THE MCHIGA:N DAILY WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1854 THE MICHIGAN DAILY WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1954 JUST ANOTHER DAY? Slogans Won't Save You But Thinking May TODAY IS just another day, except that it is When people get so careless in their think- being called Safe Driving Day. Today all ing as to reduce their every act to a ridiculous kinds of emphasis will be on automobile safety. gamble, as most drivers do, things are bad indeed. But if each individual driver would only take the infinitesimally small trouble of the most dangerous addition to civilization stopping to think what safety means to his own (more so than the atom bomb). While his car chances of remaining alive, the number of radio reminds him what Day it is, his speed- accidental deaths would nosedive. ( Accidental' ometer hovers dizzily on high. He drives up a is actually the wrong term. Accidents can't convenient telephone pole still thinking it be prevented. Most automobile deaths and in- can't happen to him; or he is unable to stop in time to avoid adding several others to his Juries can be.) own obituary. ALL IT TAKES is some thinking. Brilliantly colored posters won't do it. Clever slogans CONSIDER THE poor obituary writer. Right won't do it. Setting aside a Day for special next to his typewriter is an adding ma- devotion won't do it. Each individual, acting chine, a most unnecessary adding machine. alone, can do it. There is absolutely no reason why obituary He need only ask himself: How intensely writing should be a full-time job. And all that do I want to remain alive and in good physi- is really needed to put him on a part-time cal condition? basis is a little more thinking by everyone. --Jim Dygert "Hold It, George--We've Decided To Try For A Balanced World" DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN McCarthy Aims To Stop GOP In 1956, Lead 'Hard Core' By WALTER LIPPMANN FOR HIMSELF personally the President need not defend himself against McCarthy's slander, and he might well remember the say- ing that a man can be insulted only by his equals. The slanderous accusation that anti- McCarthyism is an attempt to prevent the de- tection of Communists has been thrown by the Senator not only at the President but at nearly half the Republicans and at all the Democrats In the Senate. Is there a political purpose in all this ap- parent recklessness? And if so, what is this calculation upon which Sen. McCarthy is act- ing? That he is acting deliberately, that there Is a policy behind his bitter words, is plain enough. If he was merely, as Sen. Dirksen has argued, "an alley fighter" who loses his temper, he would have lost his temper when the Sen- ate voted to condemn him. Instead he waited until the Senate had adjourned and could not react to a new contempt. He then prepared a statement designed deliberately to make ir- reparable his break with the Administration. HE CALCULATION behind this action is, I believe, to be found in his reading of the November election returns. On a cold appraisal the returns showed, first; that the Democrats are still the majority party and, second, the returns showed that within the Republican party the largest segment of the hard core belongs to the anti-Eisenhower wing. The ba- sic position of the Republican party is one where a national victory, such as Eisenhower brought in 1952, calls for a course of action which appeals to independents and to Demo. crats but violates the convictions of the Re- publican hard core. This means that McCarthy can have no im. portant part to play in the Republican party when it is working to win the White House. He is nothing but a dangerous nuisance when the Republicans are in the White House. For the road to the White House demands a policy, like Eisenhower's, which is acceptable to mil- lions of indeiendents and liberal Democrats. McCarthy, on the other hand, can be a power in the land only by being the boss of the hard core minority of Republican reaction- aries. He will be more .of a boss and more of a power insofar as that hard core is all the Republican party there is. Almost certainly he has read the November election returns as indicating that a Repub- lican victory in 1956 will be difficult for any candidate to achieve, and that a victory is very easy for the right wing to prevent. His own political fortunes depend upon preventing another victory by the Eisenhower elements of the Republican party. His very survival as an Important figure depends upon a Republican defeat in the national elections. For in a Re- publican defeat the survivors in the Senate would be the hard core who are his followers. In breaking with Eisenhower, in dividing the party and preparing it for defeat, he is pro- moting his own political fortunes as boss of the hard core. Sixty-Fifth Year Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control of Student Publications. Editorial Staff Eugene Hartwig...................