their wholesale moneymakers. Under influence of the marxist theory they care, in the first place, of money. There is no morals in their life; there is no hamane enthusiasm; they are moneymaking machines. They are not socialists; they are not a bit of a democrate. Democracy is a social organisation, the political relation between citizens and the state. State is peculiar institution, created for the human beings and by human beings. There is no State among beasts and animals. Without State there is no social life, human life. Conglomeration of many individuals united by their stomachs is a herd. The modern human being endowed with infinitely comlex and variable needs and capacities can get the full satisfaction in comlex society only through the State. and free associations. And the best form of the State is Democracy. There is no and cannot be the socialism without Democracy. The power of capitol?! The power of capitalists?! Nonsense! There is no contraint in their opression. It is voluntary subjugation from the part of the working men, a free stipulation, free competition: the employees may and can make strikesthe employers may and can make lockouts. The class struggle is political struggle, never economical, -against the State, not against capitalists. The saint Marx himself said so ... I contend for quite opposite principle: Politic is the base, and economy is a superstructure of society, as well as the man has created God, not God created the man... You, American, live in the capitalist State; we, Russians, are living in the highway commustic State. If you are not contented with it, let us exchange...Please. You mention about [unchi] unchivalrous treatment of "some of the crew by their captain"... But what to say about our communistic gualantry? ... I read through many times your kind letter, and from the top to the end it is filled with the ecomomic grievances. Your opressions are all of ecomomical character. But we are living in a most communistic [of] political hell... You have about 1.500.000 of unemployed in the reachest country of the world, and we have 150.000.000 men, women and children dying from starvation, amidst the desolated and devastated country, without any hope for the future. We both, Babushka and I, aggree on this point. And nevertheless she was grumbling, I was rejoycing at the reading of your letter. I will tell you why. I rejoyce, because I see my lovely sister, Alice, is growing in spirit, she is looking forward... She was a feminist since long time, now she is the true socialist. I am sure she will understand me. I hate despotism in all forms. But I understand socialism not as a protest against exclusively the economical opressession, but against oppression of any kind, and the first of all against the political one. It is impossible to establish industrial democracy without establishing political one. The longing for democracy in general makes man a citizen of the State and of the world. You lived through the excellent period of spiritual elevation and enthusiasm when you had been a feministe. You, and your father Blackwell and mother Lucy Stone were fighting the political oppression, for political democracy. Now the whole task of your life is accomplished. Millions of other women are quite satisfied and do not know what to do more ... They do not know who is the best man: Mr. Wilson or Mr Harding. They entered in the common "bourgeois" frame of minds have nothing to do but to be prominent politicians. It is their only ambition. -II- PRAHA, 28 September 1921 Uhelny trh 1., tel. 9802. My dear Alice ... but I was rejoicing at the reading of your letter ... Because the older you are physically the younger you become spiritually, On receiving and reading The Woman Citizen I always compare it with our lovely, -a modest but penetrated with the real enthusiasm, with a "magnestism," as Americans say--- The Woman's Journal. The Woman Citizen is an excellent periodical, printed on the excellant paper, but there is nothing some peculiar in it, what would distinguishe[d] it from thousands of other periodicals. Politically, men and women in America are now equal. The social inequality cannot be abolished by parlamentary measures but by the social evolution. The working men in America formally have gotten "Democracy," the equality of rights, but spiritually they are still the slaves. They don't use their political power. Republican government is the issue of woman's enfranchisement. It does not mean we must regret it. On the contrary, the Antony Susan amendment will be forever [the] one of the highest achievement in the history of your country and the real author of it is not the United States Congress, even not our smart friend Mrs. Chappman Cott, but Lucy Stone and her daghter... In the Woman Citizen I see many many new and excellant pictures and photographs, but I can not find any old ones, whose photographs ought to be permanent on the first page or the cover. Never mind! The History and the unpartial posterity will recognize them. - I have seen Mrs. Chapman Cott at the Geneva Woman Congress last year. I had come on purpose to see her.