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October 02, 1938 - Image 8

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1938-10-02

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

TIDE MICHIGAN DAILY

IN

THE

WORLD

OF

BOOKSi

THE LIBERALS

Preston's Novel
A Welcome Relief.

'House Of All N
Attempt At S(

N,

the people she writes about really ex- The day of naturalism for natural-
aionsBulky ist. But that does not justify her ism's sake is gone.
book as an artistic effort. Few people Miss Stead's heart is in the right
ci a D ocum en would contend that an author could place, but I will 'enjoy her next book
write a sprightly little novel about a much more if she will revise it before
publication, making her story a story,
Which brings up my other objec- 'family of perverts and masochists making her story pointed, scratching
tion. If Miss Stead is insistent enough, !without attempting to offer a justifi- out a few hundred pages and scratch-
I am perfectly willing to believe that Ijcation for the existence of :he book. 1 ing out a few hundred characters,
Xp

TilE LTBERALS, by John Hyde Pres-.
ton. John Day Co., New York. $2.50.,
By GEORGE MUTRNICK I
The scene is a smal Connecticut
town. But don't mistalke it. These
are no horse and buggy days. You'll
find in this town Fitzpatrick, a re-
spectable leader of the Town's Pa-
triotic Comittee He has been evict-
ing tenants as well as acting as a
spy for the Nazis. You'll find Greg,
a spirited young Communist who has
renounced the benevolent autocracy
of his father (Marston), the local in-
dustrialist. Greg's brother Will leans
toward Fitzpatrick; sister Ann, to-
ward Greg. The character around
whom the whole story spins is Phil.
He is a liberal. When the story opens'
he can't make up his mind where he
stands. He is a frustrated artist. He is
also longing for a woman.
Having just left his Canadian re-
treat in despair, Phil comes to visit
Will. In the Marston house Phil is
injected into the conflict of ideas and
values which make our political aild,
cultural life so exciting today. Events
move fast. Phil falls in love with
Ann to whom he is drawn more close-
ly as together they emerge from the
state of indecisive liberalism. He is
drawn with Greg into a conflict be-
tween poor tenants and Fitzpatrick's
armed thugs. When he sees an old
man being slaughtered, he can no
longer stay on the sidelines. He gets
his head cracked. Now he is better.
able to understand the way Obilitch,
the trade union leader, has of look-'
ing at things. Philgoes to the par-
ties of the local intelligentsia and
finds a pseudo-intellectualism which
is unmasked by their drinking bouts
and sexual debaucheries. He finds
something much more wholesome in.
the vigor of Greg's proletarian poetry.
Mr. Marston. a kindly if troubled
old soul, is also a liberal of a sdrt. He
doesn't like Fitzpatrick, and beneath
it all he likes Greg better than Will.
L

