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THE MICHIGAN DAILY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1922
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1922
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
PAGE a
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[C AND 1
ICIANS =3
C EWING =
I wonder whether anyone can ima-
gine what sort of uproarious commo-
tion would ensue if the Actors Equity
Association should suddenly take it
upon itself to prescribe the menus of
all meals for every household in
America. Everyone would ind such
a thing too preposterously Glbertian
to be even comprehended let alone tol-
erated And yet no one seems to find.
it in any way extraordinary that the
newspapers of the country Should
have assumed thetresponsibility of se-
lecting and providing the musical fare
which is sent out nightly over the
radio to countless households. Think
this over for a moment and see if itI
does not appear so colossally absurd
as to be almost delightful. But while
it is to laugh, it is also to weep a
little.
I am sure that during the past year
I have greatly grievd more than one
of my radio-infatuated friends by not
entering with any abandon into their
riotous enthusiasm over the new in-
strument. I have the greatest respect
for the radio per se, but I have been
unable to wax ecstatictover it because'
I have only the slightest respect for
the kind of stuff which, save in the
rarest instances, is sent out over it.
And I really do not see why I or any-,
one else should become entirely upset4
with joy over a device which, even in
the rarest instances, under present
conditions, provides nothing that can
not be obtained with infinitely greater
comfort and satisfaction from a Vic-
trola, an Encyclopedia Britannica, and
a daily newspaper. From these last
three one can. at least choose what
material he wants instead of being
compelled to take what is given, and
one is harrassed by no static disturb-
ances!
It may as well be said her that in
this article I have none to offer of
what is known as "constructive criti-
cism." It has struck me as being
highly curious and not a little deplor-
able that the Detroit News for in-
stance should have become a provider
of the public's music. But if you
should suddenly point a rigid finger at
me and demand just exactly who
should have charge of the radio music
I would be quite bewildered, and
would probably stammer the Geolo-
gists, or the Mounted Police, or per-
haps the Musicians. I am not one to
attempt to suggest what is the impec-
cably correct entertainment to be sent
to the radio-listeners or who are the
impeccably correct persons to send it.
Of course I have my ideas of what I
would like for myself, but I shrink
from uttering these for publication.
The Great Public would consider them
quite unworthy of being considered at
all. But if there are any readers who
are curious to know what I would.say
on the subject not as criticism for pub-
lication, but as bavarderie at an Edith
Dale salon evening, I will whisper a
few words to these alone if the Great
Public will kindly turn over the page.
Since the radio is something new
under the sun, I would that it might
be used as a sort of Hermes for all
the other new things which are wast-
ing their sweetness on garret air.
There is something a little sad in see-
Ing a brand-new invention, perfectly
expressive of the mood of the hour
and brimful of promise, being burd-1
ened from its very birth by having toI
carry to the ends of the earth the dis-
molest accumulations 'of.the whole
past. Why in the name of all that iso
"en rapport with the spirit (Vfthe age"l
should the radio be used to broadcast
the now almost unendurable "Poet j
and Peasant Overture" instead -of the l
Strawinsky "Ragtime," a character-
istic product of the time, but onei
which is shunned alike in the concert.
hall and on the vaudeville - stage be=-
cause it is too wild"'t The radio,
would be a most appropriate vehicle
for Strawinsky's music, but it is not j
for, the classics. Haydn's "Surprise1
Symphony" over the radio is quite as,
incongruous as Saint Francis of Assis-
i in a Pullman, or Joan of Arc in an1
Ert6 gown. Nothing could be more;
inconsistent, unless it were perhaps,
Strawinsky's "Ragtime" on a;
harpsichord!
If I were King of Radio I would say
o' all mature and silver-haired co:n-
positions that over my domain "they
shall not pass!" I would wavo them
and their creators a respectful, even
worshipful dismissal, and I would calla
in Ornstein, .,Prokofeiff, Malapiero,
Milhaud, Goosens, Korngold, Satie,
and Schonberg, and all the rest of the
nad, modern crew, and bid them do
their worst! I would provide strange
vew auditory sensations from strange'
n ew music over the newest and
strangest of all mediums. In short,
I would reserve the radio for only
those new things which are existing,
but of whose existence half the world
knows nothing. And in so doing I
would do the classics not an injury but
a prodigious service. After a mad and
hectic revel in radio-cacophany, the
cool, clear dawn of a Mozart sym-
phony would be more gratefully re..
freshing than it had ever been before.