<1..Managing Editor Dorothy Myers.......................0ity Editor Jon Sobelof..........................Editorial Director Pat Roelofs......................Associate City Editor Becky Conrad.......................Associate Editor Nan Swinehart......................Associate Editor Dave Lzvingston....................Sports Editor Hanley Gurwin............Associats Sports Editor Warren Wertheimer.........Assocate Sports Editor Roz Shlmovit.. ... ... ..........Women's Editor Joy Squires...............Associate Women's Editor Janet Smith ..............Associate Women's Editor Dean Morton... , ......C. ief Photographer Business Staff Lois Polak............,.....Business Manager Phil Brunski . .. . . . .Associate Business Manager Bill Wise .... ....,...... . ..Advertising Manager Mary Jean Monkoski........"...... Finance Manager Telephone NO 23-24-1 IT IS DIFFICULT to avoid the impression that Sen. Knowland has been acting on a similar estimate of the political prospects. In an altogether different tone of voice, with al- together different manners, no doubt with very different feelings, he has put himself on the same ground as McCarthy. He has broken with the Administration on the notion that investi- gation must not be "curtailed to the slightest' degree" and that in the Far East we should proceed at once to acts of war. Thus Mr. Knowland too has broken with the Administration, though not yet in a manner which makes the break irreparable. I do not believe that he is compelled to act as he does out of sheer conviction: if he were thoroughly convinced that a warlike action is a patriotic duty, he could not consistently have particiliat- ed as Republcan leader in the reduction of the armed forces. I may well be wrong. But the readier explanation of Mr. Knowland's break with the Eisenhower administration is that he too is expecting Republican defeat in 1956, and is preparing to become the leader of the hard core of the Republican survivors. These breaks in the Party are disagreeable for the President. But they can be, indeed there is some reason for thinking that they have been, a clarification of his own choices and po- sition. Until recently, until the election returns came in and could be studied, the President was torn between two lines of action. One was to rally his own great national following behind what would be in Congress a coalition. The other line of action was to try to unite the Republicans by appeasing the right wing and by antagonizing the independents and the Democrats. McCarthy violently, Knowland moderately, have deprived the President of that choice. The argument around the White House is over. If Eisenhower is to be a successful President, it cannot be the vain attempt to "unite" the irreconcilably disunited wings of his party. It can be only by uniting behind himself the great popular national majority who were there when he was elected, who are there today, waiting only for the standard to be raised to which they can rally. DO NOT know, and I believe no one can know, what will happen in 1956 if the Pre- sident makes himself the leader of the country and if the Democrats and if the Eisenhower Re- publicans cooperate with him. But, to para- phrase the recent remark of Churchill's, elec- tions exist for the sake of the government and not the government for the sake of elections. Somehow or other it will pay off if the na- tional men in both parties decide to see the country through its dangerous trials, and they will all sleep better at night, they will all like better their own faces when they look at them in the mirror the next morning. (Copyright, 1954, New York Herald Tribune, Inc.) New Books at the Library Blumberg, Nathan B.