22

p Green rolling hills, lush vegetation, velvety fields, the warm earth, rough tree trunks, rippling streams, the clear sky, and the joyous bird songs—all have a direct bearing on the upbringing of children. For they all combine with children’s games and become a part of them. Yet, in addition to the inspiration of nature children also require that of culture.

p In Solenga I suddenly saw that games provide a powerful means for combining spiritual and natural principles. The games played in open spaces brought out the most diverse traits in children, their spontaneous inquisitiveness, fearlessness and absence of restraint, their tenderness and mercilessness. They rivaled with each other in being honourable. No allowance was made for age, mental abilities, strength or weakness. Everything was governed by the rules of play: freedom to express one’s self and fairness.

23

p During the holidays I visited a summer camp for children whose director was our school teacher of physical education Aleksandr Serdelnikov. Everything around me was in motion. It was as if I had been pushed into a film comedy in which children raced to and fro past the observer with laughter and cries that reminded one of a seashore bird colony. In order to regain my composure I began to examine their bustle with a critical eye.

p A group of children walked past a few steps away from me. It was led by a woman, wearing a red Pioneer tie, who could no longer be described as young. She was making desperate attempts to lend her movements a lively rhythm, swinging one hand as she sang, while holding a large bag in the other.

p From time to time she looked back at the boys in her unit, shouting:

p “Barashkin, step back into formation! Chaly, pull yourself together!”

p I recognized Barashkin as a pupil from our school. He was probably making the most of it teasing the counselor. Every now and then he would slip out of formation, scoop water from the river into his hands and splash himself and his friends on the back.

p Next, the woman ordered the unit to stop. Irritated, she turned to a girl, evidently the unit’s leader:

p “Tanya, it is impossible to continue like this; Barashkin and Chaly are behaving outrageously. Something must be done,"

p Tanya gravely commanded:

p “Barashkin, leave the formation! Chaly, you too.”

p When both had left the formation the unit burst out laughing; Barashkin had decided to make faces, while Chaly had pulled up his pantlegs. The counselor then stated an ultimatum: either there would be discipline or Barashkin would immediately be sent home.

p I do not know how this episode ended, for I left as quickly as possible; it was embarrassing to watch the conflict develop.

p Shortly afterwards I ran into Barashkin, who had been expelled from the unit. I could not avoid voicing a reprimand:

p “You should not let your school down, pal, that’s bad.”

p Perhaps it was because I had addressed him as “pal”, or possibly for some other reason, but suddenly Barashkin became very sad. I embraced him by the shoulders, and, as if he had been waiting for this, he buried his head in my chest and began to cry. I was lost and did not know what to do. I could feel 24 my shirt growing warm from his tears.

p “Will you tell my father?" he suddenly asked.

p “I’m not going to tell your father anything,” I replied.

p Immediately Barashkin became cheerful. His tears vanished completely. This, too, surprised me.

p At that moment I was called in to see Serdelnikov. He explained that the first unit was now without a counselor and showed me the letter of resignation written by the woman who had rebuked Barashkin.

p The unit was without a counselor. And I had nothing to do. Serdelnikov had therefore decided to entrust the unit to me, and assured me that another counselor would be found within a day or two.

p There really were no alternatives. We soon decided to have a real vacation. First we constructed a raft and on the following day we left for a fishing expedition at five in the morning. The fish were biting well, and instead of returning for breakfast we sent a messenger with a note: "The fish are biting! We ask permission to...” In about forty minutes our messenger returned with a bag full of sandwiches. That evening, when everyone gathered for the daily report our unit was commended ... wor a day well spent.

p Afterwards the children surrounded me and asked me to remain another few days. Serdelnikov, too, invited me to stay. He told me confidentially that he had already obtained the consent of my supervisors and that there was a direct advantage in my staying; I would earn an extra month of holidays. I agreed to remain.

p “Let’s go fishing again tomorrow,” Tolya Barashkin proposed.

p “We want to go, too!" shouted the girls.

p I looked at the boys. The younger ones stood a short distance to the side. Among them I recognized Vasya Chaly.

p “Do you want to go, too?" I asked him.

p “Very much...” he answered in a whisper.

p “If we take the kids the raft will not hold all,” Barashkin observed.

p “We will build another one,” I replied, "there are lots of logs around.”

p Someone laughed, "We will build an entire flotilla!”

p We spent the next half hour thinking up a name for our flotilla and dividing the group into crews. That evening I informed Serdelnikov that the unit would now be called Sea Lion Flotilla, and that Tolya Barashkin would be its 25 commander and Vasya Chaly its commissar.

p The next morning we began to build first a wharf and then rafts. A short time later, when the raft Variag already had a mast with a flag, Serdelnikov approached our wharf.

p “This is no longer a children’s camp. It has turned into a logging industry. I will not have...”

p “Aleksandr Vasilievich,” I pleaded, "this is simply a game!”

p Serdelnikov did not like to be challenged. Looking away from me he voiced his own position clearly:

p “A game? It is slave labour! Forcing young children to carry logs. What will their parents say?”

p “No one is carrying logs. The children are rolling them downshore and then floating them here on the river. They find this very interesting.”