But he wants his men to trust iU him, terial a keen analysis of the charac- HOUSE OF ALL NATIONS, by Chris- i
not the CIO. For a long time he feels ters and events of modern life. The tina Stead. Simon & Schuster, 7951
an affinity with Phil. The latter, clarity with which he portrays dy- pp. $5.00.
however, under the pressure of events. namic growth of character amid the By HARVEY SWADO a
parts ways with Old Marston. In the 1combined influence of physical and I would like to give a brief outline
moments of crisis, Phil gains insight intellectual happenings is the most of the story of this book, since that
into the nature of his split with this distinguished quality of his work. The is what one generally does in news-
well-meaning liberal character. He Liberals is a welcome relief from the paper reviews, but if Miss Stead has
understands that the liberal "lived . been unable to tell a story in 800
in a world where ie thought allI sg hpages, I hardly feel that I can do it
things were solved by the individual the work of better known pens. in a few paragraphs.
-by his enlightened understanding, Should we mention, for example, The House of All Nations, despite itsf
his love of justice, his powerful and Prodigal Parents? size, its ballyhoo, its publishers, its
balanced sense of the good." Large .._;sales, its favorable Fadiman plug, and
numbers of individuals together be- tion "was born in America . .. dur- the reputation of its author, is in my
come a new quality which only the' hopinion a very bad book. What Miss
mass can represent. The question in ing the hanaicraft period," and that.Stead attempts to do is to give a pano-
Phil's mind becomes one of choosing Franklin "invented . . . the American rama of the lives and intrigues of the
sides. Not so with Marston. Only Spirit." ,Because of his technological international bankers and finan-
after his own daughter is shot by his bias he finds that little or no con- ciers; what she does is to write page
hired guards while she attempts to tinuity existed between civilizations after page of description of the con-
bring aid to the sit-down strikers, before the invention of the printing versation of dozens of queer, unreal
does he submit to the CIO. It is sub- press. But the gap between the an- people. She makes no pretense of
mission, not acceptance. 'cient world and the mediaeval, which telling a connected story, but she is
Mr. Preston has brought to his ma- he makes so much of, was a gap pri- obviously hopeful that her book will
___ marily in technology. And on the be referred to in the reviews as an
other hand, there was in literature, epic. This is what I object to.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
dobe-rc esoal.Nwbd

I

theology and philosophy a definite
IM Ncontinuity, (as Gilson, for one, has
________ shown in his Spirit of the Middle
A Novel.ISt's H istory of ^Ages)..
Besides his technological bias,
American Invention Burlingame is afflicted with a cer-
tain insensitivity to the texture of
(continued from Page 4) events, and the details of human as-
sociation. To him, for example, the
tory, the railroads, Ben Franklin) is printing press is necessarily a cause of
written in a lucid, pelasing, lukewarm greater unity. Perhaps it is, but it
style. Unfortunate iapses of diction, has usually served to destroy older
as his reference to inventors being unities (the names of Luther, Vol-
"inextricably associated with the taire, Tom Paine, come to mind), and
stuffiness of oatmeal" are few. it has always produced a new unity.
But his historical theory has not This episodic history is not altogeth-
been assimilated. At the beginning er worthless. As a good, non-tech-
of each chapter he makes a methodo- nical survey - of American invention,
logical offering to Clio, and then tells it may, when its formidable 442 pages
his story without utilizing it. His are cut to 200 and infused with some
prefaces point out that invention is a slight degree of perspective, prove of
slow growth, contributed to by many permanent value to high school stu-
hands, but his chapters contain daz.. dents and to those college students
zling conclusions such as that inven- I who seek nothing deeper.

It is damnably difficult to tell the
characters apart, but after you have
plowed through a certain amount of
the book you come to the conclusion
that it doesn't make much difference
anyway. For her people exist merely
to say strange things, to live strange
lives, without having either actual or
symbolic significance. They talk
casually of millions of dollars, francs,
or gulden; they are completely cyni-
cal. Half of them are communists,
the other half fascists. The com-
munists spend their time in buying
and selling non-existent grain, etc.
and in devising methods whereby the
Party can make profits, like a good
business organization. The fascists
are merely nasty morons: I can hard-
ly quarrel with Miss Stead in this
generalization, but I do not see how
the expansion of such a statement
can enhance the artistic qualities of,
her book.

i-
FOR RENT
FOR RENT-Very attractive for wo-
man, in business or school. Home
privileges. 411 E. Washington near
State. 6318. 69
FOR RENT-Double room for boys.
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highway, Dexter, Michigan. 50
FOR RENT-Beautifully furnished
suite for three. Private bath and
shower. Also newly deccrated
double. Steam heat. Phone 8544.
422 E. Washington. 76
FOR RENT-Furnished Apt. 711 Ann
St. Two blocks from campus. Key
at Apt. 3. 78
FOR RENT-Suite, study room, and
sleeping porch. Instructor or gradu-
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82
FOR RENT-First class single and

