XXXVI

The first thing I did on Sunday morning was to pick up the “Western City Times,” to see what it had done to Carpenter.  I found that he had achieved the front page, triple column, with streamer head all the way across the page: 

PROPHET IN TOWN, HEALS SICK, RAVES AT RICH AMERICA IS MOBLAND, ALLEGED IN RED RIOT OF TALK

There followed a half page story about Carpenter’s strenuous day in Western City, beginning with a “Bolshevik stump speech” to a mob of striking tailors.  It appears that the prophet had gone to the Hebrew quarter of the city, and finding a woman railing at a butcher because of “alleged extortion,” had begun a speech, inciting a mob, so that the police reserves had to be called out, and a riot was narrowly averted.  From there the prophet had gone to the Labor Temple, announcing himself to the reporters as “fresh from God,” with a message to “Mobland,” his name for what he prophesied America would be under his rule.  He had then healed a sick boy, the performance being carefully staged in front of moving picture cameras.  The account of the “Times” did not directly charge that the performance was a “movie stunt,” but it described it in a mocking way which made it obviously that.  The paper mentioned T-S in such a way as to indicate him as the originator of the scheme, and it had fun with Mary Magna, pawning her paste jewels.  It published the flash-light picture, and also a picture of Carpenter walking down the street, trailed by his mob.

In another column was the climax, the “red riot of talk” at Grant Hall.  James, the striking carpenter, had indulged in virulent and semi-insane abuse of the rich; after which the new prophet had stirred the mob to worse frenzies.  The “Times” quoted sample sentences, such as:  “Do not think that I am come to bring you ease and comfort; I am come to bring strife and disorder to this world.”

I turned to the editorial page, and there was a double-column leader, made extra impressive by leads.  “AN INFAMOUS BLASPHEMY,” was the heading.  Perhaps you have a “Times” in your own city; if so, you will no doubt recognize the standard style: 

“For many years this newspaper has been pointing out to the people of Western City the accumulating evidence that the men who manipulate the forces of organized labor are Anarchists at heart, plotting to let loose the torch of red revolution over this fair land.  We have clearly showed their nefarious purpose to overthrow the Statue of Liberty and set up in its place the Dictatorship of the Walking Delegate.  But, evil as we thought them, we were naive enough to give them credit for an elemental sense of decency.  Even though they had no respect for the works of man, we thought at least they would spare the works of God, the most sacred symbols of divine revelation to suffering humanity.  But yesterday there occurred in this city a performance which for shameless insolence and blasphemous perversion exceeds anything but the wildest flight of a devil’s imagination, and reveals the bosses of the Labor Trust as wanton defilers of everything that decent people hold precious and holy.