Apotheosis of Lenin

A movement to canonize Lenin as a Bolshevik saint was reputed to be "gaining strength."

Peasants of Kaluga Province, near

Moscow: "Give us a short history of Lenin's life and sayings that we may insert it in the place of the Gospel." Nadejda Constantinovna Krupskaya, Lenin's widow, answered thus many of her numerous messages of condolence: "Let not your deep, abounding grief be expressed in outward honors for Lenin's personality. Monuments to his name and sumptuous ceremonies--all that in his life he valued so little, found them all so tiresome. Remember how much poverty and lack of order yet exist in our country. If you want to honor Lenin's name build creches (foundling asylums), children's homes, schools, libraries, hospitals, sanatoria, and above all try so to act that by you his will may be done." A Communist leader said: "If our party is not very careful this Lenin worship will get away from us. It is not for nothing that the Old Testament relates that God hid the sepulchre of Moses on Mount Nebo so that the Israelites might not make a fetish out of their leader. We face a similar situation today, and it needs but little to send ablaze Lenin fetishism throughout the length and breadth of Russia."