difficulties, would have surrounded themselves
with a group of officials to prevent the possibility
of any mistake in their answering of
questions :but Lenin takes the field alone, and this because he is not a diplomat—that is, he
does not use language of a double meaning
but wants you to understand what he means.
He hates compromise. He will not accept the
pacifist view of life because he believes that the
possessing classes will inevitably compel the
workers to fight. He emphasised this again
and again : “ You and the workers may not
want to fight but the capitalist class will make
you fight : they will never concede to reason
what they will be obliged to concede to force.”
As I watched him I wondered what was the
source of his strength, because there was
strength written all over him, mental and
moral strength came with every word he
spoke. He was anxious that I should not call
him an agnostic but an atheist ; that I should
be quite certain of what his view was of
religion. He defended the position by calling
attention to the chloroforming influence which
organised religion had exercised over the lives
of the masses of the workers, not only in
Russia but everywhere else.
I believe his strength comes because he is absolutely impersonal. He is the best hated and the best loved man in the world, but I believe he is absolutely indifferent both to love
