Chapter 4

Part Two: In the Russian Revolutionary Movement

Chapter 4

A week later I left Petrikov and went to Mozyr. I went straight to the Radikoviches, who welcomed me with open arms. Grisha was very glad to see me, and so were his parents—fine, young, educated people. They took me right into the pharmacy and introduced me to their provisor [licensed pharmacist], whose name was Klachkin. He was a tall, handsome young man with long hair and a pince-nez. The provisor asked me whether I knew Russian. Grisha answered for me that I had gone to the uchilishche in Loyev. The provisor said that four evenings a week he would give me lessons and prepare me for the gymnasium [academic secondary school]. I thanked him very much. They gave me a little room in the pharmacy, with a narrow bed, a small table and a lamp, and many shelves of books and bottles all around the walls. Then Mr. Radikovich took me into the dining room. He told his wife, Anyuta, to let the maid know that a good guest had come to stay with them, a nephew, and that I was to be looked after exactly like their own Grisha. After supper Mr. Radikovich took me into the pharmacy, and he and Klachkin explained what my work would be: keeping everything in order in the pharmacy, selling the products that had prices marked on them, and delivering medicines.

I liked the work in the pharmacy very much.

The pharmacy opened at eight in the morning and stayed open until ten at night. Klachkin, the provisor, came in at ten in the morning and worked until seven in the evening, going out for an hour, from one to two, to eat. Four times a week, from seven to eight, he gave me a lesson. I studied grammar, literature, arithmetic and Latin with him. He was so good to me that I grew very fond of him, and I did everything he asked of me. Grisha was already attending the gymnasium, and he also helped me a great deal with my lessons.

Quite often Klachkin gave me books to take to a friend of his, Liza, a kursistka [a student in the women's higher education courses]. She was a pretty young woman who dressed neatly and wore her beautiful black hair cut short. She always received me very warmly. She often wanted to pay me for bringing the books, but I wouldn’t take the money. I told her that for Klachkin I would walk through fire.

Once when I came with Klachkin’s books, Liza wasn’t home. Klachkin had told me not to give the books to anyone but Liza herself, so I brought them back. But by then Klachkin had gone too, so I took the books to my little room. I was curious to see what kind of books they were, and among them I found a Yiddish pamphlet, Di fir brider [The Four Brothers]. I started reading it, and lying in bed I read the whole pamphlet through. The next day I told Klachkin that I hadn’t found Liza at home, that I had brought the books back, and that I had read the Yiddish booklet The Four Brothers. I also told him about the Bund’s proclamation to the yeshiva students, which was why I had left the yeshiva. After that Klachkin invited me to a skhodka [secret meeting] the next night.

I counted the hours until I would see and meet the people who wanted to fight for a better world. I put on a new suit for the skhodka, and Klachkin took me there. We came to a big house on Ferry Street. It looked like a wealthy family’s home. We rang, and a gentile maid opened the door for us.

We entered a handsomely furnished hall with paintings of all kinds on the walls. About fifteen people were sitting there: around ten men, most of whom looked like students, and five young women. Klachkin introduced me: “Tovarishch [Comrade] Mosei Goldowsky.” Someone called out: “We’ll call him Golodny” (that is, “the hungry one”).

Two talks were given. The first speaker was Volodka, as he was introduced to us. He spoke about political economy. After him Liza, the daughter of a wealthy family, spoke about revolution and evolution. I understood very little of either talk, but I was too embarrassed to ask questions. After the talks they took up my case, and I was accepted as a member of the Russian Social Democratic organization. I was thirteen years old at the time, but I looked like a young man of sixteen. That was in 1897.