THE MICHIGAN DAi" i
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1924
PAOlE PO:R
.*
Magazines Reviewed
DOROTHY TYLER
The Dial for January: The fiction' man. Mr. Mtmonsidersthe ltter
of the Dial bears out the theory that an acquisition of first-rteiportance
the cultured wish to read the down- to Germany. "To any one at east,
trodden, and vice versa. "Bad Han," he states, "who is convinced that there
by Glenway Wescott, the first part of is no more burning intellectual task
which is published in this issue, is for Germany than to realize anew the
a case in oint. It is a well conceiv- concept of humanity which had he-
ed story, so written that tte reder's come an empty shell, a mere school
interest is maintained by constant phrase-to him this weork is a true gift
fiuctuations from the level of action, of God."
yet maintaining that level so well thalt Book reviews for tie issue are writ-
one is particularly conscious afterward ten by Alyse Gregory, Mencken, Fos-
of it tong-sustained monotone in style ter Damion, Edmund Wilson, Padria
and color. So dispassionate is its Clum, and Marianne Moore.
treatment of braws and death, so un- The art of this issue will meet with
emotional is its sex obsession, that approvel. Aside from the frotis-
what is usually crimson is here an piece, a r production of Matthias
unvarying gray. Grunetald's "Standing Saint," there
Ute CVern of Silence," Iby are three oil and wash irawings by
Spanish writer Miguel de Unalano, E. E. Cummings (one a portrait of
has the appeal of the mysteriously himelf), a bronze by Gaston Lachaise
beautiful, the 'atlitsy of the fairy tale. and three woodcuts by the En lish
One could wish that the author had artist, Eric Gill.
not attemnptedi to justify his conception Gilbert Seldes, in The Theatre,"
in a way too often followed. "To- sums up American dramtatic critics'
ward midnight," he writes, "I was reactions, including his own, to the
awakened by a loud clap of thunder appearance of Dse on the American
and a violent downpour. Anl on stage. Paul Rosenfeld, in "Musical
taking I discovered that I knew this Chronicle," is concerned with the first
tale of the secret of th cavern.. .. program of the first season of the
I lighted the light and began to write League of Composers. The early pub-
it, to write it to dictation.-" lication in the Dial of Anatole France's
Among the critical articles there is "Sou la Rose" is announced editor-
MaryI H. Colum's essay on Van Vyck ially.
Broos iwho received the Dial award 1The Double Dealer, published at
this year. Mrs. Colutm considers that New Orleans, has as its purpose the
Mrt. Brooks' s ignificance, to a eon- aedvancement of Southern letters. It
siderable degte, is indicated by his starts on its fourth year with the well
path-finding t oward a national etl- earned atpproval of critic.
ture in Anterica. "The Perfured Para- The January number is almost en-
phrtase of heath," by W. C. Blum, is tirely devoted to critical writings ant
considiertion of the poetry of E. E. poetry. Of the former, the most outt-
Cutlttmings t Mr. Blum has wisely standing are "Ohio and the Seine,"
chosen to Point out for the most part by Lawrence S. Morris, and "The En-
those things with which it is difficult ergeties of Poetry," by the German
to disagree. "With his typographical dramatist, George Kaiser,
innovations, his extraordinary and in- In "Ohio and the Seine" Mr. Mor
genious appeal to the lust of the eye, ris inveighs against the fallacy that
he once led the fashion, or one of the "end" of American culture is
them," Mr. Blum states. Not a few, something already established by Er-
however, are of the opinion that this opean experiments, and points out
"'ingenious appeal to the lust of the that America, like every other nation,
eye" is still more an irritation with is faced with the task of creating its
-r. Cummings for not observing the own specialized mode of feeling-
conventions of typography. Harriet choosing and emphasizing certain
Monroe recently printed one of Mr. values and excluding others.
Cummings' poems in her magazine lGeorge Kaiser, in "The Energetics
without the small personal pronoun of Poetry" glorifies potential man. He
"i's," and so on, which he affects-an regards man as the most intensive
effective experitent Four of Mr. form of energy, that reality whicht
Cummings' poems are published in renders all things possible, including
the January Dial. himself, and whose destiny is abso-
The Dublin and German Letters lute supremacy. Alir. Kaiser believes
are excellent. In the former John that man today has misinterpreted
Eglinton states that it is believed, by his versatility in succumbing to spec-
writers who have taken part in Ire- ialization of his powers, and that he
land's literary rennaissance, that the may well base his knowledge of po-
reconstitution of Irish mythology has tential man upon the poetry in the
been the distinctive achievement of larger sense, since the processes of
the movement. Mr. Eginon mentions poetry most convincingly express
a new Dublin weekly journal, the "Man the Synthesis."
Irish Statesman, edited by "A. F." Robert Graves, the English poet, in
Thomas Mann, in his German Letter, "The Illogic of Stony Stratford, and
is chiefly concerned with a new no- of Poetry," justifies the mode of as-
vel by Jakob Wasserman, "Ulrike sociative thinking followed by poetry,
Woytich," and with the recently pub- and contends that poetry and tradi-
lished German edition of Walt Whit- (Continued oi Page right)
EGO
(Continued from Page Three)
Now I do not find fault with the idea of the cartoon, thought it was
'ath old gag,' nor with Max for acknowledging his respect for the power of
Fleet Street, butt I do wonder why he forgot an essay which he himself
wrote some dozen years ago. It is, Some Words on Royalty, and is to be
found in a volume which he has called, More. He says;-
.....Our royal family is a rather absurd institution, no doubt.
But then, humanity itself is rather absurd. A State can never be more
than a kindergarten, at best, and he who would fain rule men according
to principles of right reason will face no better than did poor dear Plato
at Syracuse. Put the dream of the doctrinaire into practice, and it will
soon turn to some such nightmare as modern France or modern America.
Indeed, fallacies and anomalies are the basis of all good government. A
Crown, like a Garter, implies no 'damned merit': 'else were it void of its
impressive magic for most creatures.' Strictly, there is no reason why we
should worship the House of Hanover more than we worship any other
fimily. Strictly there was no reason why the Children of Israel should
have bowed down before brazen images. But man is not rational, and the,
spirit of idolatry is strong in hint. And, if you take away his idol, that
energy which would otherwise be spent in kotowing will probably bej
spent in some less harmless manner. In every free public there is a fund
of patriotic emotion which must, somehow, be worked off."
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Con.rad's 'Tem er
Reviewed in this maga-
zine, and all other recent
books, nmxW on sale at
9 UN1VRSITY
BOOKSTORE
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