Thirty Years Fighting On All Fronts The Rand School-A Story Worth Reading
THIRTY YEARS FIGHTING ON ALL FRONTS. THE RAND SCHOOL—A STORY WORTH READING 1"he -Tory of the Raid School of Social Select km boea told to eftaa that it weald perhaps seen* unnecessary to toll it...
...Mary Beard, who had helped found the Ruskin College, helped found the Rand School also...
...Up to this year no appeal has been made for public aid...
...The only model for such a school was the Ruskin College in Ixmdon, and so far as lay in power of the organizers" they followed the example of that institution...
...THE RAND SCHOOL—A STORY WORTH READING 1"he -Tory of the Raid School of Social Select km boea told to eftaa that it weald perhaps seen* unnecessary to toll it again, bet thtre aire se many newer membors, and readers who have written as tor isrformatioa that we give this brief •ketch herewith...
...Psychology and Philosophy have been added, and beyond this the school's work has been extended into the fields of Literature, Drama and cultural expression...
...School of Social Science, which, while located in New York City and there tied up with every worthwhile labor activity, gives even greater service to an area embracing every State, and extending to the Pacific Coast, through its Correspondence Courses, Research Bureau, publications, organizers, and speakers...
...Indirect Direct Action More than one Socialist news item, or unexpected propaganda article in capitalist papers the country over owes its birth and space to having been written by a reporter or editor influenced by courses at the school, or facts furnished by its Research Bureau under Nathan Fine, himself the author of Labor and Farmer Parties in the United States, which is the outstanding book of its sort Matilda Alexander,, of Newark, N. J., a Rand School alumna, just returned from a laymen's survey of Russia, says that to her joy—and admitted surprise—she was greeted in Moscow, Leningrad, and other cities by former Rand School students now active in the work of building Socialism in that vast country...
...These books and pamphlets are not only handed in large quantity by party literature agents throughout the country, but also in far-off countries, orders from China, Japan, and England not being infrequent...
...Not the least of the "side" (but fundamental) activities of the school is its book-store—of which a college professor, happening in, said it "was an education to an educator to see the unusual collection of titles, of which the average man .did not know...
...Prof...
...Meyer London Memorial Library Its Meyer London Memorial Library and collection ef research material (now almost unaccessible elsewhere) is visited and consulted daily by authors, speakers and students from schools and universities, working on special subjects...
...These pamphlets embraced such titles as Berenberg's Socialist Fundamentals, Claessens' Manual for Speakers, Tyler's The United Front, Oneal's The Next Emancipation, Lipschitz' Swastika Over Germany: debates between Hillquit and Matthew Woll on Do We Need a Labor Party...
...Charles A. Beard and Mrs...
...Karl Marx...
...In addition to its retail business is the printing of books and pamphlets that commercial publishers would not print, but vital to Labor's struggle, and ranging in price from tfhree cents to as many dollars...
...second, to provide Socialists with facilities for such study as will make them more effective workers in and for the movement...
...The property is a valuable one...
...During that period, embracing the Great Worlr1 War, the subsequent inflation, deflation, and now uncharted Present, it is doubtful if any one institution has played a more vital or interesting part than has the Hand...
...The school is especially proud of the number of its students who have become active rank-and-file workers in their respective organizations and communities...
...Soldiers for Peace Rand School student;, when they finish their trainings-go out to be lecturers, street speakers, teachers, leaders of picket lines and organizers in the labor movement...
...It is a 250-page booh, now practically oat of print, bat passing both historical and educational valae...
...The American Labor Year Book is accepted everywhere as authoritative and practically alone in itse field, many libraries having standing orders for each successive issue...
...AND NOW...
...In defloration, Bertha H. Mailly conceived the idea of buying a building just vacated by the Y.W.C.A., located on 15th Street, between Fifth Avenue and Union Square —one of the strategic transportation centers of New York, and available to workers as far away as thirtyfive miles, even for night classes.—Although only two summer months were left, Mrs...
...A Citadel of Free Speech Often this Debs Auditorium of the People's House proved the final and only refuge of free speech in New York, even though at times that privilege v as used to attack the things for which the school dreamed and worked...
...while the Monthly Index to Labor Articles has proved invaluable to students and busy people who must keep satisfaction to the school) was Scott Nearing's famous The Great Madness, which the school published...
...Rand died, she willed to the American Socialist Society a sum of money to be paid in lessening amounts each year (now some years exhausted) for "The purpose of founding a school or college in which the teaching should be free from accepted dogmas, and in which the Social Sciences should receive that attention that the colleges and universities were not giving them v—i a school which should be open to the workers—from which they should not be barred by the inadequacy of their earlier training...