(x) She [is?] excellant woman, of a modern style of the feministe movement and hardly one can imagine the better women's leader. But since that time ... I fell in love with Miss Lucy Stone ... Will you understand me now why I was laughing while Babushka was grumbling after reading your letter? She asked me: "why you are laughing"? I did not explain her "why." I simply felt myself joyful. Miss Alice and Helene ceased to be merely feminist. They strive to be genuine socialists. No word [of] about women grievances, but about trouble in Porta Rica, about an American captain, who had badly treated some of the crew ... about farmers of N.D., and so on. She understood our silence, pardoned me for my negligence, and wrote me first. I received her excellent "Biography of Babushka" and did not answered that I never got the Bross "book" about the Wall Street moneymakers. I heard about it very often. And I was laughing. I was laughing at the moment, when I had read the information about starving millions in Russia. (x) I asked her to deliver my greetings to you if canThus I entrust the secrets of my laughing to your discrimination. The Russian people are dying, literally. My native village, with my only sister and hundreds of nephews, grand sons and daughters probably died out. There is no information to get about them from our communistic paradise. I read only an article, the report of an English visitor of my province, who, entering into village, saw nobody on the street but two-three abandoned children, sitting on the middle of the street"playing" with the hen. The latter boldly came to them and consecutively picked their hands, legs and faces, as though nibbling to ask: Boys, you are children, but you are of human beings, you ought to be more intelligent than we, hens, are. Tell me how and where I can get to eat something? ... The children only tried to get rid of her. But she intrusively continued to stick to them. ... All the authors of these pictures of paradise are my personal friends and "comrades" - Lenin, Trotzky, Lunatcharsky and many other of the present masters of Russia. We had been socialists, emigrants, I was never agreeing with them, we belonged to different parties, but lived together, suffered together. They lived at my house, we divided comradely our grievances. I saw them off, when they started from Switzerland on their journey through Germany in 1917 for Russia. With great difficulties I could pass to Russia via France, England, Norway, Sweden and Finland to see the criminal activity of these brigands ... The very [??????] forces were powerless arrest them! Some people think, Mr Rerensky and Provisional government are guilty they have not arrested these brigands. It is false indictment. Then the [?]rance of mind of the whole people would not allow to touch any of us, emigrants, for any political crime ... After little while they shot us ... Here I made acquaintance with some excellent people of Hoover Relieve Administration. Some of them are already in Russia. Mr. Hoover is a strong man. Bolsheviks require nothing but force majeure. No compromise with them. Do not pay attention what they say or do. It is necessary to act as though there were no Bolsheviks at all. Hoover people penetrating into Russia will be under protection of millions of the fathers and mothers of the dying children. I do not angry with brigand friend Bolshevik, Lenin & Ko/- They are only consistent. Praha, 29 September 1921 Very often I cannot sleep at night. Then I repeat some thousand times: My people, My love, My life, are dying ... My people, My love, My life are dying ... until I get tired and enter in communistic paradise visiting mysteriously all the Moscow and hundred other prisons in Russia and Siberia. And I am ashamed now for myself and for Dr. George Kennan, when remember what a calumny we said about the Russian prison system at the time of the Tzars ... They are now the seventh circle of the Dante's Hell ... Babushka was about to start for Capetown, in Africa, to Boer people like to tell her grievances to the Boer people, the peasants, to ask them to help the Russian peasants. She was ready to enter in service as a madehen at the Tailors, Kitchen, dishwasher, for instance. But the physicians told this card will be bitter: her heard is too weak. She limited her enterprise with only a letter to General Smiths. The people of Czechoslovakia generously take part in helping to the starving Russian people. We organized separate society to help the Russian scientists, savants and literary men. We gathered about 3,000,000 crowns. We send 900 gms of sugar, some[??gour] sell, fat, stuff, needles, boots, shoes and so on. My friends - brigands - Bolsheviks make all their possible to hinder it. I am working everyday at our paper "Volio Rossii". The work and organization is so growing that hardly possible to support it all. It asks so much money that no private people can help. I am afraid if we cannot borrow a necessary sum the paper in Prague will be stopped. By and