Pioneer

Bargoed Notes. I Christmas Treat. Over 100 children attending the Bargoed j Socialist Sunday Schools were entertained on] Christmas Day by the members of the I.L.P. at j their branch rooms. The function commenced with games, including a "bran-tub." which con- tained presents collected by Mrs. Arrow-smith and Mrs. W allace. Tea followed, and laif-r a concert, arranged by Mr. T. Philips. The choir sang the "Red Flag" during the evening. Choral practices are to be held every Sunday evening at 7.30 until Easter-time.

Checked But NOT Defeated. MR. WINSTONE AND MERTHYR RESULT, COALITIONIST WINS BY SHORT ODDS. Mr. James W'instone, the Labour candidate ofr Merthyr, seellrpd 1,445 votes less than Sir Edgar Jones, ihe Liberal Coalitionist candidate. The result of the poll was: Sir Edgar Jones 14,127 I sit- -Joili?.,? 1-1,12, M i ?l'liistoi)o? 12,6,1?2 1 Majority 1.41.- 1 Sir Edgar Jones, speaking from the Town Hall after the declaration of the poll, said that the campaign in Merthyr was fought with great keenness, with puhlic spirit, with good hearted- ness and in good sport; and as usual Merthyr had kept up its reputation. He was sure he was expressing the regret of everybody in the bor- ough when he sympathised with The relatives of the late Mr. Richard Price, headmaster of Dow- lais Schools, whose sudden death occurred the day previous. Mr. Price was one of his great- est- friends and one of the best public men the borough had produced. Mr. James Winstone said: This election has been all inspiring fight, one of the cleanest per- haps that we have ever had. It speaks volumes for the borough of Merthyr. I want to thank thos? 12.BH2 voters who deemed me worthy to represent them. i am not going to utter'?ny boast-ful remark. ] only want to say that every- where I have been received with the greatest possible kindness. I hope, figuratively speaking, that I have not struck a foul blow. I believe in a clean, straight fight. 1 han. illdnlged in it. We have been for the moment cheeked, but not reversed. We arc not dismayed. We can go forward to fight again, and it is as well for my opponent to try to keep back the progress of I time as to try to keep back the uprising of the Democracy of this community. (Cheers.) Mr. Winstone associated himself with the ex- pression of condolence respecting the death of Mr. Price.

Troedyrhlw Station-Master Retires I AFTER 42 YEARS' T.V.R. SERVICE. I Mr. J. Kelly, of Cardiff Road, after 42 years'i of long and faithful service to the J'nff Vale Railway Company, 13 of which were spent as station mnster at Troedyrhiw, now passes out into retirement, and his intentions are to i-eside, here along with his daughters for the remainder: of his days. Mr. Kelly j>ossessos strong religious convic- tions and to him the life hereafter follows the- life on earth with as much precision and exacti-j tude as the night the day. He possesses strong literary tastes—is a healthy conversationalist, I and also a writer of no mean ability. Two of his works, touching upon philosophy and theology, have been published, viz., "An Anchorage in the New Theology Controversy t and Science. Philosophy. Religion and St)clal- ism."

