I took Dick and Louise and little Walter Rosen and his governess to
view the Sinn Fein procession. All down Fifth Avenue, even to where we
were, opposite the Metropolitan Museum, the crowd was dense. I never
realized so many Irish and such a Sinn Fein majority. After three
hours of it I found a taxi opposite the Plaza Hotel and jumped in. We
were blocked a long time, owing to traffic disorganization, and as the
window between us in front was open we talked. The taxi driver observed
that if some of these Irish really wanted to help Ireland, why didn’t
they go back--instead of carrying placards deploring the fact that
they have but one life to lose for their country. Why not go back and
lose it, or offer it? He said to me: “Some Irishmen were jeering at
me the other day, and calling me a Russian Jew--I said to them that at
least the Russian Jews had been consistent. Having been persecuted,
they suddenly one day got up and murdered their Czar--I said to these
Irishmen, instead of complaining so, why don’t you go and kill George?”
I was interested that he was Russian, and told him I had just come from
Russia, where I had seen a good deal of Lenin and Trotzky--the taxi
driver then asked me, “Are you the lady I’ve read of--?” I said my
name--he said he was proud to meet me. He then held forth about Lenin:
“I regard him as the Abraham Lincoln of his country....”