1923

Shen, Yanbing [Mao, Dun]. Zheng yi Hui se ma xu [ID D38805].
Ng, Mau-sang : Mao Dun point out at the beginning of his article about The pale horse by Boris Viktorovich Savinkov : one might indeed hate or love, admire or pity this ringleader of the terrorist group, but one could not remain indifferent. His reaction to 'the metamorphosis of this soul in a particular environment' was one of sympathy and understanding. George's action in killing, he argued, was his only way of keeping himself alive when others were chasing him as a cat chases a mouse. His indifference was the paradoxical outcome of an acute sensitivity : if there could be no pure love in life, there could be no fear of death either, hence his final abhorrence of life. A confirmed evolutionist at this time, Mao Dun related the behavior and thinking of the hero to his social environment and extolled the author's 'greatness' in describing the hero's metamorphosis with great delicacy.
Mark Gamsa : It seems of late that they have grown tired of paying attention to all the different great problems. To say the least, they have become fed up with the word 'revolution' and thus indulge daily in self-intoxicating illusions ; by way of emancipating their spirits they merely look for excuses to console themselves. That is why Zhenduo's translation of The Pale Horse did not 'Create a sensation' when it began appearing in Xiao shuo xue bao last year. Frankly speaking, until the very end of The Pale Horse's serialisation in the journal, we did not receive a single letter from a youth discussing The Pale Horse.
I wonder: now that The Pale Horse comes out in a separate book edition, will young people continue to view it with the same indifference ? In today's political situation, ever more reactionary with each passing day, the call for a Socialist revolution has long fallen silent. Those anxious about the period we live in may think that in these times, when people's hearts are benumbed, some men of ideals are needed, who would 'die as martyrs tor a noble cause' ; holding a revolver and a bomb in their hands, they would ardently undertake to carry out such actions that may rouse the deaf and awaken the unhearing, and redeem the hearts that had already appeared dead. This is why, when The Pale Horse sees light again in these times, it may still leave people with a deep impression. Yet I hope that if The Pale Horse does succeed to evoke the attention of today's youths, they will firmly remember the following words : a Socialist revolution must have a programme and a strategy, and its weapon must be mass organization ; the ideology of assassination is not the right method for a Socialist revolution to be brought about.