-One Party Press?, Lincoln, Nebraska, University of Nebraska, Press, 1954. Hunt, Frazier-The Untold Story of Douglas MacArthur, New York, The Devin-Adair Co., 1954. Ives, Burl-Burl Ives' Tales of America, New York, The World Publishing Company, 1954. O'Casey, Sean-Sunset and Evening Star, New York, The Macmillan Company, 1954. Selby, John-The Man Who Never Changed, New York, Rinehart & Company, Inc., 1954. THE POWER of consumers to influence eco- nomic fluctuations will not be the same in different economies. In a subsistence economy, in which the entire income of most consumers is devoted to the acquisition of minimum necessi- ties, the consumer and his attitudes may per- haps be disregarded. But today in the U.S. we find substantial discretionary income in the pos- session of broad groups of people, and also wide- spread ownership of liquid assets and easy ac- cess to credit. Moreover, the things that people consider necessities now include numerous dur- able goods (automobiles, television sets) the purchase of which can be postponed or ad- vanced. Therefore economic psychology is par- ticularly important in this country at this time. It is not money in the possession of consum- ers that moves goods off the shelves; it is peo- ple who decide to spend their money. , -I---- ,-_ _ FU 1..., . TV... n THE FOUR CONTINENTS': Sir Osbert Sitwell's New Book a 'Literary Event' (EDITOR'S NOTE: The following review was contributed by Cpl. Russell C. Gregory, a recent University graduate now stationed at Fort Knox, Ky.) "THE FOUR CONTINENTS," by Sir Osbert Sitwell. SOMETIMES books are hailed as publishing events, which means, one must suppose, that the publisher will realize large profits.'Now and then appears a book that can be termed a literary event, be- cause its author is an artist. Such is Sir Osbert Sitwell's "The Four Continents," a book of essays ostensibly on travel, but in reality con- cerned with many things, both great and small, none of which is trivial. A book of travel essays is, in itself, not unique. But this book was designed as an entire work and carried out according to that design. "Essays" usually mean a scissors-and-paste assemblage of pieces tality between hard covers. It is rare to find a collection of essays first published in periodicals and later offered a chance for immor- conceived and executed according to a plan which leaves each of them complete in itself and yet a part of the larger work, the book. Sir Osbert's book would be an event of literary significance for its style if for no other reason. Style, reduced to simplest terms, is the way in which an author puts one word after another rendering the total effect of his writing distinct from that of any other writer. A writer is more or less a stylist, then, as he manipulates his tools- words-in his personal way, guided by what he has to say and the format in which he chooses to work his magic. THE WRITING in "The Four Continents" is that of a master of a refined style which defies precise exposition. There are certain things one can point out: The use of the colon to bring one pause in long, balanced senten- ces, more characteristic of eighteenth- than of twentieth-century (Continued from Page 2)l Applications for Engineering Researchl Institute Fellowships to be awarded, for the spring semester, 1954-1955, are now being accepted in the office of the Graduate School. The stipend is $875 per semester. Application forms are available from the Graduate School.' Only applicants who have been em- ployed by the Institute for at least one year on at least a half-time basis are eligible. Applications and supporting material are due in the office of the Graduate School not later than 4:00 p.m., Fri., Jan 7. Kenneth Smith of. Camp Charlevoix, Michigan, will be on campus Wed. and Thurs. of this week to interview pros-1 pective camp counselors for a boys' camp. He would like men at least twenty years of age. Camping experi- ence is not necessary. Mr. Smith will3 be available Wed. from 1:00-5:00 p.m.,l and Thurs. from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. in the Union. The following house groups and stun dent organizations have registered Christmas entertainments: Dec. 14- Alpha Epsilon Iota Anderson House Sigma Nu Dec.is"-" Acacia Delta Theta Phi Delta Upsilon, Greene-Jordan , Hinsdale-Alice Lloyd Kappa Sigma Japanese Student Club Lutheran Student Association Mosher Hall Sigma Phi Strauss House-Tyler Theta Delta Chi Dec. 16-- Adelia Cheever Alpha Sigma Phi Betsy Barbour-Taylor Episcopal Student Foundation Evans Scholars (Standish House) Gilbert and Sullivan Society Kleinstueck Palmer-Scott Prescott Winchell J-Hop weekend. Social chairmen of student groups participating in J-Hop week end; Feb. 4, 5, 1955, should