The Masses, December 1913

Well, I've done a crappy job keeping up with this over the month, so I'll inaugurate the new year with the traditional flurry of blogging.

I think part of the reason I've been so slow is because the journals have been so offensive (The New Age in particular). I've been unplugging early. I decided to go back to The Masses for a pick-me-up.

This issue is largely devoted to what has come to be called the war on Christmas--it's an unabashed attack on organized Christianity, complete with Jesus-is-a-Socialist cover image and multiple stories. The first article follows this pattern: they call out the church for not taking a strong stand against child labor. They call out St. Cyprian for perverting the radicalism of Jesus into a monopoly on salvation. The call out Martin Luther for convincing people to remain in subjugation.

Apparently an Episcopal Bishop made the same points, which is pretty interesting (6), calling out "My friends, we're doped!"

But even The Masses cannot escape the pall of associative racism that infects the thought of the time, as one attack on the Catholic Church compares a priest to an African medicine man (like in October when Eisenstein pulls the same move).

The Masses is taking a page from The New Age, adding a section for ridiculous claims in the press a la TNA's "Current Cant." The winner this week is a journalist who reports, approvingly, that France is instituting a medal for exemplary domestic service. Ha.

In further empty-ha-has, there's a piece titled "An Economical Christmas Dinner" which is pure bitter satire of such helpful hints. Resonantly, the dessert section of the article is largely a protest against corn syrup.

John Reed, my favorite writer in The Masses, contributes a short story titled "Seeing is Believing" about a free-spirited young woman who is exploring New York City on the generosity of strangers. The story, though, is told from the perspective of a man who tries to pick her up as a prostitute, and is largely filtered through his prejudices. Oblique writing, well done.

The leaders of the Paterson strike are being sent to jail for six months, and Reed and The Masses protest the unfairness of the charges. It makes me think about this story: when William Carlos Williams wrote Paterson, a London review thought he had invented the town--but it was big news in the teens. I wonder how much the celebrity of Paterson city contributes to Paterson...

Further talk about a possible war with Mexico on page 7.

Lastly, a short piece that deserves to be read in its entirety, "Prescription for a Modern Drama" by Max Endicoff (page 19):

FIVE paragraphs from an authoritative work on the Technique of the Drama.
Two paragraphs from the latest report of the Federal Vice Investigation Commission.
Two paragraphs from the current report of the State Commissioner of Labor.
One paragraph from the report of the Municipal Bureau of Charities.
Sprinkle over with a dose of statistics to make the concoction palatable.
Season well with gunpowder.
After mixing thoroughly and bottling, send sample
to an ethical laboratory for stamp of approval.