The Death of Gan Kolski
Leviason, Edward
The Death of Gan Kolski By Edward Leviason THE George Washington Bridge rises high and gracerul, a beautiful structure of concrete and ate si set in an everChaogihg background of blue skies...
...incident two and a half inches...
...For any satirist there la nothing quite as anomalous as all this riot of color, the red, white and blue and the orange aad gold of the City flag set off against the drabness of the human misery that fills the Square these tragic days, Of course, George Washington, like the poor, we have with us, always...
...A census of children In workers' schools was decided upon In order to obtain data preparatory to the formation of a children's theatre...
...One thing good Socialists can do when their disgusted eyes scan such childish antics as this Is to go get themselves a book of coupons Issued by the Emergency Conference on Unemployment and sail every last one of the coupons...
...There will also be exhibited original works by John Sloan, Diego Rivera, Irwin p...
...Station WEVD offered the federation the use of their studio and a radio theatre was formed...
...A bulletin of'the Federation of Workers' Theatres was decided upon as the official organ of the federation...
...Gan Kolski wanted to do something for the jobless, the men and women who have made the wealth of our nation and today cannot and a crust of bread to still their hunger pangs, or a roof to shelter them...
...But the beer and circuses of the new Rummies...
...The unemployed are with us, out they are something to be put aside so that they will not trouble our thought.: too much...
...The executive committee consists of Ana Bercowita, Sam Friedman, A. Ho ban...
...It will also serve as an exchange ¦tore for scenery, costumes and equipment...
...A nation reads columns dally of the personal tragedy of the kidnapping of one baby...
...Not personalities, nor affairs which concern only Party members...
...We want beer...
...I The Rebel Arts exhibition will be followed by the ipebel Arts costume dance to be held May 6th at the Alhambra in Harlem...
...Several of the paintings and other works on view at the forthcoming exhibition EpB be sold at auction at the dance...
...Gan Kolski (18 April 10112) You chose to go quickly out of the world where we die tuck by inch...
...It needs life dedicated to a merciless, unceasing war on poverty and hunger...
...Not even the bread and circuses of the old Romans...
...Never mind the agitation for the six-hour day, the fivehour week, unemployment insurance and the rest...
...It needs life...
...At any rate until next Thanksgiving when the portraits of George supplied by courtesy of Mr...
...A aweet...
...Not the lean death 6f the vigorous body spending iti force, but the finch Of many fingers—squeezing our blood into gold mart ¦ than they can spend Yet tvUl not r0-re...
...Who said there was no solidarity among the rank and file of the latter-day labor movement...
...Wbeu police came to the scene and searched his clothes to identify him, they found a note which he had written...
...Unemployment to Gan Kolski was not a matter of statistics...
...Bpooslderlhg Its' very recent origin, Rebel Arts has ¦¦sady given valuable service to the Socialist party, ^employment demonstrations have been made ^•ffertlve by Us *triking tonn^and P^er"j 100 Delegates Meet in New York to Form The Federation of Worker*' Theatres _ ._ United under the slogan "The Theatre Is a Weapon," about 100 enthusiastic delegates representing dramatic groups of New Tork City, Detroit, Reading, Newark, Chicago, Boston and Brookwood Labor College met at the Rand School April 15 under the auspices of the Workers' Theatre of New York and formed the Federation of Workers' Theatres...
...It is another symbol of man's capacity to co;iqu-3.r the physical barriers nature has erected against him...
...Tour economic system Is dead...
...He took his life >s a protest against the monstrous system which has placed millions of men and women in the shroud of living death whiei is hunger, poverty and the killing fesr of what the next day might bring...
...ping about la the Spring sunshine, there is an ironic gayety of bunting...
...Gan Kolski gave his life as a protest against the suffering of the unemployed...
...The money will go to the spado-work of organising Unemployed Leagues throughout the City...
...He has forced into the minds of many the terrifying picture of what unemployment has raeint to one mi n. In his unheeding sacrifice of himself, he has given his comrades an example of unselfishness which is rare...
...Sol Bloom aad his Committee win finally have been removed from tat windows of every gyp shop to the city...
...A central advisory bureau, with headquarters In New Tork, waa formed...
...To help create such life, Gan Kolski died...
...The officers of the federation are David B. Rossi, executive secretary, and Henry V. Olneck, associate secretary...
...Under its majestic arch, the Hudson river pours Its broad stream Into the ocean...
...Right around tht corner, above the heads of the unemployed who look with hungry ayes at the fat pigeons hop...
...I'm advertised as speaking before Loveatones group this coming Sunday...
...Gan Kolski's death wis not a way out for him...
...For the beginning this will, take the form of a Workers' Newsreel contion of workers In their various fields...
...Tabloids and movies continue their undisputed domination of the minds of men...
...sensitive spirit, revolted at the cruelties of a world that seems to have so little use for artistic creation has gone from us, and we, his comrades, can only resolve to do all in our power to carry on the activities of the Rebel Arts, one of the causes with which bis gallant heart waa bound up...
...The Death of Gan Kolski By Edward Leviason THE George Washington Bridge rises high and gracerul, a beautiful structure of concrete and ate si set in an everChaogihg background of blue skies and sunsets...
...He had accomplishments which had already brought him recognition...
