New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-12-03
CANON HANNAY
DISSECTS AMERICA.
Virtue Even Ridiculous, His
Comment on Wilson
Administration.
OUR SLEEPING CARS
LIKENED TO COFFINS
Irwin Cobb, Another Speaker at
Lotos Club, Does Not
Believe in Genius.

Canon James Owen Hannay. author OF
the play General John Regain" gave
TO him after dinner given In his honor
at the Lotos Club last night. When asked
what he thought OF the present adminls-
tration, and of the Secretary OF State in
particular, he replied that virtue had al
ways been ridiculous, and cited the early
Christian martyrs as evidence.
They seem heroic to us now" he said,
but they must have been comic to the
public Of that day. The same might be
said OF Mr.. Bryan and the rest Of them.
But, after all, the great difference be-
tween America and Europe to-day is not
in politics, but in your amazing superb
GRITTY in creature comforts. l am as
founded that you should put up with your
sleeping cars. though. Why should you
compel self-respecting people to dress In
a coffin? Only the ingenuity Of the devil
could have devised such contrivsnce."
Canon Hannay declared himself enthu-
s.astic over the educational system Oh
America, which. he said. produced worse
scholars but better citizens. He added
that he was optimistic ever the prospecs
Of a literary Renaissance in America.
"You have a more catholic taste than
we on the other side" he said, land are
less confined in literary cliques. This
augurs we'll for your future in letters, and
Is due probably to your greater democ-
ACT. IN, N
and it's lapse cannot be rightly attributed
to materlalsm, I think. It's absence Is but
the natural reaction of the human spirit.
Irwin Cobb, whom Canon Hannay
termed the best short story writer In
America, was present at the dinner. MT.
Cobb vas even more optimistic than MI.
Hannay regarding the future OF letters IN
America. He prefaced his remarks by
the brusque opinion that he did not De-
l!eve in genius.
There's no such thing" he said, but
only hard work-and there are more men
working hard at various forms Of WRIT
ing to-day In America than ever before.
venture to say that there are more good
short stories and essays being produced
here now than in any country at any
time The moving picture has contrib
uted to this by furnishing profitable
market for such stories.
NO; don't think they have modihed
the short story requirements"-in answer
to a question-"nor made them in any
way shorter or more abrupt. Frenchmen
and Russians. who have taught US all
we know Of the short story, knew moth
ing of them.
ENGLAND takes TO the novel because
IL is adapted TO her pace OF life. The
short story suits ours, for We want quick
results. There are only so many stories
in a mans system. and after he has
written them out he can only repeat
himself.
The great literature Of Russia? All
races downtrodden and circumscribed oy
political oppression become sentimental.
for they lack opportunity for action, ana
this sentimentalism takes the only form
Il cana literature which voices ana de-
pores its misery. The Hungarians never
| produced real poetry till they were en-
shaved, and Burnss verse was largely re-
bellion against religious and social con-
vention.
You know we Americans have false
idea OF Kipling. I saw him during my
stay in England. and his Judgment OF
men and things was very human and
kind. He said he thought we had never
achieved a true perspective OF our Civil
! War. which he called the greatest epic
in history, and that the worlds greatest
literature would be written about 1t
hundred years hence He thought M
Dooley had portrayed US more accurately
than any one else"
Canon Hannay sails for his homo to'
dov on the I,usitania with Mrs. HannaS