A Review--And Some Notes
(By G. D. E.) pathos that one finds in a book by and the ripening of her literary po- roses, of, at most, building on a
"Up Stream," (Boni and Liveright)LDreiser or Hergesheimer. But it tentialities. As a culmination of her rotten foundation. In this same
Ludwig Lewisohn's autobiography, comes in flashes and these are the heavenly inspifations the Reverend analysis I found that when a person
which I read fully a month ago and high spots in the book. For this had her writing that won-der-ful line condemned criticism for not being
which I reviewed a week ago in one reason I believe that in Waldron's "In the beauty of the lilies, Christ constructive the criticism in question
of the Detroit papers, will have to novel the best drawn figure is the was born across the sea." Nothing had collided with the opinions of that
waif for_ eview in these pages for father. like enthusiasm, Parson, but it hap- person, that, in general, it had qes-
another week. I need a full quota But, in the main, it is a good book. pens that Julia Ward Howe was the tioned certain treasured inhibitions.
of space to do it justice, and due to It is a little different from most author of that poetic bit of nonsense.- -
the interruption of vacation and to American novels in that it has a bet- Certainly, a gentleman of the cloth I recommend the reading of "Little
receiving it first from the puhlish- tsr study of the coward which is Ishould he conversant with the popular' eoysend Lhe anding, (ofrLittl
ers, I must here and now review "The within most men. But aside from I hymns. But perhaps that is what Essays of Love and Virtue," (Doran)
Road to the World" (Century) by this I shall treasure it as a book giv- the Reverend calls constructive criti- byavelock Ellis. It is an intelligent
Webb Waldron. But I advise every- ing the best sketch that I have so cism. matters of sex, and can be pronured
one with a sense of literary values to far read of life in Ann Arbor. I wish - - hy the general public at the book-
get Lewsohn's book. No decent li- that the whole novel had been laid Anent constructive criticism, I find, stores for the small sum of a dollar
hrary should he without it. here. from analysis of popular opinion, that and a half. How it ever escaped com-
By the above I do not wish to con- itt consists of bolstering up the bad, stockians is more than I know. In his
vey the idea that Waldron's novel is Several weeks ago an enthusiastic of painting over worm eaten wood- introduction, Ellis leaves it to the
not a good and readable book. In reverend, inattacking me from the work, of stuffing rags in the holes young people whther his book is
fact, for a first novel, it is extremely pulpit, gave a brief of the immortal where bricks have fallen out, of cov- "suitable to be placed in the hands -of
good and I recommend' it heartily. doings of the immortal Harriet Beech- ering a wart with a bit of court older people." I think, Mr. Ellis, that
The author graduated here in 1905 er Stowe, attempting to save her from plaster, of erecting a temple and we -ought to use discretion about it. It
and over a hundred pages of his story my scurrilous typewriter. Amid much leaving a patio for the pig-pen, of would be a dangerous volume in the
have been given over to 'an Ann Arbor rhetoric and sonorousness he brought surrounding an odorous heap of gar- hands of those who had started to set
setting. In consequence of this the her up from pantalettes to maturity bage with a bundle of American beauty (Continued on Page 7)
book has been already widely read
about the campus and I scarcely need
dwell on the story itself to any great
extent.
So far as I know, Webb Waldron is
one of the two Michigan graduates
who have written novels worth read-
ing, the other being Harold Arm-
strong (Henry G. Aikman) who also
graduated in 1905 and who wrote
"Zell," one of the best novels in the
past year. To compare James Oliverie s
Curwood to either of these men would
be nearly as ridiculous as to com-
pare him to Shakespeare. Granting
the vast superiority of Shakespeare,
the gulf in either of the two compari-
Some day, perhaps, the Michiganen-
sian will give spaces of honor to such
men as Armstrong and Waldron in-
stead of to heavy jowled politicians comes the desire on the part
and big league baseball players. I I
am creditably informed that the of every man to dress up and
Right Honorable Edwin Denby and v
George Sisler are to receive the laurel /'" k his best. s b
wreath from the annual this year. * o ks b s Bursting bucs,
But let us leave the Star Spangled
Banner and the plug of tobacco and green grass, balmy breezes,
go back to the book.
Waldron's protagonist is clearly a new cothes-they all go to-
human being with all the faultts and 11111
the few virtues of most humanI
beings. To be sure, he is a little geth
more l1nely sun aesthetically than
most, but none the less, he is out-
rightly graceless, wambling and pol- eieve will
most hutnon theless heIs ot- e b eyou w l be peasedi
troonish at times. He has exalted
and poetic moments but he succumbs w ith our stock of clothes for
in the end to all the clownishess and
fears and stupidity of the average
Homo sapiens. Even his sexual deyour spring an.d summer
sires, courageous and gallant in his
dreams, become weak-kneed when wear.,[
confronted by the actuality of a ready
woman, and so he becomes a perfect
picture of the swashbucking roister- We cater especially to the young men who
er who spends an entire afternoon
over a single glass of beer, of the want to dress distinctively and yet conserva-
risqu6 raconteur whose most highly li
colored practices are attending avy
cheap burlesque or reading a Hearst
magazine. He has none of the sincere
swagger and active masculinity of a May we serve you?
Shakespeare, or a Cellini, or a Villon,
or a Balzac, or a Whitman.
I know of few novels more real-
istically portrayed. Waldron gives a
htterspicture and atmosphere of theKC
pages than Shaw does in his wholeJ r ARL M ALCOLM
book on the institution. The , chief
trouble is that Waldron does not al-
ways get his 'characters In the round; 604 EAST LIBERTY STREET
they are often little more than two-
dimensional, or at most, in bas-relief,; "QUALITY FIRST- ECONOMY ALWAY "
As far as he has gone he has done _ .I S A W YS
exceedingly well, but somehow or
other, the book lacks the tang of
_ ._.'