russia in 1919(1919的俄国)-第6节
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have demoralized the hotel and its filth is indescribable。 There was no
heating and very little light。 A samovar left after the departure of the last
visitor was standing on the table； together with some dirty curl…papers and
other rubbish。 I got the waiter to clean up more or less； and ordered a
new samovar。 He could not supply spoon； knife； or fork； and only with
great difficulty was persuaded to lend me glasses。
The telephone； however； was working； and after tea I got into touch
with Madame Radek； who had moved from the Metropole into the
Kremlin。 I had not yet got a pass to the Kremlin； so she arranged to meet
me and get a pass for me from the Commandant。 I walked through the
snow to the white gate at the end of the bridge which leads over the garden
up a steep incline to the Kremlin。 Here a fire of logs was burning； and
three soldiers were sitting around it。 Madame Radek was waiting for me；
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RUSSIA IN 1919
warming her hands at the fire； and we went together into the citadel of the
republic。
A meeting of the People's Commissars was going on in the Kremlin；
and on an open space under the ancient churches were a number of motors
black on the snow。 We turned to the right down the Dvortzovaya street；
between the old Cavalier House and the Potyeshny Palace； and went in
through a door under the archway that crosses the road； and up some dark
flights of stairs to a part of the building that used； I think； to be called the
Pleasure Palace。 Here； in a wonderful old room； hung with Gobelins
tapestries absolutely undamaged by the revolution； and furnished with
carved chairs； we found the most incongruous figure of the old Swiss
internationalist； Karl Moor； who talked with affection of Keir Hardie and
of Hyndman； 〃in the days when he was a socialist；〃 and was disappointed
to find that I knew so little about them。 Madame Radek asked； of course；
for the latest news of Radek； and I told her that I had read in the
Stockholm papers that he had gone to Brunswick； and was said to be
living in the palace there。* ＇（*）It was not till later that we learned he had
returned to Berlin； been arrested； and put in prison。＇ She feared he might
have been in Bremen when that town was taken by the Government troops；
and did not believe he would ever get back to Russia。 She asked me； did I
not feel already （as indeed I did） the enormous difference which the last
six months had made in strengthening the revolution。 I asked after old
acquaintances； and learnt that Pyatakov； who； when I last saw him； was
praying that the Allies should give him machine rifles to use against the
Germans in the Ukraine； had been the first President of the Ukrainian
Soviet Republic； but had since been replaced by Rakovsky。 It had been
found that the views of the Pyatakov government were further left than
those of its supporters； and so Pyatakov had given way to Rakovsky who
was better able to conduct a more moderate policy。 The Republic had
been proclaimed in Kharkov； but at that time Kiev was still in the hands of
the Directorate。
That night my room in the Red Fleet was so cold that I went to bed in
a sheepskin coat under rugs and all possible bedclothes with a mattress on
the top。 Even so I slept very badly。
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RUSSIA IN 1919
The next day I spent in vain wrestlings to get a better room。 Walking
about the town I found it dotted with revolutionary sculptures； some very
bad； others interesting； all done in some haste and set up for the
celebrations of the anniversary of the revolution last November。 The
painters also had been turned loose to do what they could with the
hoardings； and though the weather had damaged many of their pictures；
enough was left to show what an extraordinary carnival that had been。
Where a hoarding ran along the front of a house being repaired the
painters had used the whole of it as a vast canvas on which they had
painted huge symbolic pictures of the revolution。 A whole block in the
Tverskaya was so decorated。 Best； I think； were the row of wooden
booths almost opposite the Hotel National in the Okhotnia Ryadi。 These
had been painted by the futurists or kindred artists； and made a really
delightful effect； their bright colours and naif patterns seeming so natural
to Moscow that I found myself wondering how it was that they had never
been so painted before。 They used to be a uniform dull yellow。 Now； in
clear primary colours； blue； red； yellow； with rough flower designs； on
white and chequered back…grounds； with the masses of snow in the road
before them； and bright…kerchiefed women and peasants in ruddy
sheepskin coats passing by； they seemed less like futurist paintings than
like some traditional survival； linking new Moscow with the Middle Ages。
It is perhaps interesting to note that certain staid purists in the Moscow
Soviet raised a protest while I was there against the license given to the
futurists to spread themselves about the town； and demanded that the art of
the revolution should be more comprehensible and less violent。 These
criticisms； however； did not apply to the row of booths which were a
pleasure to me every time I passed them。
In the evening I went to see Reinstein in the National。 Reinstein is a
little old grandfather； a member of the American Socialist Labour Party；
who was tireless in helping the Americans last year； and is a prodigy of
knowledge about the revolution。 He must be nearly seventy； never
misses a meeting of the Moscow Soviet or the Executive Committee； gets
up at seven in the morning； and goes from one end of Moscow to the other
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RUSSIA IN 1919
to lecture to the young men in training as officers for the Soviet Army；
more or less controls the English soldier war prisoners； about whose
Bolshevism he is extremely pessimistic； and enjoys an official position as
head of the quite futile department which prints hundred…weight upon
hundred…weight of propaganda in English； none of which by any chance
ever reaches these shores。 He was terribly disappointed that I had
brought no American papers with me。 He complained of the lack of
transport； a complaint which I think I must have heard at least three times
a day from different people the whole time I was in Moscow。 Politically；
he thought； the position could not be better； though economically it was
very bad。 When they had corn； as it were； in sight； they could not get it
to the towns for lack of locomotives。 These economic difficulties were
bound to react sooner or later on the political position。
He talked about the English prisoners。 The men are brought to
Moscow； where they are given special passports and are allowed to go
anywhere they like about the town without convoy of any kind。 I asked
about the officers； and he said that they were in prison but given
everything possible； a member of the International Red Cross； who
worked with the Americans when they were here； visiting them regularly
and taking in parcels for them。 He told me that on hearing in Moscow
that some sort of fraternization was going on on the Archangel front； he
had hurried off there with two prisoners； one English and one American。
With some difficulty a meeting was arranged。 Two officers and a
sergeant from the Allied side and Reinstein and these two prisoners from
the Russian； met on a bridge midway between the opposing lines。 The
conversation seemed to have been mostly an argument about working…
class conditions in America； together with reasons why the Allies should
go hom
