Gannes on the Empire’s use of the Y.M.C.A. in its control of the colonies.

‘Political Christianity Faces East’ by Harry Gannes from The Daily Worker. Vol. 2 No. 290. December 19, 1925.

THE old missionary, reeking syphilis and booze, is out of style. Modern capitalism requires improved methods and a different type of man.

The new traveling salesman Messiah must be versed in political Christianity. Penetration into foreign and undeveloped territories, particularly China, Africa, Egypt, and other parts of Asia is unavoidable under imperialism. Peaceful penetration as a policy and practice disappeared with the Spanish-American war. With the imperialist army, or before it, must still go, however, some institution that carries along the morale of capitalism. It has been found that even though bayonets hold conquered territory and permit the flow of capital into it, a system of simple training is necessary to transform colonials into submissive proletarians.

THE organization selected for this work by international capitalism in general, and by its American representative in particular, is the Young Men’s Christian Association.

Pleased with Its excellent work in the United States, the American ruling class, regardless of race or religion, has united in its support of the Y.M.C.A. Julius Rosenwald, the Jew, contributes millions; John D. Rockefeller, the protestant, doubles the amount; and a long list of catholics add their names.

Experience has taught the American capitalists that a propaganda organization is absolutely necessary to endeavor to pacify the young Chinese, African, Egyptian and other Asiatic students and workers. Experience has further taught them that religion is the best guise for this work of infiltration and penetration of capitalist ideas so that exploitation could follow more swiftly and surely.

THE Y.M.C.A. has a foreign division whose activities are directed most particularly to the colonies of capitalism. During the past few years, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and the entire Rockefeller family have contributed more than $5,000,000 to the Y.M.C.A. for this foreign work. Nettie McCormick, whose family interests, likewise, extend to undeveloped territories, contributed during the same time over $1,000,000. And other capitalists join in the work to such an extent that the foreign department is able to publish very expensive propaganda literature and print thereon “The expense of this book is met by a special gift.” A very rare thing for the Y.M.C.A., considering its war experience when it made the American soldiers pay for the souvenirs sent “free” to them.

Two hundred and seventy-five men are in charge of the Y.M.C.A. department of capitalist morale for the colonies. The Y.M.C.A. when speaking of these men emphasizes the statement that they are “carefully chosen men working as representatives of the movement in the United States in foreign lands.”

CHINA is particularly a target of the Y.M.C.A. The Rockefeller interests in China are immense. China becomes more and more an important objective of international capitalism. The Chinese, however, unlike many of the colonial nations, have proved to be a people who were not ready meekly to submit to the yoke of world finance. The Chinese have repeatedly offered resistance, with telling effect. Hence the greatest amount of Christian (capitalist) propaganda has been directed against China.

At first the efforts of the Y.M.C.A. had little success. But in the past fifteen years thanks to the millions spent in the work, the help of the army and to the facilities offered it by the various Chinese governments, the Christian agent of imperialism has advanced rapidly.

There have been established in China 2,600 schools of so-called higher learning, with a student body of 260,000, who “name themselves the name of Jesus Christ.” The Y.M.C.A. has headquarters in forty-two of the leading cities of China. Of course, they are to be found mainly in industrial and shipping districts, such as Shanghai, Nanking, Canton, Hongkong, Teingtau, and others.

All along, however, the more enlightened Chinese students and workers have carried on a struggle against the pernicious influence of the Y.M.C.A. The Chinese youth does not swallow the “Y” without protest. Repeated demonstrations and protests against the invasion of this capitalist vanguard has been made and is meeting with response among the Chinese youth. As a reply, the Y.M.C.A. pours into China more men and money.

IN India, the Y.M.C.A. has established itself in 68 villages, carrying on its propaganda in disguised forms, thru lantern slide lectures, thru educational campaigns, and thru amusements and entertainments. Its main purpose, however, is to defeat the freeing of India from the yoke of Great Britain, and to keep the natives content with foreign domination, thru the preaching of brotherly love for the white brethren who own the mills. The “Y” very baldly, announces that it desires to reconcile the downtrodden Hindu to his present position and to prevent any national aspirations.

In a prayer for the success of its work in India, the sky-pilots end with this peroration: “That they (the Y.M.C.A. men in India) may have guidance in helping to solve the great national problem of reconciliation.” Knowing the horrible conditions of the Indian workers and peasants, “reconciliation” can mean only one thing.

THE entire orient is covered by the Y.M.C.A. as by a net. No country Is too small or out-of-the-way when the expenses are paid by some capitalist. For instance, the Y.M.C.A. tells of the inauguration of its work in Jerusalem as follows:

“On Christmas eve, 1924, there was put into the hands of the Y.M.C.A. a draft for the expense of a modern building to be erected on a site just outside the Jaffa Gate, on the highest point in Jerusalem. (The name of the donor is discreetly omitted.) From its doors will stream an influence which will reach Arabia, Syria, Persia, and Transjordania.” Should the Communist International establish such a “modern building” to stream its influence into these countries, the capitalist world would be aflame with protest.

But from the birthplace of Christianity will surge throughout the East, young, well-trained, go-getting Y.M.C.A. crusaders bearing the message of submission to Christ and to his favored devotees, Rockefeller, McCormick, Morgan and others high in church circles.

IN Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt, the Y.M.C.A. has a membership of over 700 men. A strong student work is carried on at Assult and in the Christian College. The foreign department—sounds ominously political—enthusiastically announces that, “although the population is ninety-five percent Mohammedan, the Y.M.C.A. has established and maintained its full Christian character and program and control.”

There is a new spirit of nationalism arising that seems well nigh sufficient to defeat the efforts of these Christian crusaders. Yet they are not to submit so readily, especially when the home office has so bountifully a supply of shekles. A new plan has been adopted and that is to inculcate Egyptians into the art of misleading their own fellow sufferers. Says the instructions to the Y.M.C.A. men, “It Is plain that the leadership of the association must be Egyptian. Foreigners are under suspicion. A national development is essential.” Among the other Asiatic countries which are intensively plied with political Christianity, a la Y.M.C.A., are Korea, Burma, Ceylon, Japan, the Philippine Islands and Turkey.

THE foreign department eyes Russia with longing and flirtatious glances. What an opportunity for propaganda under the guise of religious and social welfare work. And prevented merely by the prejudice of an irreligious Communist government!

The Y.M.C.A. must admit that it could do very little in Russia. It says that its chief task has been one of “salvage.” It claims it disregards political lines; but we cannot forget its activities before and during the Russian revolution. The allied army of intervention in Siberia in 1918 consisted of 80,000 men. The Y.M.C.A. had 200 secretaries working among the Czechs, white guard Russians and American troops. The cost of this work was $2,000,000, and was mainly directed against the workers’ government. When the revolution was successful, the Y.M.C.A. dismissed any of its secretaries who talked in favor of Russian recognition.

Now, having failed in its nefarious work of aiding to drown in blood the first workers’ republic, the sanctimonious soldiers can merely hold up their hands in holy horror and exclaim, “The repression and devastation being visited upon all religion in Soviet Russia by the regime in power and its supporting party. Communist, are proceeding with terrible reality from the doctrine that religion and Communism are incompatible, both theoretically and practically. Here is a major fact in the Christian world and without parallel in the history of Christianity.”

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924. National and City (New York and environs) editions exist.

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