of schools and Sunday schools, the ever-increasing number of scientific and literary Socialist clubs. The attention paid to child welfare and the education of the young in connection with the organisation of proletarian elementary schools will lead to the transformation of working-class family life. The woman must cease to be enslaved by the proletarian kitchen and the proletarian nursery; the latter, we must admit, is at present practically non-existent. I merely refer to the most important of the series of questions with which the Socialist proletariat has begun to grapple both theoretically and practically.
Before the war but few Social Democrats had realised the truth, conclusively proved by Spencer, that even the best mental training has little influence on the will unless it be accompanied by the development of the finer human feelings. The ethical and aesthetic education of the workers’ children in the spirit of Socialist ideology is a supreme necessity.
Rosa Luxemburg is more than right when she says: "We shall hardly make any progress without a clear understanding of the work of proletarian self-education." Comparatively little has been done in this direction, which may be termed the sphere of enlightenment, and in which the creative power of the proletariat must very clearly manifest itself. Even before the war the need for this enlightening self-education was very strongly felt; and work had been started in that direction. But the war so clearly showed the workers the shortcomings of this most important aspect of their culture that, notwithstanding the wholesale waste and destruction in Europe during the past four years, we may expect to see in the near future a great revival of working-class energy in this direction.
THE LITERATURE TRAIN.
On November 1st last Lenin inaugurated the first "Red Train," which will tour the towns and villages of Soviet Russia. From this "Red Train" of Propaganda over 20,000 pamphlets and books were sold for ready cash in the first seven days, and 60,000 educational books were distributed freely to various local Soviets. The weekly sale of the "Isvestia," also carried on from this train, increased during the same period by 10,000 copies. Twelve mass meetings were held at various stopping places. Travelling with the train are cinematograph operators taking films and painters making sketches of the life of each town visited. The films and sketches are exchanged in order to acquaint the people of the various districts with each other's mode of life, habits, and dress.
FREE REFERENCE LIBRARIES.
By a decree dated November 3rd, 1918, all private libraries were declared public property. Books kept therein can henceforward be read and consulted by everyone.
RUSSIAN RAILWAYMEN AND EDUCATION.
Along the railway line Moscow-Kiev-Voronesh the railwaymen on their own initiative have organised elementary and secondary schools. Books, teaching, and meals are provided free. Homes for orphans have been established.
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