...I cannot close this column without expressing my deep grief over the death of Gan Kolski...
...His speech made Jay Lovestone's, which followed, sound like the happy burbling* of a Pollyanna...
...In Its foamy depths we will drown our sorrows, and if tomorrow, we are sober, today, at any rate, we have stood up and acquitted ourselves like the rugged Individuals we are, by gum...
...But we are building toward another end— "Listen to the dead brothers...
...I dropped in on Boston last week where at the famous Ford Hail, under the able direction of David K. Niles, a clinic was being held on our "hick civilization...
...Admission will be free...
...Kolski bad the warm frigndsaip of comrades...
...More or leas organised labor, beaded by Matt Won and Bill Green will be In there, wage cuts and all...
...He needed no escape for himself...
...MeAlfater Coleman...
...was your Inst cry...
...And so I am...
...Not laundry work...
...When this organisation work is done, who know, we may have a par* ade of our own, a Bread Parade, If you like, that will shake this fantastic city to its very foundations...
...Up the Avenue will totter the embattled proletariat with Jimmy riding at their head and from a hundred thousand parched throats will rise that soulstirring son, the MarselHies of 1082: "How dry I am...
...Like so many of our high-brows who are taking their first Leftward steps, Mr...
...You are with those whom wejhall_notJorget...
...This was the last word of Gan Kolski, young Socialist and artist, written before he hurled himself from the bridge...
...What a gorgeous idea, this Beer Parade...
...The act was a deliberate one...
...A prominent feature of the conference was the formation of a workers' theatre "road" covering the Eastern portion of the country...
...He suffered with the children sent to school without food, and with distressed mothers who searched haggard faces of their men for signs of hope which never came...
...Work by the late Kolski will occupy much of the •pace at the show...
...Rebel Arts Exhibition Opens Wednesday Night at Rand School The first art exhibition sponsored by Rebel Arts, a group of Socialist writers and graphic artists, will open this Wednesday, April 37th, in the Studio of .the Rand School, 7 East 15th street...
...But I am going there for a give and take discussion of principles...
...The conference was opened by David B. Rossi, director of the Workers' Theatre of New Tork, and the delegates were greeted by Anna Bercowits, Dr...
...Suicide Is of the old order...
...Once It was the gathering place of the high-hat Sasslety of its day...
...Their call wUl join with ours to fill the sky In one great battle-song,to clean our debt...
...And The New Tork Times gave t'i...
...An unemployed young man threw himself from the wali: of the bridge Tuesday, and fell two hundred feet to the rocks below...
...The flags are out to celebrate the on* hundredth anniversary of the old Square...
...The editorial staff consists of Joel Lloyd, David Rossi and Henry Olneck...
...Plans were formulated for the beginning of a workers' movie la America...
...I have seen bad cases of depression jitters, but I doubt If I have ever heard a more pessimistic speech than that delivered by Lawrence Dennis, the reformed banker, whose book was discussed on the front page of last week's "New Leader...
...Dennis went blithely all the way past Socialism and Informed us that It was either Communism or a new International war, with very little hope for Communism...
...Now It Is tht) cold and friendless harbor Into which drift the sorry victims of a collapsing social order...
...Never mind about the fact that to the thousands already on the verge of starvation, there wilt be added this June In New Tork and other cities, n vest new army of hunger recruits, driven to utter despair because of the breakdown of the abortive efforts of charity to prop a decaying order...
...Hoffman, Joseph Pressor, John Sloan, Berkman, I'fcorothy Smedley, Paul Meltatner, Reginald Marsh Ifad others...
...It said: 'To all: If you cannot hear the cry of the starving million*, listen to the dead, brothers...
...His note made this plain...
...William E. Bonn and Algernon Lee, representing the Workers' Theatre, the Rand School and the Socialist party respectively...
...But no one will imagine that suicide U the w. y out Gan Ko.skl -ver intended to foster such a thought...
...The struggle and the new world which it promises needs fighting and constant devotion...
...He stents today in the' ranks of the martyrs of Socialism the world over who have fearlessly faced the hangman and the firing stjuaar of cased reaction...
...And by the way, speaking of Lovestone, let mo nail one rumor right here before It gets going any farther...
...Given a fundamental Issue like this and watch the boys rise to the occasion...
...The death of one young man o i the threshold of life does not change the current...
...Yet Kolski has not given his life in vain...
...It is a triumph of man's skill and abor...
...He was fired by the ideal of Socialism which gave him joy and purpoji In life, and those Who worked with him in rallying artists to the cause of Socialism never doubted that he was enjoy In, life...
...The mouthlngs of double-dealing politicians crowd the front pages...
...Joel Lloyd, Henry Olneck and Beer and HERE in New Tork we are In the midst of on* celebration after another...
...And now we are getting set for our next bin, blowout, namely Jimmy Walker's Beer Parade...
...Among them Hp be a new lithograph by Rivera, presented by the ¦Mexican mbor artist this week to the Rebel Arts ¦pup...
...The bureau will concern itself with the selection of plays and methods of production...
...The exhibition was originally scheduled to open Sunday but was postponed because of the tragic death of Gan Kolski, Chairman of Rebel Arts...
Vol. 13 • April 1932 • No. 17
