SPARGO, John, American author: b. Stithians, Cornwall, England, 31 Jan. 1876. He was educated in the public schools and under the University extension courses of Oxford and Cambridge. At the age of 18 he became identi fied with the Socialist movement in England; he publicly opposed the Boer War and in 1901 came to the United States, where he has been active as Socialistic lecturer, writer and worker. In 1910 Mr. Spargo was United States delegate to the International Socialist and Trade Union Congress, Copenhagen. For several years he served on the national execu tive committee of the Socialist party; was dele gate to all leading conventions of the party; and State chairman of Vermont. In May 1917 soon after the entry of America in the war with Germany, Mr. Spargo resigned from the party because of its unpatriotic attitude toward the war. In 1918 he was made temporary chairman of the National Socialist party organ ized along new lines that year and became di rector of propaganda and of educational activ ities in the new party. Mr. Spargo is a foun der of Prospect House Social Settlement, Yonkers, N. Y., and is a member of the New York Milk Commission and of other philan thropic societies. He has published (The Bitter Cry of the Children' (1906); a Study and Interpretation of Socialist Prin ciples' (1906; rev. ed., 1909) ; 'The Socialists,
Who They Are and What They Stand For> (1906) ; 'Underfed School Children' (1906) ; (Forces that Make for Socialism in America' (1906); (Capitalist and Laborer' (1907) ; Guilty,' a drama (1907) ; (The Common Sense of the Milk Question' (Japanese and other trans lations 1908) ; 'The Common Sense of Social ism> (1908) ; 'The Socialism of William Mor ris' (1908) ; 'The Spiritual Significance of Modern Socialism' (1908) , (Socialist Readings for Children> (1909) ; 'The Substance of So cialism' (also Armenian and other transla tions, 1909) ; (Karl Marx, His Life and Work' (1909) ; 'The Marx He Knew' (1909) ; 'Side lights on Contemporary Socialism) (1910) ; 'Elements of Socialism,> with Professor Amer (1911) ; (Applied Socialism' (1912) ; 'Syn dicalism, Industrial Unionism and Socialism' (1913; various translations); and Motherhood' (1914) ; 'Marxian Socialism and Religion) (1915) ; 'Socialism and International ism' (1917) ; also numerous pamphlets, bro chures and magazine articles on social and economic questions and art. With Samuel Gompers he founded the American Alliance for Labor and Democracy in September 1917.