Prayers to Stalin

The Italian newspaper Messagero gives an example of how the Russians try to drive religion from the schools in Poland.
A teacher, pointing to the Crucifix on the schoolroom wall, asked the children what it was. " The Crucifix," they answered. "And what's it doing there?" " It is there because we pray to it," the children said. " What's the use of prayer?" the master said. " To give us grace." " Well, then," the teacher went on, " pray to the Crucifix to give you sweets."
The children went on their knees and prayed. After a few minutes the teacher said, " Well, you see the sweets have not arrived. This means that the Crucifix is useless. We shall see if we cannot do better than that." And, replacing the Crucifix by a picture of Stalin, the teacher bade the children pray again, this time to Stalin.
Immediately the door opened and sweets were brought into the room and distributed, The newspaper goes on to report other failures of the Russians in Poland to suppress religion. The churches, according to Italian refugees from Poland, cannot be closed because the people refuse to listen to propaganda destined to make them support such a measure. On the contrary, the churches are constantly crowded.