...Function—Purpose—Methods The school takes to itself a twofold function I'irst, to give all who are interested in Socialism an opportunity to inform themselves about its principles, program, history, and achievements...
...It has been retained against all attacks...
...But a short time ago, Eugene V. Debs, from the canvas overhead, joined In silent tribute as over twenty thousand workers passed by the bier of Morris Hillquit, whose voice had echoed from its platform what was almost (if not quite) the first plea for Soviet Russia, and tolerance end understanding and good will to it in the great experiment just begun (see From Marx to Lenin...
...History, Sociology, Economics—the theoretical and practical aspects of the Socialist and Labor Movement —together with English and Public Speaking, have always formed the basis of the curriculum...
...The lest thirty years have proved eventful ones in [America's personal and collective life...
...Professor Herron had married a daughter of Mrs...
...Its list of graduates includes a member of the Chinese Parliament at Canton, a leading figure in Mexico's Department of Education, presidents of international unions, well known writers and speakers, Socialist Party secretaries in California, Pennsylvania, and other states, members of the National Executive Committee, and a host of lesser known, but highly valued members of union officers and organizers...
...When Mrs...
...It is necessary to the life of the movement...
...Carrie Rand, in her earlier years active in the Abolition movement, and who throughout her life had kept alive her interest in the submerged and suppressed portions of the population...
...with still a new one, Capitalism at Ike Crossroads by Berenberg, in press...
...Books—Books—and Now a New One...
...Since Socialism is essentially democratic in its aim and method, dogmatic teaching does not best serve it* purposes...
...In this year 1933, the fourth year of the crisis, it has become necessary to call for help, or else to lose the land and buildings— and with it—ALL...
...Not only is the instructors own attitude scientific rather than theological, but the classroom methods arc such as to call for active participation by the students...
...and between Charles Solomon and George Gordon Battle on Thomas Jefferson "An Education for an Educator" 9s...
...Not to instill doctrines into the students' minds, but to place knowledge within their reach and incite them to think for themselves, is the ideal by which the teaching staff of the school are guided...
...It was built up by effort and sacrifice...
...One pamphlet tliat gave no money profit, but did give a court fine oi three thousand dollars, and a year of mobs and raids and turmoil (and great spiritual abreast of current thought...
...Its history, publications, tuition terms, correspondence courses, etc., to the school itself at 7 East 15th Street, New York City...
...Small sums from the many bought it—Small sums from the many must save it I...
...Mailly quickly organized a committee, which later grew to thousand'.of workers everywhere joining in the effort and rais ing over $125,000—a result that gave the joy of victory to the workers and liberal-minded people, but such great rage to the war-mongers and capitalists (determined to control all educational agencies) that the sue-, (-ceding two years were such as could not be believed today, with assaults and raids and mobs, and court proceedings, and attempts to suppress elementary rights...
...These persecutions, inequitable taxes, forced replacement of all plumbing and lighting, extra fire exits, etc...
...A Story of Growth Located first in a modest rented four-story brown stone front on East 19th Street, the fateful year 1917 found the school faced with "the war for democracy" and a refusal to renew the lease, together with space being too cramped for growing activities...
...It is used to the full by The Rand School, The New Leader, the Socialist Party ,the Y.P.S.L., and many struggling unions...
...Socialism, as conceived by the Rand School, implies also Trade Unionism and other forms of workingclass action...
...A Dream That Came True The Rand School was the outgrowth of a group known as the American Socialist Society, whose dream was a Socialist' school, but who were restricted to modest lecture courses until about 1904, which year saw as a noted recruit to the Socialist cause, "rof...
...Oar space being limited, we must refer all who with taller Information of the school...
...In its Debs Auditorium, with the famous murals, placed on its walls by Willy Pogany as his protest against the horrors of war, have spoken those of all faiths and beliefs, and of all countries—many of them Labor members of their respective national law-making bodies...
...Into it for conference, and from it to the picket line—and later, victory—march countless thousands of workers of all colors and nationalities— as one in their exploitation and desperate determination to be free...
...We suggest those writing that they request a copy of The Trial of Scott Hearing, and The American Socialist Society," enclosing 25c for postage...
...George D. Herron, whose fearless teaching at Grinnell College had made him a marked man to the Masters of the Bread...
...cost an extra ninety thousand dollars that could not be foreseen, and a mortgage of sixty-five thousand dollars instead of being free...
Vol. 16 • December 1933 • No. 23
