The sun., 1915-10-16
NARY JOHNSTON
AUTHOR OF
THE FORTUNES OF CARtN"
Hz0UCHIOr<1If

iced water as drinks with real ANNA
| tion on both sides. The discussion as
| to the comparative merits of the Eng
lish and the American novel seems 10
me on the same level of Intelligence and
likely 10 lead to much the same re-
| suit.
Any teller OF a tale tells IL IN relation
! to time. place and circumstance. Given
the difference of conditions between the
two continents what can he looked for
| but an equal difference In aim? The
two sets of writers are rot doing the
same thing. They have different materi-
ais to work with and different Instincts
| to appease. True. there are Americans
with English tastes who prefer Eng
lish roast beef and ale. and likewise
there are Englishmer-though fewer be-
cause the English population is reia-
lively sma!l-wh. share the American
appetite for corn on the cob and dough-
| nuts. These tendencies bring about an
/ amcable international give and take, In
which eaSA class Is within It's r!-hts
till it begins to claim superiority over
the other. as one OF them threatens 20
do now. We have been told long.
and told so persistently, that corn on the
cob and dough'uts are unworthy ar
ticles OF diet that the wonder begins
10 grow thaG the American can stomach
them That he does can only be en-
plained by his deadness toward grea,
part OF the critical writing in papers
, ard magazines.
| l must own TO a share In this hard
ness Of heart in confessing that I have
not read the articles on the American
novel by owen Wistcr and Meredith
Nicholson which appeared In the Atlantic,
nor Yet the English opinions OF Mr..
Garnett that preceded them. The ons-
sion Is due not to a lack Of respect for
y \ 4,
sity in which ! md mysTf not To read
any present day criticism whatever. For
, "A writer on srall scale and reader
| on a large one the Babel Of mere in
dvidual opinions is tco distracting. one
| says black and another white. and no
one speaks with authority, II Is a hong
time since have read a review Of
one OF my own unimportant books, apart
from the very few which well meaning
friends have forced upon me. 1t IL
rarely that | read current review of
any book at all I make, however. one
exception u this rule. ON the puhlca-
tion Of a nSvel in which am interested
and which stress OF economy fofbids me
to acquire | purchase THE NEW YORK
Sun on saturday. the New York Times
on Sunday and the Boston Transcript
on the following Wednesday afternoon.
; then know the book from cover to
cover. anu nave HtI ll' p'lN AifEt vi
reading the more dramatic portions in
the text. get this pleasure for just
six cents, when otherwise | should have
forced myself TO spend sl.35. For this
thrifty opportunity my thanks are due
entirely to the author and the publisher,
who AXE me a present of their work.
!, The respective newspapers need no
gratitude, seeing that they pocket all the
cash. Apart from the pecunary profit
receive. literary criticism, whether IN
., the manner OF the Atlantic and the
: Saturday ReUicr or in that of the
. MdssdSqudtchct Mercury, would appear
, to run on much the same level Of
utility.
/, And the tale is told as the teller sees
I It. Why shouldn't II be realistic II thus
, il presents itself? Or why shouldn't II
be romantic? or humorous? or senti-
T mental? or grotesque" or poetic or
didactic? Who is to limit free in
stinct to purpose or school? Who
/, shall say that there is only one angle
l from which to look at life why should
g not Mr. Dresser be allowed his point
n of view as well as Mr.. Harold Bell
3 Wright? But then why should not Mr..
: Harold Rell Wright be allowed his rs
Z we'll as Mr.. Dresser? Since neither has
a n nonopoly OF human experience why
e should not each distil his own without
< cavil or Injunction? The same reader
= will probably not relish them both To
the same degree. though such reader
, is conceivable but then he is AT liberty
4 10 take his choice lie has also the
. choice Of the wide range einC In he.
I tween. and what ne does not care for he
can lot alone. WHY badger the toIle,
of tho taleo Why badger tho listener
y WHY, II I like Mr. Joseph Conrod's i'm.
renious method Of getting in h,ckward
J ii,e , crah sbou,dr,t 7 he nermittad 4,
- enjoy 10 and why ~ 7 yearr 70 vary
. mai inte,IectuaI cxercise vim an bow
. NJ Mrs Rarc,,vs "soh s,uff " sho,,f
= hat sImnIe hearts eosa n. de,ied mo.
,N - " "