by, c'est entre nous. We started a new paper in Litoonia, near the very Russian frontier. For today it is enough. Our greatest sympathy for your "bourgeous" country, the Hoover Relieve Administration. Don't pay attention to all nonsense, the communists saying or doing. Hoover Administration must act, as though there was no bolsheviks at all. They like to deal with firmness and ultimatums. They are really powerless and helpless. They ceased to provoke in me an indignation. I am indignant with these hypocrites of the workingmen leaders, who under the cover of extreem radicalism in W. European country spread calomny all over the world for support of Russian Bolshevism. About one hundred the most important socialistic newspapers are published with money of Sovet government. .. While the Russian people are dying from starvation. In The New Republic, Mr. Moissey Olgin is a jesuit and liar. He is a communiste - hypocrite. And New Republic likes to publish everything [all] tainted with radicalism and bolshevism. It is in a vogue now, a way to kick their reactionary government, at the cost of Russian people. - My love to you, Miss Helene, Mussey. Mr. Robinson. I know him. Yours forever Geo. Lasareff. Kralevska tr. N351 _Karlin Praha. 11 December 1921 George Lazareff To Miss Alice Stone-Blakwell My dear Miss Alice. I did not write you so long time...Now I can, now I must. Last month Babushka was very sick. First-she caught cold and Pleuritis, but she got better.Then she got the bile inflamation with her old friehds of the biles stones...The sufferings were awful. We were afraid the operation be necessary.After happy a "Concilium" and energetic procotions the operation was avoided. Sufferings were deminished and Babushka could eat, sleep and smile again; the yellow col[l]or of her eyes son disappeared, but she was so weak and nervous that nobody could allowed to see her with the exception of some intimate friends. Little by little she recovered the flood of friends has inondated her and she became anew so tired that she was once more taken under a severe control[e].Now she is allowed to read a little and to write only the business letters and only very a[a]-2- short ones To write to you was strictly forbidden by me and if she has written to you or to Miss Helena, it means disobedience. A long talk make [?} her{e} tired, a noise, too. But she is allowed at free to play in [?] "Patience", and she became fond of it, _an ardent champion of the world! She became ambitious and patriotic, and is anxious to chalenge Cazablanca himself in the card playing in "Patience". Unfortunately, she cannot still go to Havana: she is allowed to sit down on the armchair near her bed. Her great trouble is about her children in the internates in Karpatskaya Rus. The famine in Russia is so awful that overpasses any imagination. The very thouhgt of it is oppressive. The children and babys by thousand abandoned by parents, by mothers, are dying on the snow, under oppen sky... and by thousands are flowing to other countries, to Europe, to see the blessings of the "bourgeois" and capitalistic civilization. The time is not jet come but it is near, when the so called radical socialists or communists will understand us, Russian socialists and democrats. We deny that the modern communists and "pacifists" are socialists. I esteeme all sincere religious pacifists, like Quackers Deukhebers and so on, but I am sick of the pacifists, -3- preaching class war. Their radicalism is unhuman. Radicalism ofthe modern communism is philosophy of wild beasts. Unwillingly a[?] groan, a cry is going out; "O Kommunists! ... What have you done __ you with your "Bolshevism"__ what have you done with our beautiful elevated idea of Socialism? __ You are doing, what the Jesuits had done with the elevated idea of pur Christianity! The latters tortured the men by hundereds and by thousands on the earth in order to make them h[?] happy on the Heaven. You kill the men by millions in order to make them happy on the Earth. Meanwhile the natural life of each individual is less than a twinkling before Eternity in the Past and the Eternity in the Future. The Revolutions were made against despotism and privileged minority on behalf of the oppressed multitude of the suffering humanity And only then they are justified. Such was the Revolution of Mars 1917 in Russia. The surface of the Earth would be changed, if the stupid[?], criminal and bestial theory of everlasting class war not infected the world. The ignorant, illiterate, ever op[p]ressed working mass is not responsible for it. But the "Intelligenzia", the leaders of the working people, the leaders of the socialist parties? "Scientific socialists[?] ... marksists, __ Where they are? The father ofthe Russian marxism and socialdemocratism died in misery, like abandoned dog, in the snow of Finland at the top of the triumph of the bolshevist contr- revolution, and only some of the mensheviki and we, the opponents of his, the revolutionary socialists, who brought his corps to burry it with veneration amidst the jeers of the bolsheviki, who