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From Fourth International, Vol.10 No.7, August 1949, p.194.
Transcription & mark-up by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.
An old friend of ours recently dropped us a note giving his opinion of the latest issues of Fourth International. We particularly liked what he said about George Plekhanov’s essay, The Meaning of Hegel, in the April and May issues.
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“I read and enjoyed the article by Plekhanov,” he wrote. “I hope the policy of printing such essays by the ‘old ones’ is kept up. Because I have read many of the Marxist classics and learned something from them, I could appreciate what Plekhanov had to say about Hegel.
“I remember when I first joined the Marxist movement almost 20 years ago that for the first years I read everything I could get my hands on, but most of it went over my head until my theoretical understanding caught up with my reading – if you get what I mean. I thought of this when I asked a couple of readers what their reaction was to this essay and they told me that while a little of it was understood, most of it went over, their heads.
“Of course I used this reaction to push the idea that they must study more. Also I pointed out that Lenin considered Plekhanov’s works must reading for those who want to become real communists.
“If articles like Plekhanov’s inspires workers to read more, then I think it’s worthwhile publishing them. So let’s have more.”
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This letter brings up a difficult problem facing the Fourth International’s contributors. To present an exact analysis, it is necessary for Marxist theoreticians, like other scientists, to use scientific concepts and terminology. But workers and students making their first acquaintance with Marxism often find it difficult reading.
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If they are persistent like the comrade who wrote us above, and work their way through the Marxist classics, they eventually master the technical language, the profound thoughts and the powerful Marxist method of thought. Some, however, become discouraged too soon. They wish that the articles could be written in common, everyday language.
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To a certain, degree, this wish can be met. But a point is reached where the attempt to keep the discussion within the bounds of Basic English begins to interfere with presentation of the subject matter and even to make it more difficult to grasp. Imagine the handicap an atomic scientist would face if he had to give up technical terms like “electron,” “proton” and’ “Geiger counter” and had to stick to the words in the cook book! The same principle holds true for the scientist dealing with economic, social and political questions.
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Fortunately, there is another way of getting around the difficulty. Old timers who have gained a good understanding of Marxist fundamentals can help those less advanced. We are positive, for instance, that the comrade who wrote us about Plekhanov did what he could to help the Fourth International readers in his neighborhood by suggesting some elementary articles, pamphlets and books that would make it much easier for them to get the full value of Plekhanov’s essay. Perhaps he even organized a few evenings’ discussion to help clear up what seemed to be obscure or difficult points.
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In the case of a branch of the Socialist Workers Party, an educational led by a skilled Marxist can prove most fruitful. A number of branches make it a regular practice to hold educational meetings on important articles in Fourth International. They have found from experience that educationals, aimed at helping readers understand the deeper ideas, are among the very best means of advancing the theoretical level of those who participate. And they have found at the same time that such group discussions are of great assistance in building the circulation of the theoretical magazine of American Trotskyism.
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Trade union members can play an especially important role in bridging the gap by showing how the advanced theoretical articles in Fourth International help in working out cprrect solutions to the big problems facing American labor.
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For instance, a sea-going comrade came into the office the other day to tell us how he uses articles in Fourth International aboard ship. He takes such articles as John G. Wright’s Welfare State Panaceas and Louis T. Gordon’s Depression or War in the June issue, reads them carefully, gets the basic points well in mind and then in discussions presents key ideas in the kind of language seamen are accustomed to.
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It goes over well. Those who listen get an education in economics while he gets an education in how to tie in profound Marxist analyses with the daily problems of the fellows on the job. Sooner or later this educational work pays off. A new friend wants to know the source of this valuable information and penetrating insight into the big problems of our times. That’s when he’s formally introduced to Marxism and its leading exponent in America, the Fourth International.
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Union members who use FI articles in their activities in this way should show others how it’s done. This means helping young workers and students to understand the more difficult points and teaching them how to apply the theoretical conclusions. The practical benefits soon become evident. Such guidance speeds their Marxist education and shortens the time needed to become skilled in presenting the great emancipating ideas of socialism. And the Fourth International comes into its own much earlier as one of their finest and sharpest tools in the struggle for a better world.
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Last updated on: 16 March 2009