New-York tribune., 1917-12-16


his quarrel with American criticism is not
so much in behalf of beauty as in behalf OF
Kultur which has been too inhospitably
received by such Of his fellow citizens as
look TO another Stdmmrater than his. or
course, the true explanation is that Mr.
Mencken's culture propaganda is what
drummer (for dos Sch0ne) would call his
side line" Beauty is the main burden Of
his pack.
THROUGH Mr.. Mencken's Kultur is not
German, it reminds one family Of
the German variety as described by Pro-
fessor Eucken in October, 1914; "Our
German Kultur has, in its unique depth,
something shrinking and severe; it does
not obtrude itself, or readily yield itself
up; it must be earnestly sought after and
lovingly assimilated from within. This
love was lacking in our neighbors; where
fore they easily came to look upon us
with the eyes of hatred" Mr.. Mencken's
culture is like this in that one must love
it ere it will seem worthy Of ones love.
For example, his fundamental philosophi-
cal idea is that human life is a seeking
without finding, that its purpose is i'm
penetrable, that JOY and sorrow are alike
meaningless" .
Then there are his political notions. The
good Mr.. Knopf-the good and helpful Mr..
Knopf-tells US that in politics our lover
of beautiful letters is IAN extreme FEEDER
alist." We had OWNED that. Mr.. Mencken
himself shrinkingly betrays the fact that
he considers the hopes and professions of
democracy as silly and idle sentimentanty.
Then there are his social ideas; he Is
for q somewhat severe male aristocracy;
he firmly points out chow vastly the role
of women has been exaggerated, how
little they amount to in the authentic
struggle of man."
Then there are his educational ideas.
The useful Mr.. Knopf informs us that Mr..
Mencken ATTENDED no university" We
had OWNED that also. Does he not ex-
plicitly declare that college professors,
alas, never learn anything? Does he not
steadily harp on "the bombastic half
knowledge Of a school teacher? Does he
not note as a sign of Mr.. Huneker's criti-
cal decadence the fact that he has spoken
civilly of Princeton professor? Does he
not scornfullv remark, ~ could be a pro-
fessor if would?
Then there are his moral convictions.
He is anti-Christian. He is for the He1ren-
moral and against the "Sklavmoral that
besets all Of US of English speech" He
holds with Blake that "the lust of the goat
is also to the glory Of God"
Finally there are his national and racial
feelings and convictions. He holds that the
Americans are an "upstart people" and
that Journalism is the hallmark Of the
national culture" He holds that the Anglo
Saxon civilization excels all others as
prolific mother Of quacks and mounte-
banks. Mr.. Mencken's continuous TRADE
against everything respectable in Ameri-
can morals, against everything character
istic of American society, and against
everything and everybody distinguished in
American scholarship and letters is not
precisely and strictly aesthetic criticism;
indeed, an unsympathetic person might say
that it is not criticism at all, but mere
scurrility and blackguardism. His con-
tinuous laudaton of Teutonic- Oriental
pessimism and nihilism in philosophy, of
anti-democratic politics, Of the subjection
and contempt of women, Of the Herrerr-
moral, and of anything but Anglo-Saxon
civilization is not precisely and strictly
aesthetic criticism; an unsympathetic per-
son might call it infatuated propagandism.
But, of course, all these things are proper
ly TO be regarded as but the obiter dicta
Of a quiet drummer for beauty.
CTlLL, for the aesthetic critic, it is
- pleasure to turn from Mr.. Mencken's
somewhat polemical general ideas to the
man himself as revealed by the subtle and
finely woven garment of his style. Though
not a German, Mr.. Mencken has beauti-
ful style; and though he could be a pro-
fessor if he would, he has learned style.
To his erudition let stand as witnesses the
numberless choice words calculated TO send
the vulgar reader 10 a dictionary; multi
para" "chandala," "lamaseries," "coryza,"
"lagniappe," "umbilicarii," "Treuga Del"
"swamis," 'gemaras," "munyonic," "gy-
cosuria." This is clearly the vocabulary of
an artist and scholar. As an additional
sign Of his erudition consider his discovery
that Mr. Dresser stems" from the Greeks;
also his three-line quotation from Greek
dramatist--in the original Greek.
To prove the beauty Of his phrasing and
his general literary feeling one has but to
open the book and dip in anywhere. Here,