Nadezhda Krupskaya: Religion and the Woman

Vladimir Ilyich wrote about how important it is to constantly educate the masses on a vision of a revolutionary world, therefore preparing them for revolutionary action. One thing is inextricably connected to the other, one feeds the other. And the time we are living is precisely the most significant time from the point of view of propaganda about the revolutionary worldview. In fact, only Communism can provide a more comprehensive and scientific answer to the yearnings that now emerge among many, many people.

…

Art here plays a special role. This, again, is something that the Catholic Church, for example, knows perfectly: beautiful canticles, statues, flowers, plays, all that captivates Catholic men and especially Catholic women. Regarding the influence art helps to achieve over the masses, priests are great masters. Religious art is art for the masses, often the only form of art to which the people has access. You do not have to pay to enter the Catholic Church. Our church greatly emulated Catholicism. Churches are adorned with icons, canticles are especially appealing.

…

Our art has not become popular yet, it has not become accessible for the masses as religious art is. And the Komsomol [abbreviation of “Kommunisticheskiy Soyuz Molodyozhi,” the All-Union Young Communist League] is correct when they pay special attention to this matter. They are absolutely right when they organize accordion competitions, when they get players to play beautiful songs, songs of the revolution on the accordion—an instrument that is close to the countryside.

The masses need music, they need art. Our art has not reached the bottom, it is still flying through the skies. And only it can supplant religious art.

Related:

PDF: The Woman Worker