Labour at The Poll. I WORKERS BEFOCCED BY VESTED I INTERESTS. ) I SUCCESS OF THE NEW CANC AND ITS I EFFECT. BY SYD JONES. Whatever opinions we may hold of the Coali- tion election results, one feature, more than any other, stands out prominently before" the mind of the enquiring worker, namely, the people who worked the election stunt between the old and the new forms of political power. The international war has produced a revolu- tion in the world of production, ft has also pro- dueed a political problem peculiar to itself. How to preserve those interests which have grown during the war is the chief problem of the watch-dogs of the capitalistic social order. F/Cononi ie power precedes and dominates poli- tical power. The parliamentary satellites may not have been conscious of this historical fact, I though they are conscious of their political t needs. Their political strategy was equal to the I occasion. They formulated the right plan at the right time. What Lloyd George said of Joseph Chamberlain in 1$)00 may be said of Lloyd I George in 1918: He (Chamberlain) may ot have been a great statesman, but he was an ox- pert eleetioneerer and aimed at capturing votes before the people had time to pass their judg- ment, etc., etc." Wherever freedom of discussion took place and the ease for the exploited wage-earners was put during the election no intelligent opposition was shown. I BLINDNESS OF WORKERS. Jilcigii), fi-oiii the tone and enthusiasm of the (Labour meetings there was scarcely any doubt i as to the success of Labour at the polls. But the condition of the sea may not be judged by by the tumult on its surface, it is the under- currents that count in the final operations. And 4o it was in this 11 worked election. The workers felt that there were wrongs to be I righted, acts of injustice to be repealed, tyran- I liit's and "oppressions to be eliminated and poli- tical aims to be established. Hut the old features of hlind faith and trust in the promises of politicians outweighed the knowledge of facts with the great jnajority. The influence of the past crowded out the considera- tion of the present. The 1ineof least mental re- sistance was, as is usua l, the characteristic of that abstraction, the people. Tliev chose again Barabbas and rejected those who aimed at the salvation of the common people. The prejudices that blind the eyes of the workers to their true interests have been culti- vated in the favourable soil of the last four years. Principles have temporarily vanished. The lust for power and the desire to maintain what has already been achieved were never so hypocritically displayed as at the recent election. The dust of envy and hate, those husks that are usually th rown to the prodigal offspring of the ruling class, was thrown in abundance to them on this occasion. THE CAPITALISTS OPPORTUNISTS. I inose three fit of the Kaiser; (2) Payment of indemnities; (3) (Expulsion of aliens; \\hich the workers were tasked to dec ide upon had been well-prepared by the hireling press. That minister oi (spiritual) food, Xortheliffe, had studied well the appetite of the common people. "Man is, what man eats" is verily a true proverb. The appetite grows by what it feeds upon. Why, then, should we Socialists be surprised at the absence of figs on thorns I- The philosophy of Socialism has not yet attained the character of a popular prejudice—except in Russia, where the capitalist diet has produced all indigestion. The British proletariat, under the aegis of the Coalition stunt, still preserves its capacity for expansive digestion. The people of this wonder- ful empire on which the sun never sets can therefore he led away from those social defects upon which their sun will never rise. "The eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth." What more opportune time could there be for British Capitalism to assert itself under the guise of a parliamentary Coalition? "ii of ?l I The Coalition has succeeded in its object, namely, the gailliug of political power for the collusion of vested interests. The workers have been "sold a pup." LABOUR'S LEFT WINC CONE. I I he vote was given in appreciation for vic- tory; its effect will lie to increase the means and power of the exptoitinp: classes. Leaving out the deplorable fact that the Labour Party has lost its left wing, the efforts of Labour have not done badly. A top-heavy House of Commons has been elected by a minority of the electorate. Taking things its they are we must acknowledge the flimsy success of the New Gang. If Labour's future were measured hy such an unsubstantial reality then would all the effort and sacrifice be in vain. fi-oiii 1) g C'ztplta l ism Jn these transition stages from big Capitalism to b??er CapitaHsm its creatures are bewildered at their creations. Panaceas must be launched at the psychological moment. The strategy of the c!a.ss-var scarcely differs from that adopted i by the annexationists in the wars for territory. | Advantage is being taken to exploit the senti- incuts of peoples and thus divert their minds from the realities. This election has not only shown the cunning of the capitalist politicians, it has also revealed to the worker the secret of the capitalists' power in a more illuminating form. Jt is only fair to observe that in a more or less degree the speakers on the Labour liust- ings aimed at exposing the fraud and chicanery of the capitalist class. They emphasised the keenness of the class-struggle; the poverty, waste and inefficiency of the capitalist methods of, the distribution and production of wealth. The new social order described in the reconstruc- tion programme of the Labour Party was a positive scheme for social advancement. Over, and against these unprejudiced views the Coali- tionists had no definite proposal to make. Pro- mises were made, it is true, but they are nothing more when analyzed than sounding brass and tinkling cymbols. Not one proposal has ever emanated from the Government during the war that has not been hrst of all emphasized by re- solutions from organized Labour. No political party would venture on its legislative enterprise ii- tliotit the sand-bags of promises to throw out in its flight. ilS THE PROLETARIAT AWAKENINC? I I lie measure of any promise is the capacity to perform it. The working-class and the capi- talist class have never yet been in the position to benefit by any promise they may have been generous enough to make. The promise to be free involves the necessity for freedom and it must be freedom from some form of bondage. I he capitalist politicians will promise any and every kind of freedom other than to be free from the capitalist class. (Continued at foot of next column).