I would simply provide the opportun-
ity-now lacking-of going on a caco-
phonic spree when one so desired.
In dreaming such an idle, futuristic
dream, I am well aware that I am beat-
ing in the void my luminous wings in
vain. If there is a day coming when
Strawinsky's "Ragtime" will be famil-
iar radio property, it is a day still so
far off that by the time it arrives, thej
"Ragtime" will have lost all its power
to intrigue, and will have become as
harmless and matronly as Darling
Nellie Gray. And, what's worse,
Strawinsky himself, and =all the rest,
of the noisy Advance Guard of 1922
will be resting quietly "sans 'Wine,
sans Song, sans Singer, and sans End."
work done by psychologists every-
where. In these 'particular experi-
ments of learning, education profits
f ostly. But psychology contributes
equally valuable matter to medicine,
law, the social sciences; it provides1
new methods' of manufacture, assists
in the teaching and theory of .music,
lays down the principles of salesman-
ship and advertising, and spreads out
into many other fields of human en-
deavot.
In spite of the fact (or perhaps be-
cause of the fact) that it is the -new-
est of experimental sciences, dating
back only to the middle of last cen-
tury, psychology is rapidly becoming
an invaluable aid to many of the old-
er established sciences, and some of
the arts. Whereas as short a time
ago, as falls within my memory, psy-
chology was considered merely an
adjunct-and a somewhat unwelcome,
intrusive adjunct-to the study of
philosophy, it has 'now amassed a
wealth of knowledge that entitles it
to stand on its own legs as a true sci-
ence. There are still to be found some
conservative little "fresh water" col-
leges wbhrein psychology is consid-
ered an art, rather than a science.{
Our own still catalogs the subject ofi
psychology under the general head-
ing of Philosophy. .But in equipmentj
of laboratgries and in the faculty of
its psychology department, Michigan;
fortunately has the best. It isn't often
we find things to be thankful for.
This is one of the rare occasions.
Eleonora Duse -j
(Continued from Page One.) j
of her face feels and suffers: the
haunting glance is turned inward, the
caressing touch of her beautiful hand
is athirst and yearning; the audience
senses the darting pulse beneath the
immobility of rhythmic gesture.
None can resist her magnetism; no
one could wish to resist it. .Her pres-
ence attracts; she need resort to no
devices. She does not pose, she has
:1a.
no artifice:- -Eleonora Duse is like life.
inponderable, omnipotent, but she is
always sincere :Effort and constraint
have no meaning for her; she is a.re-
alist. Although seldom carefully at-
tired and usually with hair disorder-
ly and indifferently arranged, she is
beautiful. She goes before, ler audi-
ence without make-up, for sjie is at
one with Rodin in this, his statement.
"When an artist,..intending-. to im-
prove upon nature, adds green'to the
springtime, rose* to the sunrise, car-
mine to young lips, he creates ugliness
because he lies."
Eleonora Duse's originality as -an
actress, and her creative power as a
genius, lie in complete devotion to
truth, her realism. With^Hamlet she
might say:
"Seems, madam! 'nay, it is, I know
not "seems"
* * * * * * these indeed seem
For they are actions that a manynight
play
But I have that within which pass-
eth show,
IOhese but the trappings and the suits
o. woe."
It, has become a commonplace
among the critics to say that no play
Is great enough to bring out Duse's
whole powers. Many mediocre plays
and several exceedingly poor charac-
ters in dramas have been made things
of transcendent beauty merely by the
magic spell of her presence.
And now the report is abroad that
Signora Duse is coming to America,
hed came here long ago, before Paris
'had invested her with laurels, and
now we can anticipate nothing finer
than a return in the fullness of her
maturity.
The "Autobiography of Countess Leo
Tolstoy" will be issued immediately
by B. W. Huebsch, Inc. The book has
a full introduction and many notes
and appendices which add invaluable
and much new material to the story
of Count Tolstoy's life with his family..
