Newspaper Page Text
Maurice Hindus
— an Interview
By Joseph A. Locwinsohn
MAURICE HINDUS
. . . "In a sense there are
no Jews in Russia" . . .
T HE author of “Humanity Uprooted,” dad
in a silken dress gown of vivid red, bade
me sit down in the wicker chair in his
hotel room as he comfortably reclined on his bed
after the fashion of the ancient Romans.
For the benefit of the wide rircle of readers of
Hindus’ books here and abroad, a close-up of the
famous author’s personality would reveal one out-
'tanding and commendable feature—modesty. His
aversion to publicity is unusual for any author,
and l am certain that his disinclination toward in
terviews is genuine, sincere and devoid of affec
tation.
Mr. Hindus, the master of letters and compas-
Monate student of Russian peasantry, is a man of
a:*ove the medium height. His complexion is dark,
almost swarthy, his deep-set eyes are serious and
contemplative, with the exception of moments
"hen he talks of social inequalities and the plight
°f the human race. Then his dark eyes flash with
animation and his firm and rather grim mouth
becomes mobile and strangely expressive. His
black, straight and unruly hair tops the broad
fvpanse of a thinker’s forehead.
So there 1 was with a task of interviewing a
man who, in spite of his enormous popularity as
author and lecturer, was strongly opposed to the
widespread American practice—interviews. It was
a most delicate situation and I had to overcome
Mr. Hindus’ reticence to commit himself on the
subjects I had prepared for discussion.
Slowly, deliberately and with extreme caution I
endeavored to steer our conversation towards one
rn d, viz.: to gain his confidence, for had I not
been a total stranger to him and what assurance
ad he that his utterances would not be miscon-
>!r ued, misconcepted and finally misstated in
P»int?
Inc-ed, I am happy to say that Mr- Hindus
'as £ acious enough to give his tacit consent for
i T dication of these lines, which does not im-
i’h n reportorial shrewdness, but rather empha-
' /es lis thorough humanness and gentlemanly
attif ; e .
M Hindus was born in a little village in the
ee of Minsk, and at the age of fourteen emi-
" ,au ‘ to America. So far was his native village
c:i *d from civilization that not until he
| ctt America did he see a railroad train or
jn e ctric light. He w’orked his w r ay through
. - e University where his inherent talent
,,r ‘erature became so apparent that it served
arge degree as a means for a livelihood.
Knowing that Mr. Hindus had recently re
turned from one of his frequent journeys to Rus
sia, I was anxious to obtain first-hand information
relative to the five-year phut. Was it a success or
a failure?
“Regardless and in spite of the reports to the
contrary, the five-year plan just completed was a
stupendous and overwhelming success,” declared
Mr. Hindus with an emphasis that was contagious
ly vigorous. "Of course,” he continued, his seri-
JOSEPH A. LOEWINSOHN
. . . "So there 1 was with a task
of interviewing a man." . . .
ous eyes flashing in animation, “there are some
statistical figures that w'ould tend to show the
shortcomings in certain branches of the gigantic
program to reindustrialize Soviet Russia, and
those statistics are correct as far as figures are
concerned.
“Y'et, the achievements in most of the branches
of the carefully planned program outweigh the
possible deficiencies in others. I am not
saying that life in Russia is easy as a
result of the completion of the first five-
year plan. It is far from that. The Rus
sians are still enduring hardships and
innumerable privations. Commodities
are still scarce, and if one would com
pare America’s abundance of material
things with Russia’s dearth of same, the
contrast w’ould be strikingly gruesome.
Better days are in the offing, however,
and the second five-year plan, designed
to develop the lighter industry, is in full
swing now.
“One can not help being thrilled to
the feverish activity in building in Soviet
Russia. Gigantic factories, tremendously
large plants of all descriptions, com
modious apartment houses for the work
ers, powerful hydroelectric stations, spa
cious office buildings, recreation parks—
all these rear their impressive structures
in all parts of the Soviet Union. The
accelerated tempo of the building activ
ity is fairly palpable, the very atmos
phere is surcharged with it and one cannot escape
the feeling of tensity.”
“What of the Jews? How are they taking this
bewildering transformation into a classless so
ciety?” 1 asked, remembering that this interview
was for a Jewish magazine.
Mr. Hindus shifted the weight of his reclining
body from one elbow to the other. “In a sense,
there are no Jews in Soviet Russia. That is to
say, they are merely citizens of the commonwealth,
the traditional distinction between the Jew and
Gentile having been removed by education along
these lines. The Jews have completely integrated
themselves into the life and spirit of the new Rus
sia. Yes, Jew’s occupy high governmental posi
tions and places of responsibilities not because they
arc Jews, but because they [x>ssessrd the necessary
intelligence and qualifications for the job. Under
the old regime they could not have been in places
of trust and national importance just because they
w'ere Jew's. That is the difference between the
old order of social and religious intolerance and
the new’ and advanced conception of racial equal
ity one finds in Soviet Russia. In contrast to the
Czarist regime, all fields of cultural endeavor are
open to Jews and, quite natural, they arc grate
ful for this opportunity to follow their individual
inclinations. They are not merely tolerated, as has
been the case in the past, they arc an integral part
of the one and mighty body animated with the
glorious spirit of social justice.”
“What significant changes have you noticed on
your last trip to Russia?” I asked Mr. Hindus.
“I am glad to state that a very important change
in education has taken place in Russia. The pupils
in schools and universities will acquire more gen
eral knowledge than propaganda. It is a wise
change in the educational system and it is a healthy
sign. Give the Bolsheviks time and they will im
prove and materially extend the benefits of their
hard-earned experience in every department of life,
so that every human being within the vast domain
of Russia will feel proud of the first Communist
state in the history of (Please turn to page 18)
THF SOUTHERN ISRAELITE *