Our Christmas Tree. I HAPPY DAY AT THE I.L.P. I S(E RM US' HAPPY ENDINC TO PERFECT I DAY. I If the progress of the I.L.P. cause in Merthyr during 1919 is as rapid and marked as it has been during the twelve months just draw n to a close, Bentley's Hall will not suffice to contain all the members and their children who gather at the Christmas Tree on December ,)th next. No building in Merthyr, except the Rink, will suffice. This is not fiction, hut prophecy, and maybe the historic Rink may come to have a double claim to that prefix in the future—his- toric as the greatest I.L.P. propaganda platform in the country, historic because there the sunny laughter and innocent merriment of the juvenile ■ red-flaggers of Merthyr rang out on Christmas Day a promise of the days still to come when the family conception of Society shall he a reality, and the old ugly mark" that iron-stain and rot our to-day's shall have gone for ever along with the Capitalism that caused those stains and spread'that rot. I WONDER. I I am not sure that the little ones are alone in their looking eagerly forward to the I.L.P. party and its tree laden with games, and toys, and books. Supposing thai for once in a while the children were to prots that they did. not want to go to Bentley's oil Christmas Day,, that they preferred to play at home with the treasures so newly delivered into their keeping from that most unlikely receptacle of treasures—the kit- chen chimney. My own children's indisposition to adopt any such attitude, their perpetual re- gard of the visit to Bentley's on December 25th as the rounding off of a perfect day, make such a.supposition seem ridiculous I admit, but sup- posing they did, would the remembrance of the re-union in a spirit of absolut,. freedom that not even the .New Year party for grown-ups offer, would that remembrance not constrain the parents to refuse to acknowledge the pleas of these conscientious objectors, and adopt a com- pulsion no less justifiable than that of the Gov- ernment and its splendidly representative mili- tary authorities and Home Office Committee in the greater world of the nation I HAPPY CHILDHOOD. Hut to this year's Christmas Tree in particu- lar. The joy of the little ones was intense. Never had there been such a tree; never so many toys, never such sparkling frost," and never such happy companions with whom to join in the joys of blind man's buff, musical chairs and the like amusements of childhood. But the presentation of the prizes is the great event, lieside the joy of getting a prize off that great tree whereon the rosy faced dolls really grow, and the balls and tools are pendent as natural fruits, beside that joy even the morning waking to find that Father Christmas has at last paid his eagerly awaited visit, pales. Get into age classes. How can anyone remember his age when the excitement inside is so intense!" At teast that's how it seemed to those of us who have grow n old enough to know these palpitating mites of humanity as ours, and who stood by iau?hin? at this excitement, But at last it is over. and ?ames he?ina?aLn. But bed-time comes around at last, and then the oranges are given out. I.L.P. crane's are more golden, more lusciously sweet, altogether different from any other oranges. At least, so say my children, and they, are but normal children built of the same clay, inspired with the same baby likes and dislikes as all others whether they be born in Holyrood or on Iron Bridge. And so the day closes. The little ones toddle off hugging their new treasures tight in their arms, their faces hidden for long minutes inside a huge orange, their steps Jagging with happy exhaustion, their eyelids heavy with the hope of bed and the health sleep that is childhood's most enviable gift. But there are still the older children who are not tired enough to depart yet. and t hose older children still who scorn their childhood. What shall they do!" iii(? fit-,4t tasl?- is to get known to as many of these new faces—and they J were legion this year. That over the night is stiDyonng. and it was a happy inspiration that came to Siermus to give us that perfect ending by means of his violin. To many the master violinist's technique is new, and surprising, and the l applause that breaks out at the conclusion of each piece is but the tribute that the Rus- sian's genius deserves. A.P.Y. I

1,5,000. 1 MESSRS. NIXON'S CONDITIONAL GRANT I TO MERTHYR TECHNICAL SCHOOL. The Nixon Navigation Coal Company (Ltd.), who have colliery undertakings at Merthyr Yale, have intimated to the Merthyr Education Authority their preparedness to subscribe £ 5,000 toward s the proposed technical institute at Merthyr on condition that the remainder of the £ 50,000 required for the erection and endowment of the school is contributed on or beforo July 1 next. The proposal for the building of the school, it will be recollected, emanated from a gift of tlO,000 for that purpose by Mr. H. Sey- mour Horry. Merthyr, who stipulated that the college should be named the "J. M. Berry In- stitute in memory of his father, and some months ago a. contribution of £ 12,000 was made by Messrs. Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds (Ltd.). The various workers' organisations in the bor- ough have also opened a fund with a view to making a substantial grant towards the insti- tution.