4
death of her father, Barbara assumes 1 istin thisbook his style resembles
the name of Fancy Telling and a that of the American journalist, clear,
minor part- in a prominent musical direct. unequivocal.
revue. The slight talent inherited from Elizabeth Davis Ornduff.
her mother would be insufficient were .
it not for the patronage of - George
Champneys, the -popular comedian and. ReM.tnsCenceSof
manager of the revue. Barbara's con-
tacts with men, during this period,;
leave her. cold. Emotional. demonstra- By Gorky, Kuprin and Bunin-
-tions excite only a . physical nausea. (Huebsch)I
Her experience in. life is yet super- 4 In the foreground of realists that
ficial -when she marries Champneys. Russia -has produced since the middle
Her husband promises that love will of last century, stand Maxim Gorky
come to her after marriage. It does, and Anton Pa-vlow-itch- Chekhov. They
but not for him. -Her surreptitious are often spoken of, in one breath, as
passion for Champneys' secretary re- being very much alike in their art.
sults in the lover's murder by the hus- Both are masters of the short story.
band. And -the last part of the book( Both draw their characters chiefly
is replete with incidents which would from the oppressed, and therefore the
be distinctly melodramatic were they ( more sordid, classes of society. And
depicted in a less restrained manner. each of the has produced literature
A child is born, starvation threatens, that has in it all the elements of per-
the child is "given as a sacred trust manence. As artists, each is the par-
to a better woman who can provide allel of the other. But there the sim-
the true environment," a new liaison ilarity must end.
is formed, on a strictly business basis; II doubted very much, previous to
even a vision of the future greatness reading this book, whether Chekhov1
of her son appeare to the mother. In wlleled Gorky's atti-
this is the book least convincing, oth- !tudetoward the Russian revolutions
erwise it is the daily case of the one of 1917 and the consequent attempts
woman in ten, who commits adultery at reconstruction, had he lived that
within the marriage bonds and islong. I rather thought that Chekhov
caught. The other nine are a shadowould have stayed on in seclusion
more discreet, or more fortunate. The awaiting results, instead of helping to
'long arm of coincidence' 'is employed brin themlnsandIo dthat-
a little too obviously in supplying thet rbring them on. And I hopedt
philanthropic Mrs. Myrtle to take thee pe the o t C metho
child. The diverse and temperamental from the pens of three itnimate
persons of the theatrical coterie are fins ofbthe authr ws clsar
treated with incisive penetration. But those doubts. In that, I was disap-
psychology seems to be the author's pointed.
sole scientific forte, for he defies sci- Alexander Kuprii attempts to clear
ence tby denying heredity, even of Chekhov o theicharge of "aloofness
physical attributes, except by sugges- Rutowards' events which agitated the
tion, and sponsoring the old fallacy .eRussiany telligentsia." But he suc--
of maternal impression. ceeds only in fastening the guilt upon
The curiously insistent motif of tri~ Chekhov in a way that leaves very
niity recurs in the three phases of the little doubt. One is quite firmly con
woman's development-Barbara Pow- vinced, after reading Kuprin's feeble
erscourt, Mrs. George Champneys, and defense, that Chekhov would have act
Fancy Telling; her three major affairs ed in true Chekhovian style had he
du coeur; and again in Caleb's defini- lived fifteen years longer. le would
tion of life. "We are too apt to look have "suffered in silence," as Kuprin
at things in terms of duality, whereas tells us he always did when it came
everything is a trinity. There is ac- I to politics. Personally, I should cre-
Here,- as -in the, two other- short
memoirs, -one sees a- Chekhov quite
different from the general impression'
o , an author - whose chief stock-in-
trade is banality. For Chekhov, the
worst evil in the world was- the com-
m6nplace and the trite in the life of
the masses. It pained him because;
he saw it in all-its drabness, and he,
felt the forlorn nature of that life.
His -method, then, was to show up that
banality to a self-admiring world
and leave it to formulate its own con-
clusions as-to the ways of making the3
world a better place in which to live.
Maxim Gorky speaks- of Chekhov as
having. been beautifully simple, genu-
ine and sincere. He possessed the
rare ability, in a great man, of mak-
ing other people feel simple and en-
tirely "at home" in his presence. And,
in spite of dealing in his works withj
the dreary things in life, Chekhov was (
far from a pessimist. Gorky, who tells
us more about Chekhov the artist, as
well as Kuprin and Bunin who knewr
him in the- greater intimacy of his
home, speak of his untiring optimism.
