CHAPTER III Literature and Methods of Its Distribution BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, LEAFLETS, HANDBILLS, SONGBOOKS, The periodical literature is not by any means the only form of written propaganda that was organized on a large scale. The revolutionary leaders imported from Europe schemed for popularizing ideas for pamphlets and other cheap forms of literature. a scheme that was almost unknown in this country. The litera ture that was developed falls into several very well defined cate gories, adapted for not only teaching the elements and principles of the Socialist, Anarchist and other branches to the young, but also to the mature minds. It was necessary to produce literature that should not only lay permanent foundations but that should interpret passing events, and that should stimulate definite rea tions and actions to meet emergencies as they arose. The first category consists of books of considerable extent issued in the usual way, as, for example, the fundamental work of Karl Marx on "Capital." Such works were for advanced study, for unversity work as we would ordinarily call it. Then come pamphlets of considerable size that interpret history on broad lines in the interests of the party, such as, for example Fraina's work on "Revolutionary Socialism." By far t greater number, however, were for the purpose of teaching th elements, from Catechisms to be used in children's classes up to A. B. C. manuals for mature workmen, such as The Social.s Question Box, by .. Whenever any important question arose, such as the Russi Revolution, pamphlets were issued for the purpose of direc opinion, such as Rhys Williams' "76 Questions and Answer About the Soviets and the Bolsheviki." A second category is formed of pamphlets that record the rev lution interpretation of current events in the United States elsewhere with the record in detail in documentary form w the party's interpretation. For example, the reports of Chicago trial of the I. W. W., the conscientious objectors' tria Scott Nearing trial, and so forth. Another class is formed by leaflets, handbills and dodgers, eing in many cases to action and provided for specific occats, conferences, meetings, to bring about strikes, sabotage, and forth. One of the most dangerous forms of teaching, especially he classes of children, is involved in the collection of songs of both the Socialist and the I. W. W. parties. How were all these classes of literature published and how were they distributed? In the first place they were issued at very ow prices, ranging from five cents to sixty or seventy-five cents, the average cost being ten or fifteen cents. Special rates were in most cases offered for bundles of from ten to a thousand copies each in order to facilitate diffusion on a large scale. Certain trms devoted themselves very largely to issuing this literature. It is difficult to say where the funds for this mass of literature were procured. It is known that a large part came from deraLons from wealthy parlor Bolsheviki, and that the different assoriations also contributed for this purpose out of their dues. largest publishing firm is Charles H. Kerr & Company of 118 W Kinzie Street, Chicago, which is probably the largest radic. i publishing firm in the world. It is a co-operative company. Mr. Kerr himself is a revolutionary Socialist and compiled the famous Nalist Song Book. So the firm is carrying on its business, not as a business but as a propaganda enterprise. A correspond . although not as commanding a position, is taken in the cast B. W. Huebsch & Company, of New York City, whose imprint almost as consistently an indication of the radical character of the work. Another New York firm that issues a special line of radical is is Boni and Liveright. Other publishing agencies of the in New York City are the People's Print of 138 West 13th et, the Radical Review Publishing Association of 143 Fourth Lue, and the National Civil Liberties Bureau, 70 Fifth The managing committees or boards of the different radical Fares generally issue from their headquarters a quantity of [ty literature. This is the case in New York of the Sociali : i... Party of 45 Rose street, and especially of the I. W. V. ....hing Bureau of 1001 West Madison street, Chicago. tertain companies, without absolutely identifying themselves with the cause, circulate I. W. W. literature, for example, the International Publishing Company of 1321 East Third street, Cleveland. The magazines of the different parties are very apt to supple ment their periodical by issuing pamphlets, often merely reprint of special articles. This is the case with the Liberator Publi ing Company, for example, of 34 Union Square, New York; the "Nation;" the "Radical Review;" the "Class Struggle," and · used to be the case with Mother Earth Publishing Company. To show how the revolutionary publishing agencies are