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UKRAINIAN WOMAN OUR ENGLISH COLUMN The Cultural Exchange Program W ith the signing- of the C ultu ral Exchange P rogram betw een the U nited States and the USSR, a series of wide scope enterprises began. The aw ard presented to the A m erican pianist, in M oscow and th e overw helm ing success of the M oyseyov B allet in the U. S. are but tw o of its indications. For, in reality, it touches all the facets of life, am ong them th at of women. On A pril 25th, the N ational Council of W om en of A m erica called a m eeting to inform its m em bers of the need for exchange of social w orkers. M rs. ELenor Roosevelt was invited to the m eeting as a staunch supporter of the C ultural E xchange Program . It was decided to begin a far reaching exchange program if it w ere possible to obtain ample funds for its support. The exchange of artists and even scientists m ay have its own definite values. The a rtist accom plishm ents reflect the aesthetic life of a nation-, while scientific de velopm ents, on the other hand, are its step into a broader future. But at this point everything will not be clear to either side. N ot know ing the artistic tendencies of a nation, it is im possible to evaluate its artistic expression; while in th e field of science it is only possible to confirm its achievem ents w ithout resolving its developm ent. And w hat about o ther special ists, professors, econom ists, en gineers? W ill this exchange give them actual insight into condi tions touching their fields.; will it enable them to com prehend dif ferent happenings and t’heir ba sis? M erely in an insignificant m an ner. All the travelers through the U SSR brought back w ith them only lim ited inform ation regard ing varied phases of life. All of them saw tho se schools, factor ies, hospitals, w hich they w ere perm itted to see; all of them in spected collective farm s only d ur ing governm ent-supervised tours. From certain im pressions, conver sations, and intim ations they are now try in g to uncover th e m ain spring which moves life in the USSR. Consequently, there is now such a g reat tenor for fu rther tours and such g reat enthusiasm tow ard the C ultural Exchange P rogram . E xperts from m any fields are now going in hope th a t w ith th eir adept know ledge they m ay perceive the conditions which exist a t the head of m at ters. Social w orkers have becom e incorporated into this m ovem ent in order to study th eir facets of life. W hat prim arily concerns them ? Judging by the im pression brought back from the U SSR by M rs. Roosevelt, it is then religi ous life, social w elfare, hom e and fam ily life, and the upbringing of children. These are im portant fields in w hich wom en every w here have g reat influence and even priority. T hey can be e x panded upon by exem plary arts, adult education, sports, etc. In th e U SSR there are considerably m ore of these occupations, since w om en there engage in every ac tivity. B ut w hat will our experts be able to see in the U SSR? V isiting churches and even conversing w ith a p riest will tell them little about the co u ntry ’s religious life. F o r the real religious leaders are im prisoned, and as for the a tte n dance at churches and religious exercises — it is solely the func tion of the elders. The present day clergy — they are m erely puppets of the governm ent, exer cising their pastoral duties in a w ay dem anded of them by the Bolshevik regim e. Also in the field of social w el fare not much will be uncovered. O ur experts will find lavish re sorts o,n the Black Sea Coast, clean am bulatories in Mosco'w and Leningrad, carefully m anag ed hospitals in the capital of ev ery republic. E veryw here there are crow ds of seem ingly content ed people. B ut w hat per cent of the population takes, advantage of these facilities; how do they look in rural com m unities; w hat p art do they play in the life o'f an average citizen? T he answ ers re main unknown. W hat of dom estic life? As long as there is no opportunity of visiting the residence of a wom an factory w orker, a:n office w orker, or a teacher, it is impossible to state anything about the house hold task s of a w om an. And one who has not seen a peasant home w ith its adjoining garden, one does not know how half of U SSR ’s population, the peasants, live. To be sure, tours are con stantly organized to w orkhouses, collective farm s, etc. B ut they are “announced visits,” especially es tablished for the purpose of visit ing homes. No. one sees the actual m isery and tautness of this exist- eance. The same case exists in the rearing of children. T heir status is perhaps least of all concealed by the Bolsheviks, for the young generation is of g reat concern to them . T hey take pains in th eir training and education in order to achieve th e g reatest possible-in fluence on youth. B u t w hither does this influence le a d ; how does it balance w ith p aren tal au th ori ty ; w hat m axim s a re enstilled in youth? Of this no teacher will ever learn even afte r long and
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