Labour Notes. I LABOUR'S LEAGUE OF NATIONS SUNDAY. The Trade Union Congress and the Labour Party have jointly decided to inaugurate a great public campaign, advocating the immediate es- tablishment of a League of Nations as an in- tegral part of the Peace Settlement. Demon- stratiMns are to be held in London, Glasgow, Manchester, to 1)(, lic?ld Iii Loiidoi), Leeds, and Bristol. The London demonstration will lie held in the Albert Hall on January 2nd, under the chairmanship of Mr. G. H. Stuart- Bunning (chairman of the Trade Union Congress Parliamentary Committee), and among the speakers invited are Messrs. Arthur Henderson, J. Ramsay Macdonald, Bernard Shaw, J. H. Thomas. Will Thorne, George Lansbury. and Mrs. Snow den. Hie other dom?n.slratxms ?d! be held simul- taneously on Sunday, January 5th. which or- ganised Labour proposes to observe as League of Nations Sunday. A resolution in identical terms will be submitted at all these demonstra- tions, as follows :— That this meeting joins in the address of welcome presented to President Wilson by tho Trades Union Congress Parliamentary Com- mittee and the Executive of the Labour Party congratulates him, and those others who June worked for the idea, 011 the almost universal* acceptance of the League of Nations as the only means of preventing future wars; and calls upon the official British delegation to the Peace Congress to make the definite estab- lishment of the League of Nations one of the foremost clauses in the Treaty of Peace. III addition to those gatherings, the Trade [uion and Labour Movement throughout the country is being appealed to by the party leaders to organise meetings of a public and representa- tive character 011 League of Nations Sunday in support of the same project. As the League of Nations' campaign and the World Labour Conference will involve very it has been decided to open a special Campaign Fund, and contribution' should be forwarded to the Secretaries, 32 and JM Eccleston Square. London, S. FRENCH WORKERS & PRESIDENT WILSON I JH>II his arrival in Paris, President Wilson received a delegation representing the French Socialist Party and the Federation General du Travail, who presented him II ith an address set- ting 011 record their appreciation of his work for peace. The address was read by M. Kenaudel "The organisations whose delegates are address- ing you here. Sir, would regret it greatly if they were reproached with attempting to thrust upon you their importunate patronage. Such a course would be useless as far as you were concerned, and would he unworthy of them. But they could not help assuring you that thousands upon thou- sands of the men. women, and children of France—" the silent mass "—whose ancestors have fought so often for their rights and for- those of their fellow countrymen, are at one with you on t))" question <? establishing the rights of nations and of bringing peace on earth.' Y?u !)ave.?t forth the terms of a iu"t: honourable, and lasting peace so forcibly and clearly that they can never be forgotten by men. nor swept aside by the acts of diplomatists. The delegation went 011 to point out that it was 110 mere chance that gathered the workers. Socialists and Democrats of France, around him that day. The address recited the findings of the several Inter-Allied Labour and Socialist Conferences in ?-o(- i a l ist Coii f et-i?ii(,es ]]I order to show that for the French working-class, as for the President, the only hope of making the world safe tor Democracy was through the establishment of the League of Nations, the de- moeratisatiou of governments, the abolition of secret diplomacy, publication of all treaties, and parliamentary control over governments, and es- pecially the secretaries of foreign affairs in all countries. Towards this same end the President had formulated his fourteen points. All -the Governments of the Entente have expressly agreed to them. They have gone straight to the troubled conscience of the German nation. They have contributed to the rousing of the German revolution as a punishment for the crimes of imperial rulers. All the nations now await a swift peace which will record and specify the fourteen points, so that the reconstruction of the world may begin in earnest. The fact that you felt you must give in per- son a commentary which cannot fail to inspire the Peace Conference will not be the least ser- vice you have rendered to humanity. "Your presence will help to bring a joyful