for sake of disdain to Socialism changed the [?] previous nickname of "Socialdemocrats" into "Communists" They have now devastated all what can be ruined in Russia. They tried to ruin the culture and civilization in the rest of the world, but fortunately without success. They keep, however, the whole world in a regular blockade. Million and millions of Russian people will die? … Never mind! In Russia are still 130,000,000 due - pedal beasts. if will die 10,000,000 per month, Lenin has a handicap for 3 years. It is quite sufficient to satisfy all the pacifists of the Entente … My native Samara province, my native village of Gratchevka, my numerous kinsmen and my the only sister left - probably all were died out. Never mind _ I say - Life is short, I am sufficiently old, and there is no reason to hurry up to the other world ... Some people say the policy of Lenin and of his satelites is changing. Please do not believe it. The Famine Committee is the sample. All C.K. of our partys are in the prison. Bolesheviki from time to time spread the rumer about the coalition with our S.R, party. Nonsence Bolsheviki shot the members of our party dayly, while they call and receive with welcome the most atrocious and reactionary generals of the Vrangel;s Army. __ Now, I get at last the excellant book "The Brass Cheque." It is beautyful picture, full of truth But it is ordinary abuse at the [c]Capitalist production in the absence of public controle. The onesided working men,s control[e] will produce the same effect. Society, the public, the consumer is to be the supreme Centreler of the whole production of the contry. Meanwhile, both capitalists and workingmen equally neglect them. True socialists are to defend the interests of Society, of the collectivity on the whole : producers and consumers, the capitalists as well as workingmen, once they are necessary for production, when Society cannot dispose them. Independantly each of these three agents can abuse the two others. The Production, Exchange, and Consumption must be taken under Public or State control. YOU have already "dry" and "wet" States. Do continue in that way Stick off from "dictature of proletariat" and keep up the interests of Society on the whole, of the Collectivity on the whole, and then you will be really SOCIALIST The "SOCIALIST" means[e] the SOCIETY'S defender. That is the point. My greetings merry Christmas and Happy New Year.- I - [?ДАК?Я] ГАЗЕТЫ "ВОЛЯ РOССIИ" ПРАГА. RÉDACTION DU JOURNAL "VOLIA ROSSII" PRAGUE Tchéco-Slovaquie. Adr. tel.: Prague Volross. No Praha I. December 27, 1921 Uhelný trh 1., tel. 9802. From GEO. LAZAREFF Kralevska tr. N 351 KARLIN-PRAHA To: MISS ALICE STONE BLACKWELL 3 Monadnock St. - 3 DORCHESTER, MASS. My dear,beloved and excellent friend Some days ago I sent you a letter.Now I received the letter from Mr.Lochner of Chicago, who says that at your request the Federated Press put our paper"VOLIA ROSSII" on the mail Service Sheets.I write and thank him simultaniously with this.We have received already some Sheets up to December 2. In responce, I am sending now, à titre d'echantillon of informations, an account about the meeting held in Prague, December 20, 1921, under auspices of all the Socialist parties of CZECHOSLOVAC Republic and under the presidency of one of your the most devotional admirers, and send it with the hope that the account will be published by the Federated Press in their Sheets. I made the account in my imperfect English and ask Mr. Locher to correct it if necessary. I was about to mail it, but on Christmas day I came to Babushka and read her my account. She expressed the opinion, that the Federated Press is an organizati of an anti-bourgeois frame of mind and thus rather a pro-bolsevist organization and that they will not publish the information on the same reason, why the capitalist pars of America refused to publish the article of Mr. Sinclair. The Sotialist meeting of Prague being directed against Communist Government, the most radical government in the world! Babushka advised me to send the copy of the account to you in order you could watch the affair.Of cours, we could send the information dictly to some a Socialist paper in America,but in order to ascertain [to] what extend we can rely upon their the Sotialist frame of mind, we make this experiment, as Mr. Sinclair did. Perhaps you will be so kind-to interfere in the cause and will write to Mr Locher,Acting Business Manager of the Federated Press, of Chicago, 511 Peoria .St. YOU see, how matter is complicated: La guerre comme a la guerre ... We are socialists,we are adversaries of the existing system of capitalist management in the social production of material and intellectual blessings. But at the same time we are convinced that Bolsheciki and all practical Communists are not II To Miss Alice Stone Backwell December 27, 1921 really Socialists; they profane the sublime idea of Socialism in the same way and degree as the Spanish Inquisition, in former times, had profaned the sublime idea of Christianity; and it is great stress required in order