file applications for approval for specific events on or before Jan. 21, in the Of- fice of Student Affairs, 1020 Administra- tion Building. Fraternities housing women guests for the week-end must clear housing ar- rangements in the Office of the Dean of Women, 1514 Administration, before applications for specific parties are pre- sented to the Office of Student Affairs. Inasmuch as individual overnight per- missions cannot be granted to women students until social events have been finally approved, it is essential that ap- provals be secured as soon as possible. Feb. 4: Chaperones for pre-Hop break- fasts may be the chaperon-in-residence or one married couple. Pre-Hop dinners must end at the hour designated and the fraternity closed to callers during the hours of the J-Hop. (Exception: Those fraternities housing women over- night guests may remain open during the Hop and the chaperon-in-residence must, be at the house.) The house may re-open for breakfast if desired at 2:00 a.m. Breakfasts must close in suffi- cient time to allow women students to return to their- residences by 4:00 a.m. Fraternities occupied by women guests must be closed to fraternity members promptly at 4:00 a.m. follow- ing the breakfast. No housedances will be approved on this night. Feb. 5: Women students will be grant- ed 2:30 a.m. late permission Sat, night. Closing hours for events on this night may be registered accordingly, Houses which are accommodating women over- night guests, but which do not plan a party in the house on Sat. night will observe the customary calling hours for women's residences. PERSONNEL REQUESTS: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agriculture Stabilization & Conservation Commit- tee, Lansing, Mich.-County Officer Au- ditor 08-7, requires traveling. Experi. ence is necessary-at least four years. Education may be substituted for ex- perience at the rate of one year of study in school above high school level, and including an average of 6 semester hours a year in accounting, for 9 months of experience up to a maximum of 4 years of educ. for 3 years of experi- ence. Teaching of accounting in a col- lege or university may be substituted' for experience at the same rate. Civil Service Commission of Canada announces positions open for Junior Administrative Officers to work in the following branches: Indian Affairs, Ag- riculture, Fisheries, Labor, Nat'l. De- fense, Defense Production, Citizenship and Immigration, Nat'l. Revenue, Public Printing and Stationery, Finance (Treasury Board Div.), To apply you must be a graduate of a university or college of recognized standing, or to re- ceive your degree in 1955, and must not, have passed your 27th birthday on Sept. 1, 1954. For further information contact the Bureau of Appointments, Room 3528 Admin. Bldg., Ext. 371. Academic Notices Engineering Senior and Graduate Stu- dent Seminar: The series of meetings on "Human Relations for the Engineer," originally scheduled for this semester, have been postponed until the second semester, starting Wed., Feb. 16 at 4:00 p.m., Room 311, West Engineering Bldg. Sociology Colloquium: Dr. Kingsley Davis of Columbia University will dis- cuss "Problems and Ideas in Compara- tive Urban Research" at 4:00 p.m. Wed., Dec. 15, in the East Lecture Hall of the Rackham Bldg. A pre-holiday coffee hour will precede the Colloquium from 2:45-3:45 p.m. in the Sociology Lounge, 5607 Haven Hall. Doctoral Examination for Roberta Smith Hartman, Bacteriology; thesis. "An Electrophoretic Method for the Titration of Antiserum and its Applica- tion to Anti-Tumor Serum," Dec. 15, 1566 East Medical Bldg., at 3:00 p.m. Chairman, W. J. Nungester Doctoral Examination for Martha Te- --: Rs '. hr.... Anp-. hi-. "A peets of Protein Biosynthesis inDevel- opment," Thurs., Dec. 16, at 4:15 p.m., Rackham Amphitheater. 