ending to the awful nightmare of the nations and prepare a lasting peace, from which can arise a Code of Lahour throughout the world by means of the free and loyal co-operation of all the de- mocratic nations of the earth. niati- what this day's welcome to you means. '"That is what the big groups of workers and Socialists in our country have gathered here to tell you, disguising nothing but speaking openly and without fear, as you speak, and a" you would have men speak." REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS IN EDUCATION. A rcmarkable illustration of the new spirit and temper in Germany is supplied by an appeal to the teachers and pupils in the High School- issued by the new Prussian Ministry of Educa- tion. The appeal to the teachers, which begins by demanding complete scientific impartiality in their teaching and abstention from all political propaganda, continues: "The terrible defeat of Germany puts the teachers to a heavy test of wisdom and of character. They will easily be tempted to nourish in their pupils a feeling of hatred and vengeance against onr enemies, and to believe that it is right to awaken among the voting a highlv developed patriotic sentiment. We must direct our energies most earnestly against this clump kind of patriotism which uses tho vulgar impulses for its purpose. Hatred and vengeanco must in no circumstances be preached to the young, not even w liell the enemy is openly doing us wrong. There must be 110 playing with the thought of war and vengeance. We must hold fast always to the hope and purpose that some day hatred between peoples will vanish from the earth and that this war will have been the last of wars. 'We insist resolutely that the schools shall never again become centres of per- secution and the glorification ot war." t The appeal desires that teachers should not "regard themselves as set in authority over their pupils, but rather as older guides and comrades, and that. at least in their official relations with their pupils, they should allow them freedom of jspeech and of conviction. CITIZENSHIP IN THE SCHOOLS. I I lie Prussian Ministry ot Education in its ap- peal to the pupils in the High Schools declares that in view of the sacrifices made by the youth of Germany during the war, they must no longer be regards! as immature and irresponsible, hut should rather take part in the shaping of their I lives with a sense of personal responsibility. The manifesto goes on to outline a now system directed to that end: In all high schools then- is to be a school meeting every fortnight, i.e., an entirely free discussion between pupils and teachers. The presidency of the meeting is to be undertaken by a teacher chosen by the pupil* ill secret and equal ballot. The Headmaster and the whole of his staff, as well as all the pupils from the Upper Third Form upwards, i.e.. over fourteen years of age are to take part in the school meeting. The meeting can express its views and opinions- in the form of Resolutions, but is to have 110 power of issuing definite orders or making definite arrangements. One vote is given in the meeting to every pupil and every teacher. Decisions are arrived at by a simple majority. The school meeting is to choose out of the whole student body a Student Council which is permanently to represent the interests of the students and has to deal with questions of discipline in conjunction with the headmaster and the staff. The pupils are allowed full free- dom with the establishment of unpolitical asso- ciations within the framework of the existing law. We expect from our young people," so con- tinues the appeal, that the new freedom will never be misused for the unchaining of the lower instincts, It would be especially unworthy of our noble youth to use it for any unseemly purpose or for taking vengeance on wrongs suffered in former days. We hope that the new- possibilities for co-operation in the shaping of school and community life will fill you with a new sense of common responsibility for the fu- ture of our people and the joyful eagerness to promote the rennovation of our education of our young people. We promise to liberate the work of the young from all senseless and worm-eaten relics of a bye<jone age and to transform it ac- cording to the demands of the new era. and the- eternal values of humanity. May our young people justify by their earnestness and loyalty a confidence such as has never before in our his- tory been offered them."

