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SUNDAY MAGAZINE
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SUNDAY, MAY 14, 1922
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THE CRITICS FALL OUT
Over Webb Waidron's Book
(By Delbert Clark) they fail to she a thing it cannot long chester Union, *or would be if Mr. One chapter which would probably
Yhen Webb' Waldron Wrote "The exist, and that. the best remedy)/for Waldron was trying to make a real kindle the blush' of shame upon the
ad t the World," he accomplished any evil is ignorance of it. This class man out of Staninstead of creating a parental brows tells how the hero
s thing if_ no other; he caused a of people, a generation ago, declined consistent picture of a personality, visits a house of prostitution, and the
A amount of rustling among the dry to open their windows at night be- that Stan does not here (at Ann other chapter tells how a young lady
ies, and got the critics most beauti- cause the night air was harmful! Arbor) fall in with some of the fine school teacher in a moment of bore-
ly divided pro and con. In this But a few quotations from the vari- clean living athletic chaps that every dom asks our hero to take her 'with-
k, a portion of which deals' with ous reviews of the book will say more university can show among its per- out love for the sheer joy of it.' They
at Michigan, he has done a thing than I can about the minds of the re- sonnel. But that would have spoiled certainly do talk franlkly, these mod-
many fear to do-he shows without viewers. the story.'..One of the claims of the ern children, and what will be left
y both sides; clean or smirched, of Heywood Broun, writing for the publishers is that Mr. Waldron's book of the grandchildren with all this
principal character, And paints New York World, says conservatively is as authentic as a George ,nness candor, we shudder to think...."
ple as they are, not as we might but truthfully, "'The Road to the painting. It is. And one is moved to No need to shudder, Mr. White.
e to have them. In so doing he has World' has- observed one person so stop right here and reflect that it is Clean frankness never hurt, anyone,
face the ine itable, a red-faced closely on his path from boyhood up God's mercy that the mind of the and it has done a world of solid good.
ry of protest from those who, see- that touches us all at every stage ,great Inness did not turn his meticu- And the children are not so childish as
perhaps /in some of his pictures of the journey. It deserves to com- lous and exact brush to the depict- you might think. They no longer be-
urbingly familiar features, hide mand general interest. You are not ing of the sort of thing which Mr. lieve in Santa Claus till after they
ir confusion under a mask of likely to find many books more true Waldron has done so'vividly through- have' cast their first vote, and they
,hteous indignation," and point a than this one." out his book." know that storks are birds that build
ming finger. "That is the trouble," chants the In contrast, this frdm the Buffalo their nests "bn top of chimneys in
t is not fair to put all his critics antistrophic chorus, "it touches us all Express: "If is a strong, clean, Denmark. Their candor does not
this class, however, and yet it is at every stage of the journey, and thoughtful story." Just that. In hurt them. Only it is hard for the
d to say if they will profit by. re- some of those spots are tender." But similar vein the Fort Worth Star- mind that is still groping about in the
ssification. For there are also those Heywood Broun was frank enough to Telegram says that "Mr. Waldron has period of twenty-five years ago to
o do not feel themselves on famil- admit it. a sane, mature, healthy outlook on realize how young people can speak
ground when -A questionable scene Right on the heels of that comes life. And he can write as few others frankly about matters of sex and
depicted, but who, in holy horror, the Pittsburgh Chronicle-Despatch, in this country can write." morals 'without being contaminated.
their faces before the light of with the statement that "The re- The St. Louis Globe Democrat mor- It is the old erroneous idea that any-
th, .and preach the blessed doc.- viewer cannot commend it as a book alizes for a space, commenting on the thing pertaining to sex differentia-
ae of ignorance. These have as for family reading, owing to its oc- Ann Arbor setting of part of the tion is shameful, and must not be
ir shining example Dr. Hugo casional bluntness of language and novel: "'Especially graphic is his, mentioned in polite society. If there
ensterberg, who published widely broad suggestiveness." story of his Ann Arbor experiences, had been less of that attitude in the
ook on "Psychology, and Social John V. A. Weaver, of the Brook- and as the author is a graduate of years past there would be less indis-
ity," in one chapter of which he lyn Eagle, has this to say: "This real- that University, some of them may be cretion today. .And the young people
h most alluring arguments de- istic. novel is written with a fine care founded on fact. Stan is neither 4 of today would not look so "wild" if it
nced all sex education, on the as- and : feeling and is a rather excep- drunkard nor a waster, and in his were not for the background of
iption that ignorance is beneficial, tional character study.. .Webb Wal- battle with circumstance is never a shameful secrecy against which for
that what children don't know dron, who wrote 'The Road to the material but only a spiritual winner. the most part their wholesome frank-
't hurt them! World' has -a gift for using humor It is a story to read and ponder over, ness is .thrown in relief.