401 Interdisciplinary Seminar on the Application of Mathematics to Social Science will meet Thurs., Dec. 16, Room 3401 Mason Hall, 4:00-5:30 p.m. C. H. Coombs and S. Komorita will speak on "Measuring the Utility of Money. Seminar in Applied Mathematics will meet Thurs., Dec. 16, at 4:00 pa. in Room 247 West Engineering. T. B. Curtz of WRRC will speak on, "Inequalities Involving Cylindrical Functions." Seminar in Mathematical Statistics. Thurs., Dec. 16, at 4:00 p.m., in Room 3201, Angell Hall. Miss Irene Hess will discuss Chapter VI in Cochrane's Sam- pling Techniques. Fluid Mechanics Colloquium, spon- sored by Dept. of Aeronautical Engi- neering, Thurs., Dec. 16, 2:00 p.m., Room 1504 East Engineering Bldg. Ed-w ward spiegel of the Astronomy Depart- ment will discuss "Theory ofCTurbu- lence." recently developed by Chandra- sekhar. Concerts Christmas Concert by UNIVERSITY CHOIR, Maynard Klein, Conductor, 8:30 p.m., Wed., Dec. 15, in Hill Auditorium. Soloists: Phyllis McFarland, soprano, Arlene Sollenberger, contralto, -Harold ?Laugh, tenor, Philip Duey, bass, and Nelson Hauenstein, flute. The program will include "0 Magnum Mysterium" by Victoria, "Omnes Gentes" by Ga- brieli, "Sing Ye to the Lord" by J. S. Bach, "A Hymn to the Virgin" by Ben- jamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan Wil- liams' "Magnificat," and Anton Bruck- ner's "Te Deum." Open to the public without' charge. Student Recital. Mary Patricia Hames, cellist and violist, will be heard at 8:30 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 16, in Auditorium A, Angell Hall, in a program presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Music degree. Miss Hames studies cello. with Oliver Edel and viola with Robert Courte. Her re- cital will include works by Bocherini Handel, and Brahms. Events Today La Sociedad Hispanica will combine with LE CERCLE FRANCAIS for the an- nual Christmas party Wed., Dec. 15, at the Union at 7:30 p.m. Entertainment, refreshments, and caroling afterward. Michigan Dames: The Bridge Group will meet Wed., Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m. at the League. Short discussion about chang- ing the time of the meeting. Members are asked to bring a deck of cards. Mrs. Hunter, Group Sponsor, will help .beginners. Research Club. Dec. 15, at 8:00 p.m. in Rackham Amphitheatre. Papers will be presented by H. R. Crane (Physics), on, "Dating the Past by Means of Ra- dioactivity," and by Russell H. Fifield (Political Science) on, "The Armistice in Indochina." Open to members only. Episcopal Student Foundation. Stu- dent Breakfast at Canterbury House, Dec. 15, after the 7:00 a.m. Holy Com- munion. Student-Faculty Tea from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m., Wed., Dec. 15, at Canter- bury House. Student-conducted Even- song at 5:15 p.m., Wed., Dec. 15, in the Chapel of St. Michael and All Angels. Sigma Alpha Eta, speech correction fraternity, will hold its annual Christ- mas Party in the Michigan Room of the Michigan League Wed., Dec. 15, at 7:30 p.m. All interested students wel- come. The Common Sense Party will elect officers Wed., Dec. 15 at 4:30 p.m. in the Michigan Union. Students interest- ed in joining CSP may obtain member- ship cards at this meeting. Wesleyan Guild. Wed., Dec. 15. Mid- week Worship in the chapel at 5:15 p.m., Mid-week Tea in the lounge, 4:00 to 5:15 p.m. Movies. Free movies, "Rocky Moun- tain Trout" and "Ruby-Throated Hum- ming Bird," Dec. 14-20. 4th floor exhib- it hall, Museums Buiding, daily at 3:00 and 4:00 p.m., including Sat. and Sun. Special showing Wed. at 12:30. Open to the public free of charge. WSF Bible Study from 7:00-8:00 p.m. First Baptist Church. Wed., Dec. 15, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Beth's Music Hour. 4:30- 5:45 p.m. Tea in Guild House. ULLR Ski Club will meet at 7:30 p.m. Wed. in Room L&M of the Union. Pershing Rifles. Meet at TCB at 1930 hrs. Wed., Dec. 15 for regular Company drill. Bring gym shoes. Lutheran Student Association. Wed., 4:00-5:30 p.m. Coffee Break atA the Cen *er, corner of Hill St. and Forest Ave. Wed., 7:15 p.m. Annual Christmas Car- oling Party at the Center followed by a party given by the Rev, and Mrs. H. 0. Yoder. Coming Events Christian Science Organization Testi- monial Meeting, 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Fire- side Room, Lane Hall. International Center Tea. Thurs., Dec. 16, 4:30-6:00 p.m., Rackham Building. NAACP. Last meeting of the semes- ter Thurs., Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Michigan Union. New officers will be elected and a 1955 program will be planned. English Journal Club will meet at 8:00 p.m., Thurs., Dec. 16, in Rackham, Am- phitheater. Associate Prof. Frederick. Wyatt of psychology and Assistant Prof. Herbert C. Barrows of English will discuss "Some Possible Uses of Psychol- ogy in Literary Criticism." Faculty and. graduate students of the Psychology Departmentare invited to participate In the discussion.. La P'tite Causette will meet Thurs., Dec. 16 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the left room of the Michigan