to clean up the minds and heart of the ignorant eredulous and prejudiced mass. The Roman Catelics and Jesuits appeard to the ignorant mass on the ground of their fear of the Death and of the everlasting tortures in the other world; while Bolsheviki are appealing to the same ignorant mass, promising them to save them from the [?]heath of starvation The result being the same the full disdain to be really human, spiritual - mortal and moral life of mortal, godlike human beings on the Earth ... An absolute, preconceived rinciple, as a DOGMA, is ALL and BEFORE ALL, the mortal human individuals being bugs, which can be crushed by thousands, in the name of God of Communism. We the Russian Socialists, have lived already through the Bolshevism, Communism and Bakeunism in the time of the I International and in the 70sh decade of last century. We had been awfully disappointed and suffered much, but we reevered and did not lest our faith in Humanity. We have recognized the law of Evolution in the whole Univers and in the Social life, as well. Insteadof Anarchism there has come the Marxist conception of Sotialism, with its pradox of Provedential law of Evolution and the [?]bruch of Social Revolution. It was the Socialism of German not Russian School The Russian socialists always dinied it. We recognized the rutal force and the class war, as a fact, not as a principle of SOCIAL EVOLUTION. Since that time we considered as our duty to defend - not any particular class in Society- but Society on the whole. The degree of a PROGRESS and perfection of Society we mesured by the degree of wellbeing and happiness of [?] individual. We always denied the principle of Dietature of Proletariat as well as dictature of any other class in Society. From the philsophy of Amarehism we retained teh most essential principle for our gudiance - the highest esteem and veneration to they mystery of the life of each mortal individual. The first demand of our party was THE ABOLITION OF CAPITAL PUNISMENT. The first step of our party at power during the March Revolution of 1917, was to abolish the capital punishment and to prevent the possible brutalities of excited people. The same situation and now. We hate despotism, we hate Bolshevism and will not cease to fight it. But we are not guided with the feelings of vengeance. We clearly understand, that in order to save themselves and the thousands, perhaps millions of Jews from vengeance and brutal extermination, from pogroms, the Soviet Government ought to address immeidately to all the Socialist parties in Russia not hypocritically, but with the sencere desire to ask their collaberation to save them and the whole Russian people from unprecedented calamityand ruin. But we have to deal with Bolsheviki ... We are Socialists, consequently genuine Deocrats. Let the people be asked by general plebercite, what kind of regime they prefers, and we gladly shall accept any one. If Communism, then the Communism, accepted by the majority of the people. Instead of it, the Soviet Government the years keep the whole body of the C.C. of our party in preason as a hostage; thousands of others. The socialists, S.R. and Mensheviki are shot or put in the prisons, where they are dying from starvation and desease. Meanwhile the Soviet Government come to [th] [the] agreement with the most malicious and reactionary generals and officers of the Keltchak, Denikin and Vrangel army, and bring them solemnly in Russia to fight socialists. The same policy with regard to the international Capitalism. We always recognised that the ruined Russia - her economy, the national production, ea not be reserved without International assistance from the part of the peoples Governments and Capital. But Bolsheviki brought Russia in such a miserable III situation, that Bolshevikay are obliged to accept any ultimatum from the part of international capitats, however nuisible for the country it would be. Because Bolshiviski (they) do not care of the interests of the country, the care but of the interests of their own, of the power they held. And here is the chief danger at the moment. As a matter of fact, if Russia cannot be recovered without international help, then equally true, that the production of all other countries of America and Europe cannot be recovered without restablishing thenormal production in Russia. We are not afraid of international Capital, we are not afraid the international governmental intervention, what we really afraid of is the isolated, disorderly and for this reason, rapacious intervention. America, England and all other countries of Europe must interfere in the Russian affair, for it is s[?] necessity to get rid of millions and millions of unemployed workmen in a each country. The Governments of any country, - except the Soviet Russia - do not carry the business of the National Production and Exchange. It is but natural that this buisness must carry the Capitalists of each concerned country, and not for rapacity's sake, but because the Capital, as a workman, in order to live must work, to be employed, invested in some