seattered over the country a few others will be mentioned. Th Socialist Party, 220 South Ashland boulevard, Chicago; the C lectivist Press, McFarlane street, Pittsburgh; the Melting Po St. Louis, Mo.; the Socialist Publication Society, Brooklyn at New York; the Literature Bureau of the W. I. I. U., P. 0 Box 651, Detroit. Of course, all these houses and central agencies themselv attended to distributing their publications, but it was necessary to have stores where they could be more generally on exhibition where the revolutionary literature from all parts of the country could be made available to the public. Such stores are the Ner Era Shop, of 221 Wells street, Milwaukee, and the Socialist B Store, of 1330 Arch street, Philadelphia. In these stores, o course, only such radical literature as was allowed by the cer could be on view. Prohibited literature could only be secure. by visiting headquarters or by other surreptitious means. One of the most generally used methods for distribution large cities has been to establish large centers in the differe city wards to which bundles of literature were sent by hand be distributed to members residing in the district. One importan instance in which publication, teaching and distribution are a combined on a large scale is the Rand School, which is the larg institution of its kind in the United States. In a smaller way this is done also by the Ferrer schools, Other methods of distribution that are especially characteris can be classified as follows: Distribution in school buildings, at settlement and social ut. meetings, at special meetings and conferences, such as the E mond Robbins addresses in churches; special methods were us when prohibited literature was to be circulated. When it became dangerous to distribute this literature at lic meetings, three different methods became popular. A would be sent during the late night or early morning hours, for example, in New York City on the elevated lines, who would shower out of the windows or from the platforms thousands of aflets into the streets to be picked up in the sections where the proletariat would swarm to work in the morning. Agents would stationed at the entrances to factories or shops to distribute the leaflets or pamphlets. Agents would be sent through certain quarters to stuff the literature into the letter boxes of private And apartment houses. Sometimes, instead of using the letter boxes, agents would ascend to the roofs of the houses and scatter the literature into the streets. Of course, advantage was taken of the special occasions, such as strikes, demonstrations and processions for systematic distribution. Subversive Teaching in Certain Schools In addition to the widespread propaganda conducted by means of periodicals, pamphlets, newspapers, throwaways, speeches and other activities described in various chapters of this report, there is conducted in certain schools in this State and elsewhere, a systematic propaganda of revolutionary thought and action, all we will in this chapter briefly refer to a few of these institutions THE FERRER OR MODERN SCHOOL Until the activities of this Committee drove it out of business, there was conducted at 1941 Madison avenue, in the Borough of Manhattan, City of New York, a branch of the Ferrer or Modern School, of Stelton, N. J. There is situated in Stelton, N. J., near New Brunswick, a colony comprising some 300 houses, inhabited by followers f Francesco Ferrer, the Spanish Anarchist, who was executed Spain in 1909. The men who guide the destinies of this lawless aggregation are Harry Kelly, Leonard D. Abbott and J. Isaacsc. The word "lawless" is here advisedly used, because the denizens of this colony do not believe in law. In order to obtain an accurate account of conditions existing in Stelton, the Committee sent a special agent there in the later part of June, 1919, and a full account of his observations may te found in the minutes of the hearings of this Committee in te volume marked "Executive Sessions." The Stelton Colony litrs in utter abandon of the habits and principles that ordinar govern respectable and law-abiding persons. The proprie existence are completely ignored by the men and women thee, and one of the prime objects of the colony seems to be to gath in the fold immature boys and girls and to inculcate in t minds the ideas that law is something that has no existence, mus not be obeyed and must be done away with. Morality, such we understand it to be, has no place in their scheme of thirs Boys and girls up to the age of eleven are made to dress bathe in common, and great stress is laid upon the explans of the sex functions in classrooms where these boys and girls are herded together. Women walk the streets and sit upon the porches of these hou" in rather extreme dishabille. The investigator was given a r in one of these houses adjoining a room occupied by a w |