p “What kind of fairy-tales are you inventing! Look instead at how this small boy is straining himself.”

p Vasya Chaly was approaching us, hauling a log behind him as if it were a barge. Serdelnikov walked up to him, loosened the strap and felt the marks that it had left on his shoulder.

p “Does it hurt?”

p “Not a bit,” smiled Vasya.

p “Now listen to me. Stop all this and go back to the camp.” And turning to me Serdelnikov added, "As for you, take the entire unit to the camp’s isolation ward for a medical examination.”

p In mentioning the isolation ward Serdelnikov, of course, laid it on thick. He was simply showing everyone that he ranked higher that I did in authority. In reply to my objections he sternly observed that so long as he was responsible for the children’s safety and health he would not discuss the matter any further.

p “Then there is nothing for me to do here, " I said as he was leaving.

p He simply shrugged his shoulders. I was ready to leave the camp that very same minute.

p Silently, as if they were guilty in some way, the children approached me. They looked at me with hope.

p “Probably this really is difficult for you?" I asked.

p “No, not at all! We could...”

p “These logs do not even compare to the ones I carried when we were building our house!”

p “As for me...”

p I turned to Barashkin, "Call the unit together.”

p Without waiting for a command the children formed into 26 two rows as I inspected them. There were nothing more than a few scratches on their arms and legs.

p “Well then, let’s go forward to the isolation ward,” I said. "But with a song...”

p While the doctor was examining the children and colouring their limbs with a green antiseptic, an educational dispute was taking place in the Director’s office. Serdelnikov argued as follows: the children should gain in weight, maintain their health and learn to manage Pioneer affairs. It was suggested that I turn to more refined activities such as building model ships from plywood and cardboard (which was unavailable), or rehearse for a concert.

p “But if you insist on introducing some form of labour training,” he turned to me, "then you can help the neighbouring state farm weed its potatoes.”

p Serdelnikov spoke as if he were reading my mind.

p “You say that games should merge with work. Well then, play at weeding.... I have already mentioned this at school; work is a serious matter, and to combine it with play is unpedagogical.”

p “Children’s work without games, without happiness and satisfaction, is pure nonsense!" I replied abruptly, having decided not to stand on ceremony; if he dismisses me then let it be!

p Our argument was resolved by the doctor,’ Dina Ivanovna. She said that the children were healthy, that they had a hearty appetite, and that her own son does not give her a moment’s peace—he, too, wants to join that flotilla.

p 1 returned to the unit and related part of our conversation with the Director.

p “We know,” Vasya Chaly interrupted me with a wink. " Tomorrow we’ll go to work.”

p “Work is not the word for it,” I said. "We have to prove that we can do other things besides playing.”

p We then discussed the plan for the following day’s expedition into the field.

p “And the day after tomorrow,” I told them, "we will sail along the river for a day or two on our rafts.”

p After supper we rehearsed the details of our trip to the field several times. When Vasya Chaly gave the signal, by raising a pennant on a long pole, all the crews would run up to Tolya Barashkin in an agreed order.

p The next morning a truck arrived from the state farm. Before Serdelnikov had time to even say two words the boys responded to Chaly’s signal and rushed into the back of the 27 truck from both sides.

p “You have really drilled them,” said the driver. "I thought it would take them a couple of hours to get ready.”

p Serdelnikov smiled with pleasure.

p ...While the unit next to us was still counting its rows of potatoes our own “crews” had taken their fields by storm and did not pause until they were finished. From time to time Chaly moved the unit’s pennant to a new position.

p By noon we had completed work on our own sector. After we each completed one more row we walked over to the second unit.

p The second unit’s counselor was scolding a young boy who refused to work.

p “Just look at this Pioneer!" she turned to Serdejnikov. "He does not want to help the state farm, ’I am not a tractor,’ he says, ’I am not made of iron.’ "

p Serdelnikov remained silent.

p “You should be ashamed of yourself!" the counselor continued. "Who taught you to say such things? We will have to discuss this at our council meeting or perhaps write to your school. Why don’t you look at how the first unit’s Pioneers are working?”

p We did not wait for the truck and returned to our wharf on foot. That evening at the general gathering Serdelnikov greatly praised our unit. At that point Tolya Barashkin stepped forward and announced in a loud clear voice:

p “Comrade Director, tomorrow our Sea Lion Flotilla is leaving for a two-day trip. It invites you on board its flagship, the Variag\"

p That evening at dinner I was a guest of Serdelnikov.

p “What remarkable boys!" I exclaimed. "So much tact, and good sense!”

p “They are all right,” Serdelnikov agreed. "We do not treat them fairly at school, we are too strict.”

p “And Barashkin, what a good organizer!”

p “A born leader,” Serdelnikov laughed.

I then learned that Barashkin was a distant relative of Serdelnikov. I also learned that Serdelnikov really liked this kind of work with children. It was now late at night, and I felt great happiness sitting there in the small room and speaking freely about what had been on my mind. Serdelnikov now seemed to me to be the best of all persons. How wonderful 28 it was that I had been invited to the camp. Gradually my embarrassment for having previously misunderstood Serdelnikov dissipated.