production of the world. But at present, at the situations it is, we rusian socialists and democrats, oppenly say: "Timee Damaes et dem[?] forentes." And I hope, that after ome more or less malicious and fatal experiments, the ENTENTE powers will come to he happy conclusion, that an International Congress must be convoked, in order quite deliberately and frendly, tereselve such a complex question as the International Prduction and Exchange. The Russian question is not national but International one ... And we always hope that the Governemnt of the United States will understan its responsible position towards our great, but misfortunate country in spite of all the troubles, which makes the Wall Street to our excellent friend Upton Sinclair. I like him very much, he may be sure I am always on his side of the barricade. ----Babushka is better. I ask you to say my best wishes for the Merry CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our friends. Talking to you talk to all our lovely friends/Miss Helen Dudley. To the whole nest of Musey, D-r GEORGE KENNA, TO Mi-- Jane Adams, when unfortunately I could not see during her visit to Babushka tis summer. Forever sencerely yours, GEORGE LAZAREFF P.S. Dear friend, do you know tha tsince 1 of Novmeber our Velia Ressii ceased to exist? - We were about to transplact it to the nearest place to Russia, in Litvenia, but under the menace of The Soviet Government the Litvenian Gov kindly asked us not to make them great trouble. Thus we decided once more to publish it in Prague since January 1922, but in teh form of weekly paper, under the same title. Inspite of all persecution of our party by Bolsheviki the Party is recovering and growing, our literature is required with greediness. But we are exhausted in money, putting too much stress on the propaganda abroad. We supplied about 500 camps of military intermates in Europe and all over the world GRATUOTOUSLY. Since now we put our stress not so much on the agitation but rather on the intellectual propaganda of the same ideas of Socialism, trying to ventilate the infected atmosphere amonth the working man of all countries. We are trying to join all same elements in the Socialist parties against Bolshevist, Monarchist and Capitalis oppression. IV December 28, 1921 Almost on the EVE of NEW YEAR MY DEAR MISS ALICE I like to [you] talk to you. I am sure you are the most attracting soul of your country. How sorry I am I lost my chance to see you personally. It seems to me I understand you perfectly. YOU achieved and finished the task of LUCY STONE, your lovely mother, - that task was the problem of the Nation of Uncle Sam. You splendidly have done it. Let them contines, some new and younger heros. You acquired and you have new, broader kerisen. But this kerisen is TOO large in order to penetrate it to the limit, it is INFINITE and EVERLASTING. For all mortals the INFINITY and ETERNITY are an ABSOLUTE, which it is impossible neither to reach nor understand. In our powerlessness and naughtimess we call it GOD. Some people call it IDEAL. But it is awfully dangerous to think that the Ideal is REACHABLE. We can mesure a definite Space and Time, but not INFINITY and ETERNITY. Dangerous, because such a honest man, as Torquemado, - the chief of the Spanish INQUISITION, - believed in ABSOLUTE, in his IDEA., IN his GOD, which - he thought - everybody can approach, can reach, can understand. Poor wretch! How many human lives he had brooken in the name of his GOD! So it is with the pending BOLSHEVISM, … My dear friend, Vladimir Ilyitch Ulyanoff - LENIN is misfortunate TORQUMADO of to-day. Perhaps you knew, that all the heads of Bolshevism, being emigrants, as I had been, lived with [?}, lived in my house. I know them. I sever believed in the IDEAL of Communism, in GOD of Bolshevism. That is the problem: Is that possible "To work according possibility and consume according needs?" I don not believe it: it is nonsense. [*G. Lazareff*] -_5__ FOR, the needs of the contemporary human being are illimited, meanwhile the practical possibilities of their satisfaction are miserably limited. and the father we live, our needs and aspirations are growing higher Not even the whole Humanity, organised in one STATE, can satisfy all fancies of one man. It is the IDEAL, It is GOD , It is ABSOLUTE, some thing UNCOPREHENSIBLE,It is very comprehensible NONSENSe. In practice of human Society is necessary to stay on the ground, on the Earth,to realize the REALITY. Please, put this problems to somebody of I.W.W. And I have many others for them. I fall in love, on reading your account of Lucy Stone. SHE stayed on the Ground and lived out her life thoroughly. Excuse me,I love her. Good night, up to the next letter, Now far after midnight. Be HAPPY. HEALTHY and WEALTHY, and do not be afraid to be BOURGEOIS. After your death the whole of Proletariat will long time remember you and will thank fore the inheritance you leaved to them. I believe that the future Proletariat will not be so stupid as the present one. What your opinion on the point? Ever yours, G.L.