In private life, Chekhov never wearied
talking of "the joyous future which is
awaiting mankind."
-Both Bunin and Kuprin tell of
Chekhov's encouragement to young
writers, and of his bitterness toward
the Russian critics who had attacked
him in his youth. When some of his
friends suggested to Chekhov that
they might celebrate his jubilee, he
objected strongly. "I know your ju-
bilees," he complained. "For twenty-
five years they (the critics) do noth-
ing but abuse and ridicule a man, and-
then you give him a pen made of alu-
minum and slobber over him for a
whole day, and cry, and kiss him, and
gush'!" He might have added that
when it is all over, they go back to
their abuse and ridicule.,
A word must be said about the
translation which was done so admir-
ably by S. S. Koteliansky and Leon-
ard Woolf. On the whole, they seem-
ed to have preserved the flavor of the
Russian sketch. -Especially
notable in the translation of C
recollections, which is rema
well done. Several minor mi
occur. The most flagrant of t1
the use of the word "small," oz
39, where the use of "petty"
have made the sentence muc
ambiguous.
Though a thin volume, the co
ation of the three Russian autho
the two translators has given
appreciation of Chekhov which :
worth the reading. When the hl
that followed the World War ha
sided entirely; when Russia
longer looked upon as a a
wherewith to conjure fear in the
of the mischevious child and tb
lible adult; when America has h
fill of hounding imaginary "ener
alien birth"; in other words,
America once more regains he
ity, Americans will turn again
reading of the splendid literatui
duced by the Russian school o
ists. And a better knowledge
ton Chekhov's life will be cons
valuable.
Saul Cai
'Books Rveceive
The Penitent, by Edna Wo
Underwood. (Houghton, Mifflij
Love Conquers All, by Robi
Benchley. (Henry Holt & Co.)
Signs of Sanity, by Stewart
(Charles' Scribner's Sons.) $1.50
Thb Family Tan, by John
worthy. (Charles Scribner's
Loyalties, by John Galsw
(Charles Scribner's Sons.) $1.0
Lc-ttrs of J,ames tibbo-s siI
(Charles Scribner's Sons.) $3.5
IKing Arthur's Socks and Oth
lage Plays, by Floyd Dell. (I
$-.50.
Swinburne's Atalanta in C
and Erechtheus, with notes, by
ion Clyde Vier. (Wahr). $2.0
-
I
DIAMONDS RESET
TO GREAT ADVANTAGE
In Platinum or White Gold
Settings
In Our Own Shop - One Day Service
tion, reaction, and the spirit. it in_-
vokes." One wonders if Caleb is voic-
ing Aumonier's philosophy. "He de-t
scribed himself as an agnostic, with(
a sneaking regard for theosophy and
a confirmed belief in reincarnation.I
'Because it confirms my faith in there,
being no such thing as retrogression. e
If you believe in physical evolution,
you must believe in spiritual evolution.
Everything is emerging-going for-
ward'." Or is the book a refutation t
of this theory? Barbara's child is in
the same situation with which she,
herself, began life; rather more like aJ
diabolic cycle -than a beneficent pro-
gression.(
Stacy Aumonier's literary style is
simple and unadorned. There is none
of the romantic exoticism, nor the!
scintillating repartee which is charac-
teristic of many contemporary novel-
dit Anton Pavlowitch Chekhov with
being above participation in the in-
tellectual sabotage which smeared
blood-red the hands of so many Rus-
sian professors and writers, while the
revolution was in danger. But the
best with which one can credit Chek-
hov is indifference to the ,cause of
Russia's emancipation.
And with that ends the only impres-
sion of a negative nature gained from
the reading of these "Reminiscences."
With the exception of this single fail-
tire, which is attributing to Chekhov
himself rather than to his friends, the
110 pages present a sympathetic, well
handled, and well balanced sympo-
sium on one of Russia's great masters
of literature.
Two years after Chekhov's death,'
Maxim Gorky wrote the fragment
which is included in this volume.
G ood
A
PracticalPsychology
(Continued- from Page One)
intends to use in experimenting upon
-monkeys, This will help science to
draw conclusions as to how much
closer to the human is the monkey, as
compared with other animals.
These experiments are indicative of
only a small portion of the important
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IVER SOITY
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