double, price reasonable. New .beds
and desks. 1117 S. Forest. 36
LOST and FOUND
LOST-Green Wild hat from open
car along So. Fourth or E. William
initialed NSR. Call N. S. Robson,
2-3297. 34
LOST-Pair of horn-rimmed glasses
in case marked Burdines, Miami,
Fla. Please return to Lawyer's Club,
Room E. 33. ' 83
NOTICES
ENROLLMENT in Public Evening
School classes Monday evening, Oct.
10th. Classes in Shorthand, Typing,
Bookkeeping, English, Mathematics,
French, German, Spanish, Citizen-'
ship, English for Foreigners, Art,
Public Speaking, Sports, 'Piano,
Sewing; First Aid, Home Nursing,
Photography, Woodwork, Drama-
tics, tip Reading, Mechanical Draw-
ing, Interior Decorating, Aviation,
Cooking, Salesmanship, and Mer-
chandising. Registration Fee. Ann,
Arbor High School. For further in-
formation call 5797. 81
MISCELLANEOUS
WASHED SAND and Gravel, Drive-
way gravel, washed pebbles. Killins
Gravel Company, Phone 7112. 17
WANTED - TYPING
VIOLA STEIN--Experienced typist.
Reasonable rates, 706 Oaklaid.
Phone 6327. .10

LAUNDRIES
LAUNDRY - 2-1044. Sox darned
Careful work at low prices.
LAUNDRY-Studeits' laundry. Shi
12c. We call for and deliver. Phon
4863 for other prices. Mrs. Richard
SILVER LAUNDRY
607 Hoover Phone 5594
Free pickups and deliveries
Price List
All articles washed and ironed.
Shirts. .................12
Undershirts................04
Shorts . ........ ......04
Pajama Suits 10
Socks, pair..03
Handkerchiefs..............02
Bath ,Towels .............03
All Work Guaranteed
Also special prices on Coed's laun-
dries. All bundles done separately.
No markings. Silks, wools our
specialty.
FOR SALE
FOR SALE--Fine hunting dog. Reg
istered pedigreed German Pointe
Call 2-2961.
FOR SALE-Ford car, 1934 ForF
Sedan. In excellent shape. doo
tires, battery. $125. Phone 3305. '
'FOR SALE-Microscope, complete it
cluding oil immersion. Reasonab
priced. Phone 8867. 1

assues

m

'f

Woollcott

To Open

Lecture Series Oct. 25

Alexander Woollcott will make his second Ann Arbor appearance on October
25. Author of "While Rome Burns," and compiler of the "First" and "Second
Woollcott Reader,' he was dramatic critic for the New York Times, the New York
Herald Tribune, and the New York World. Alexander Woollcott is probably best
known for his popular series of broadcasts titled "The Town Crier."

!/

.

..' /.

PRICES

I'

ALEXANDER WOOLLCOTT

Single Admission
Tickets
Main floor...75c

COL. W. STEWART RODDIE,

C.V. O., will

Season Tickets
Main floor.$3.50
Three central sections-
Main floor. $3.00
Extreme right and left-
First Balcony, three central sections $3.00
First Balcony, extreme right and left $2.75

present "European Mosaic," on Nov. 29.

His talk,

Balcony

,..5c

will be an account of the conditions in Europe.

I

(Woolicott and van Zeeland single,
admission tickets .. . $1.00 and 75c)

!'_____.----

MAIL ORDERS NOW

Applications for tickets will be filled in the order
received. Mail all orders to the Oratorical Asso-

DR. PAUL VAN ZEELAND is probably the outstand-
ing figure among the younger European statesmen. As a
member of the Belgium Relief Commission, former Premier
of Belgium, and author of the van Zeeland World Trade
Report, lie became an internationally renowned figure.
Van Zeeland will appear on the lecture series Nov. 15.

ciation, 3211 Angell Hall, Ann Arbor.

rI

..
Ism.

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