LENIN ON ORGANIZATION 
But the conclusions drawn from it are for their 
stupidity and their political tactlessness, worthy of 
the “Rabochaya Misl” (7). They represent the 
height of stupidity, because the author confuses 
the philosophical and social-historical question of 
striking the “roots” of & movement into the “depths” 
with the technical and organizational question of 
the best method of fighting gendarmes. They 
represent the height of political tactlessness, be- 
cause the author, instead of appealing from the 
bad leaders to the good leaders, appeals from the 
leaders in general to the “crowd.” This, from the 
organizational point of view, is as much an attempt 
at retrogression as it is, from the political point of 
view, an attempt to replace the idea of political 
agitation by provocatory terrorism. I am, indeed, 
experiencing a very embarrass de richesses *, not 
knowing where to begin my criticism of the con- 
fusion wrought by “Svoboda.” For the sake of 
clarity, let us begin with an example. Let us take 
the Germans. I trust you will not deny that with 
the Germans the organization embraces the crowd, 
that everything proceeds from the crowd, that the 
working class movement has learnt to walk on its 
own legs. Yet, how this vast crowd of millions 
values its “ten” trained political leaders, how firmly 
it clings to them! More than once in parliament 
have members of hostile parties tried to exasperate 
the Socialists by exclaiming: “What fine democrats 
you are! Your movement is a working class move- 
* Embarrassment caused by superfluity.—Trans. 
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