Electric Theatre This week has been one of the most popular that even that popular cinema palace—the Elec- tric—has seen in its history. The visit of the great film" The Birth of u Nation," drew tre- mendous crowds and hundreds have regretted their inability to see this splendid visualised his- tory of the early days of the United States. And almost as famous has been "The Torrent," which is figuring as the main item in a strong programme these last three days of the week. Next week's hrst programme is to bring to ue the new release of that famous story by Hough- ton Town ley, The Splendid Coward." It is an all-British production, and the stories of the ex- hibitors shows tell of phot-agraphy and setting that will compare with anything that the finish- ed art of American studios have given to us. The players include .left Barlow. Joan Legge, Jas, Knight and Roy Travers. That Happened to father is the comedy, and the statement that it is all Alice Howell is sufficient guarantee of its humour. It was l>ooked for the Electric some time ago, but owing to unforeseen difficulties its visit had to be postponed. from Thursday on" TIjais" is the big num- ber. It is ;i visualisation of Anatole France's great novel of a saint who became a sinner and a sinner who turned saint. The big parts arc- taken by Mary Gorder and Hamilton Rivelle. Count Bernstorff's Secrets" is the new serial that will shortly he announced.

The Theatre Royal Seven Days' Leave that is playing at the Theatre Royal this week is proving as popular with Merthyr people as it did with those thou- sands who waited 111 queues outside the London Lyceum during its long run there. And de- servedly. For the company that is playing it is the cleverest company of melo-dramatists that ever handled Walter Howard's masterpieces;, and that is as good as saving that they are the cream of the stage players in this branch of the work. With such a play and players no wonder the "house-full" boards are out, and J hope every one of my readers with a sense of the dramatic will see to it that they turn up early and secure a seat these last two days. For next week panto is to come into its sea- sonable ow n. Ever-green Alladin" is to rub his magic- lamp to provide us with a fairy feast ol inn and fanciful entertainment. Jack Arnold is the promoter and he has been lucky indeed in securing Gertie Gordon for the part of princi- pal boy. and Louie Lester as Princess Babroul- badour. That popular dame Harry Sheard i billed as the 'Widow 'Iwankey, and amongst a, a hig: list of other comedians 1 am pleased to come across the names of Will Granville and Geo. Lennard in duo work as the Chinese police- men. is, of course, a big chorus—it is necessary to give the last ounce of jov to the children. The specialities themselves are long enough and strong enough to provide a ifrst-rate- music nan programme. PLAYGOER

The Bolshevik Army. TROTSKY'S SPEECH TO ALL-RUSSIAN COMMITTEE. THE DIFFICULT POSITION OF ALLIED TROOPS. A speech by 1 rot sky (President- of the Supreme War Committee), which was delivered on September Mth last at a session of the All- Russian Central Kxeeutive Committe (" Tsves- tia," October 2nd), contained the following pas- sage :— Ihere can be no doubt that an army has- been created. We have an army and a good one. It is not yet large enough to equal the numeri- cal sti-eligtit of our enemies, but it is growing. Strong and reliable cadres have been formed on all fronts, which we shall supplement: and in a very s hort time we shall have produced a good,, strong, and organised army. On the northern front the situa-tion is well in hand, and the ad- verse balance is on the side of the enemy. We have lost Archangel, hut after this initial Allied success there were 110 more. The cold season is approaching; the White Sea will be frozen over and if by winter the Anglo-French Expedition- ary Force is not united with the Czeoho-Slovaks —and it will not be united—its position will be difficult to a degree, and there will he left for uis White Sea or from underneath it." Printed and Published by the National Labour Press, Ltd., at the Labour Pioneer Press, Williams' Square, Mertbyr Tydfil. ——

TIIP conùition for the existence of the capital- ist politician and the class he represents is that a "free people should exist that lie may advantage thereby. The proletariat will come out of tliis wonderful machine process of capi- talism with a new form of consciousness, a con- sciousness which is merely signalled by parlia- mentary elections. The average outlook on the parliamentary machine is that it is something above the workers. The political lift. of the worker is conceived of as something distinct from his economic interests. Such notions as na t ional boundaries, -,eLf-deterni tiafit)n, racial characteristics and cultures have no meaning to Capitalism in practice. Physical laws are super- seded hy economic laws with the advent of the machine. The world-outlook of the working- class will correspondingly change with the fur- ther experience of these economic developments. The Bottomleys and HI at cli fords the Georgesj and the Northcliffs may prate to the present Sf'n timeiital horde w ho hug their national prejudices in the dark. But the core of existing society, which is the proletariat of all nations, will even- tually leaven hy its developing consciousness the whole mass of the exploited and produce some- thing greater and mightier than a mere election tussle. Already we hear the distant boomings of that Revolution.