Union, cafeteria. Venez tous et pa'rlez francais. Episcopal Student Foundation. Stu- dent Breakfast at Canterbury' House, Thurs., Dec. 16, after the 7:00 a.m, Holy nommunionntudet-conducted veAn- DREW PEARSON: Joe's Low Blow Four Years Ago WASHINGTON-This week hap- pens to be the 22nd birthday of the column which whirls under the above caption; also ,it's- the natal anniversary of the author of the. column; also it's been four years since Joe McCarthy deliver- ed an hour-long diatribe on the Senate floor demanding that this column be banned by editors, that Adam hats be boycotted; and when he first employed Indian Charlie's below-the-belt tactics in the men's cloakroom of the Sul- grave Club. I do not even get any satisfac- tion from the fact that Harry Tru- man, who was quite gleeful over these two incidents, has now chan- ged his mind; nor that Senator Watkins of Utah has changed his. Senator Watkins, meeting Joe McCarthy the next day, remarl- ed: "Joe, the newspapers differ as to where you hit him, but I hope both accounts were right" A lot of people besides Senator Watkins have changed their minds since then. They realize. that, far more important than anything that happened to me, the country has suffered and a lot of people have suffered-innocent people who couldn't defend them- selves. I was able to defend my- self. Most of my editors stuck by me loyally, and .though I did lose. my radio sponsor, a lot of other radio stations and sponsors have come to my support. What Happened to Other But I do want to record some of the things that have happened to other people, little people who have been forgotten and pushed aside in Joe's rush for bigger and, bet- ter headlines. One of the first men he listed as" a Communist in the State Depart- ment was Val Lorwin, then a labor adviser. McCarthy cited his name in February 1950 when he first charged, in Wheeling, W. Va., that there were "205 card-carrying Communists known to the Secre- tary of State." Next day' he chan- ged the figure to 57, and the day after to 81. And though General Bedell Smith, Republican Undersecre- tary of State, swore under oath last year that not one Communist had been found ini the State De- partment, Val Lorwin wasindt ed for perjury when he denied he was a Communist. That was approximately four years ago. And four years'Lorwin lived under a cloud, unable to clear his name, unable to make much of a living. He had no money, but he borrowed some. A lot of friends helped him, and Jiggs Donohue, former commissioner of the Dis- trict of Columbia, generously de- fended his case for cost. Finally, the Justice Department, went into court and asked that the case be dismissed. There was no evidence on which to base a pro- secution. Joe's Defenders Some people claim: "Joe Mc- Carthy did a good job cleaning up Communists, so he should be for- given some of his mistakes." Unfortunately they forget that Joe didn't start on Communism tuntil 1950, by which time the Jus- tice Department had already in- dicted the top Communist leaders of the nation. I had exposed the Soviet spy ring in China in Feb- ruary, 1946, the year McCarthy was elected to the Senate. I had warned the State Department about Alger Hiss, also in 1946; and exposed the Russian blueprint la- boratory in a Silver Spring, Md., basement in September, 1947. Joe was four years late waking up to thi's danger, but when he did wake up, he made so many accu- sations that he started a wave of terroristic , tactics in government that sometimes out-McCarthied McCarthy. That is one of the. worst results of McCarthyism: those who are afraid they will be exposed by Joe if they don't out- do Joe. For instance, in July 1953, the Navy Department, suspended Ab. raham Chasanow,, after twenty years' service.; No charge was, plac- ed against him. For one whole year he couldn't even find, 'out- what the suspicion was. Finally the Washington newspapers, took up his case, and the Navy' belated-. ty restored Chasanow with '.a for- mal and public apology. Again, take the case- of a pro- fessional witness for the Justice Department, Paul Crouch.. Mr. Crouch has been going around the country testifying against all; sorts of people and making a good liv-. ing from Uncle Sam-$9,000 a year--as a professional' witness.' But when he testified against Ja- cob Burck, Pulitzer Prie winning cartoonist for' the Chicago Sun- Times,; that, paper turned round and investigated him. It found that, whereas Crouch testified he, had been an