is most interesting to read the for grimly realistic characterization. for it is the story of the lives of many Two Michigan papers show start-
iments of the reviewers on Wal- The book is genuinely consistent. young men-and women, too, for that ling differences of opinion. The De-
n's book, and study personalities Given Stan's character as it is shown matter." It is refreshing when some- troit Journal comments on the story
>ugh them. Some commend the growing, the resultant catastrophe to one sees beneath the surface, isn't it, as being "faultlessly written, obvious-
'k as a true picture; others speak his life is inevitable." This is about Mr. Waldron? - ly sincere, and fascinating not be-
ly, casting cautious glances at as .much as anyone could say. And now comes dear Mr. White- cause of a melodramatic quality but
r public, and still others denounce The Hartford Courant waxes en- William Allen White, who says, "If for the complets and conspicuous ab-
ound'ly, not, mind you, because it thusiastic in its comment, saying that the children can just manage to skip sence of melodrama." And a Bay City
not true, for they know it is, but "The publishers of 'The Road to the two chapters In Webb Waldron's 'The paper refuses to review the book be-
ause it hurts to know the truth. World' may be congratulated on their Road to the WorlI' they can gather cause it is unfit reading for a young
y are the kind who deliberately introduction to the public of a -new around the hearth and read a most girl!
e their eyes against the truth, writer of genuine artistic endowment." enjoyable book aloud without sending Gentle readers, "Choose ye this day
-the ostrich, convinced that if "It is a great pity," says the Man- mother and father out of the room, whom ye will serve!"
(By Virginia Tryou)
of all that the Univers
n library contains in the
bound periodicals, sci
in all branches repres
nt collections of years
the activities of nation
ional meetings and c
f great value in the fie
knowledge-all these alpl
led and contained in a
bound book .which fitsI
ordinary brief case-t
:y indeed!
the latest and most up-t
efficient method of carry
rd catalogue system a
ld with you, and it was
y William 'W. Bishop, U
arian, as part of his pi
r the book-buying trip
The Photostat Helps the Librarian
he made to Europe, last summer and may mean), "Great Britain Historical sion; therefore the library must have
ity of fall. Manuscript Commission, report on the the first report.
mat- There is more to such an undertak- mss. of the Marquis of Armonde, pre- When a man goes to Europe to pur-
entiflc ing than is generally supposed. A served at the castle of Kilkenny." chase additional sets and to complete
University library, such as the one here There is scope for imagination in others, it is obvious that it would be
enting at Michigan, finds it necessary to se- them all. No less than fifteen differ- impossible for him to carry all that
re- cure complete sets of -hundreds of ent languages are to be found in the he already has at home in his head.
al and various scientific journals,.bound vol- collection. These give only a faint He must take along a list of what he
onfer- ues of the annual reports of such suggestion of the great variety of re- has so that he will not duplicate his
lds of societies as the Royal Geographic, the ports which are on file in the library. volumes. Of course, he always makes
habet- Royal Society of London, the Institute It is necessary for the University to a list of what he wants before he goes,
light- of Bankers, astronomical associations, have these journals and volumnes, for but that is really another matter and
neatly medical associations, and many others. it is in them that the original reports is easy enough. The main point is,
his is Some titles picked at random from the of many important discoveries in all that he is likely to run across works
list are, "Scotland Highlands and fields -of learning and industry are first which he did not know of, and there-
o-the- Islands medical service board re- recorded, in very full and complete fore has been unable to place on his
ring a port," "Parliamentary debates from form. Many of the discoveries them- lists of desiderata. And unless he has
round the Great Britain Parliament, House selves are afterwards written up in at hand a list of those which the
origi- of Commons," "The Molieriste, a textbook or other form, but they are library already contains, he is unable
niver- monthly revue," (in French), "Buda- never repeated in such detail. In much to know whether to make ~the pur-
repar- pest-Tudomanyegyetemk, Acta Reg. research work it is necessary chase or not.
which Scient. Universitatis" (whatever that to have access to the original discus- (Continued on Page 7)