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Godless Chief Yaroslavsky was born at Chita in Siberia of humble parents who reared him as devoutly as Joseph Stalin was brought up by his Old Mother whose dearest wish was to see her son a priest. Work in a book bindery at the age of 9 led Yaroslavsky into journalism, radicalism, Communism and finally, after the Revolution, onto the editorial board of Pravda. Until the recent Soviet innovation of sending out bits of "human interest" material about Bolshevik leaders, Comrade Yaroslavsky was not known to have any other interests than stern Party duty, pouncing on priests and Godlessness. Now Moscow has no objection to revealing that Godless Yaroslavsky has a particular dislike for neckties, is distinguished by the mannerism of rapidly alternating his horn-rimmed glasses with his pince-nez, smokes a tobacco similar to Stalin's,* and "pursues as his hobbies gardening and his children."
At one time Yaroslavsky ran the circulation of his weekly Bezboznik ("The Godless") up to 180,000. It was 100,000 last year when he turned it into a monthly. Yaroslavsky aphorisms:
"We make no distinction between our struggle against Capitalism and our struggle against Religion! . . . Decent conduct has nothing to do with Hell or Heaven. . . . Religion is adopting— the disguise of Communism! We even hear it said that Christ was the first Socialist, or the first Communist! . . .
"Suicide is not permissible! It is an act of bourgeois cowardice. . . . Marriage must be founded on the deep respect of husband and wife for each other. The family with us is based on unity of political striving and ideological interests of husband and wife!"
In Manhattan, quite unperturbed by Godless Yaroslavsky, Archbishop Kedroff observed that he is in frequent correspondence with Soviet Russia's Eastern Orthodox Primate, His Holiness the Metropolitan Vitaly of Moscow, who is in excellent health and spirits. A U. S. citizen, the Archbishop added that, although some of his congregation are Communist sympathizers, he usually votes the Republican ticket, considers Senator Borah "an extreme radical."
* Edgeworth pipe tobacco is the Dictator's brand and, with most Russians barred from importing tobacco at any price, this Stalin indulgence is a sort of informal State secret.