editor of the Miami 'Herald, Editor George A- J, writers; The dependence upon the predi- cates for both action and color; The insertion of short sentences to lend the longer ones dignity and grace; Certainly, however, these are al- most mechanical features that any craftsman can detect and adapt to his purposes without hint of imita- tion. This Sitwell's style, like that of any first-rate stylist, is as involved and complex as his artistic person- ality. The books he has read and written, the cities and countrysides he has visited, the canvases and sculptures and buildings seen, the music heard and sung, etc.; Sir Osbert's entire "education" in the Adams meaning, coupled with his artistic intent, have determined his style. It can not be duplicated, of course, and to define it-were that possible-would be of small profit, since the definition would apply to. no one else, not even another Sit- well, and imitation might be en- couraged, an undesirable thing, ex- cept, perhaps, in a young writer groping for method. 0 RECOGNIZE the style, to ap- preciate its achievement, to sa- vor the product on the mind's pa- late as fine wine is savored on the tongue; such are the reader's pleas- ures. The results of Sir Osbert's "education" are obvious: The writ- ing has a natural dignity and au- thority, as an aristocrat of art should write; the ripeness and roundness of the flow of words de- nate high maturity of mind in a man whose arduous apprenticeship produced artistic mastery. When he leaves a sentence, or a paragraph, or an essay, he leaves it realized beyond change. It looks, sounds, and "feels" free in a way that proves its pedigree in hard work, selection, version and revision, in mind, not accident. Sir Osbert gave his book struc- ture by uing as framework the four essays, "Air, "Fire" "Water," and "Earth," the elements which ancients thought composed the world. That they are not elements in the science of today does not dis- turb the writer. He considers that these four aspects have been at least elemental concepts and con- siderations in all men, and the per- ception of them, and the adapta- tions to them, have been manifest- ed in the civilized productions of man. As the elements vary, the continents vary, man varies, and fine as anything written on the city. Poly-everything New York has challenged American writers since it emerged from the village-town chryslais into the city butterfly. Whitman, Howells, James, Hart Crane, Christopher Morley, E. B. White: these have seen and essayed the city in a few shimmering para- graphs. One long sentence which opens his remarks on the city must be quoted: "Who can laud enough its unique glories o r adequately inveigh against its equally unmatched squalors, who can sufficiently praise its beauty, its towers that are not to be believed, its air of gaiety and of bustle, its museums, noble or fantastic, and its places of learning, its varnished acres of plate glass, or denounce- its great white fields of floating paper lifted up by the dark wind in the waste spaces of Harlem; who can raise for your eyes the violent vagaries of its climate, the long reign of golden days in the autumn that culminates in diurnal mountains of snow, its rabid heats and sudden rages; what pen can summon up for the reader the sounds of the horns of a thousand motorcars barking in unitedeand exacerbated protest against being held up in a traffic block far down under the enormous rock-like buildings, or, for example, the other-worldly ex- hilaration of lunching in the club on the Chrysler Building's seven- tieth story, so that you look down on a strange prospect composed of clouds and the tops of other sky- scrapers; who can picture for you, reader, the rows of polygot holiday- makers resting on benches in the sunshine of Central Park, or paint for you the ingenuity of that de- signed landscape, with its lakes and tunnels and flights of steps; who can describe for you the strange- ness of arrival in the city either by boat or train, of the first sight of its lillied skyline from the water, or from the railway, of the passing glimpse of the ranks of the dingy squat houses of Harlem, with sable young noses pressed palely against panes of the windows so that flash- ing eyes can watch the trains go by? " There has been no prose like Sir Osbert's on any city since Dick- ens and Lamb wrote of London, and such prose, which is reporting, aft- er all, raised to its highest level, is rare any day on any subject.