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"Twelve Men"
In 1919 Boni and Liveright publish-
ed Theodore Dresier's book, "Twelve
Men." Unlike his other books it was
hailed by all hands around as excel-
lent. Critics, good and bad, praised
it. Suspecting, therefore, that the
book had no merit at all I refrained
from reading it.
"Has Dreiser," I asked myself,
"turned balmy and written a tooth-
some tome for the public?" But no,
that could not be. Such harsh critics
as H. L. Mencken spoke a good word
for the book. I concluded that since
both the lesser and greater critics
were in favor of the volume that
Dreiser had been mistaken by the
lesser lights for someone else. For
all his hard years of 'working against
the 'main current of ideals to produce
things worth while, Dreiser's sun had
hardly risen. Recognition was still be-
yond the horizon, and it. was only last
year that this recognition dawned gen-
erally but still clouded by the calumny
of the literary "sittenpolizel," and yet
far from the zenith.
Gave Impetus
But it was "Twelve Men" that gave
the sale of Dreiser's books their pres-
ent impetus. True enough, some of
the abler critics, bith in America and
abroad, had been putting up a valiant
fight, and of course, it is due to them
that the satellite critics read his books
but it needed the approval of more
than a handful of men to make the ac-
ceptance of DIreiser in any way wide-
spread. The attempt of the . light-
weights to mount the new movement
and ride with the most inoffensive of
Dreiser's books, was extremely laugh-
able. '
As I said, I was unduly suspicious.
Books that give a glow to the aver-
age man are generally impapyrated
garbage, and books that give little 'of-
fense are generally neutral, from both
artistic and commercial viewpoints.
At last I succumbed to the influence
of Boni and Liveright's advertising
blurbs and read the book-about a
year ago. Since then I have read it
a half score of times. It deals with
twelve men of the author's- acquaint-
ance. Each chapter is a character por-
trayal and a novel of human life.
Book is Excellent
The book is, in short, excellent.
Every figure portrayed is in the
round; there is a revealing chiaroscuro
of thought, emotion, and deed. Every
character, were it not for each one's
particular genius, is some intimate
friend or neighbor of the reader.
. "Peter" is the first man, talented, a
connoisseur of odd things, curio col-
lector, and lover of art, lover of life
as well. He dies in the sick bed, but
Dreiser feels that an unknown force
has murdered him.
"My Brother Paul," is Dreiser's fra-
ternal tribute, a tribute that overlooks
no weakness of character. Yet I
doubt if a man could pay his broth-
er more respect, or love him more.
'W. L. S." is the story of a lesser,
and modern. DaVinci; creator, artist,
BOARD TOO HIGH
"STUDENTF CUAiMS ANN ARBOR
BOARD AN) R0 PRICES ARE
EXORBITANT.
Editor, The Wolverine:
When we complain of high prices,
we hear someone say, "Don't patron-
ize them," or "Well, that's as good
as you can expect," while the mast-
er artist profiteer is apt to remark,
"It is overhead and expenses."
As for the last of these arguments,
we may say that inefficiency and poor
managerial ability are no excuse for
high prices, for, as we shall see later
if adequate service and quality can
be given at one place at a nominal
cost, there is no logical reason why
it cannot .be given at another.
Let us look for a moment at the
price of board and room in Ann Ar-
bor compared with that in neighbor-
ing college towns. The statistics
presented here have been gathered
from students or members of the fac-
ulties of the different colleges; while
others were procured from college of-
ficials. Alma, Albion, Hillsdale, and
Olivet colleges have been taken as
representative of the 'Michigah col-
leges in the immediate vicinity. They
are well distributed over the state
and 'are located in cities of varying
size and importance; Alma at Alma, a
city of 8,500; Albion at Albion, a city
of 10,000; Hillsdale at Hillsdale, a
city of 6,000, and Olivet at Olivet, a
city of 600.
Prices Would Vary
Our natural conclusion would be
that prices would vary, but such is
not the case. Paradoxical as it may
seem, the very best room and board
may be obtained at any one of these
towns for the coming year at from
seven to eight dollars per week. And,
without exception, every one of those
interviewed from one of these colleges
was emphatic in stating that many
students would secure good room and
board at less than eight dollars per
week.
When we compare eight- dollars a
week for room and board with the
prices here in Ann Arbor and find that
board alone is seven to seven and one-
half dollars, to say nothing of three
and one-half to five dollars for a room,
we begin to look around and think
"there is something crooked in Den-
mark." surely, the food that goes on
the tables in these other college tpwns
is as well prepared as any that goes
on the boarding tables in Ann Arbor'
and costs the same to prepare. It
costs no more to furnish and heat a
house in Ann Arbor than it does in
any one of these other college towns.
Wherein then lies the cause for this
difference in cost? Every sane and
thoughtful person must conclude that
it springs from a desire on the part of
(Continued on Page Four)
I x -'
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e Pacific and
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nting Hawaii.
!Clasa Mail"
"Mighty Rourke" has the vast pathos
and poetry of life, and it is infinitely
touching to anyone who ,can look on
the whole irony of existencp w'ith an
inner sympathy and without ,mawk-
ishness.
, "," a financier who springs
from obscurity to power andfalls back
into the oblivion of the masses, is a
personage who, I suspect, furnished
Dreiser with a great amount of mate-
rial for "The Financier," and "The
Titan."
I
THIS
COLUMN
CLOSES
AT 3 P.M
WANTED
VNTED-Students as salesmen. To
rork either part time or full time
elling a small article house to
.ouse. Big commission and fast
eller. Inquire Miss Smoots, at
ane hall between 1 and 3 any aft-
rnoon. 16-3
RNISHED House Wanted-Family
f four want to rent a modern furn-
d 7 to 8 room house near campus
.or coming year. Apply at Wolver-
ne Office. , 19-3
MISCELLANEOUS
RLS-are you interested in a week
r two of camp life after school
Compared Two
Out of pure wlim I compared "The
Country Doctor" in "Twelve Men" with
Turgenev's "The District Doctor." I
mention this incident because the two
pieces of work form such a strange
contrast. I will not say which I
think is the better.
But I am becoming prolix. There
are six more portraits, clear, rugged,
beautiful.
-It is surprising to 'me that "Twelve
Men' is not used as a study in every
descriptive rhetoric course offered in
the country. Not only is it the finest
thing of its kind, but in this book
Dreiser's style is at its best. The tech-
nique, while not flawless, is far better
than in any other of his works, and
the painful details and sidetracks so
characteristic of Dreiser are lacking.
, Foremost American Artist
His other books mark him as the
foremost artist in American literature
today. For all their faults they are
filled with the great struggle of life,
the spectacle of man's impotence, of
his passion, fury and sympathy, of his
meaningless enthusiasms and sorrows
But "Twelve Men" is more than
Theodore Dreiser's other works; it
more than marks the author as an art-
ist. It is, to my notion, the finest thing
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