The sun., 1918-08-18

there no English writer's of worth whose first sue
cess has been over here? Are there2 Just ask the
publishers.
We are very, very sick Of this other business of
stepping on American literature as if it were ba-
mana peel, and we hope the next person who does
it will slip and fracture his patella It's small
business, Mr.. BATES, it s small business.
No Advice.
THE cheerful commentator who writes The Cos
sip Shop columns in the BookmGn magazine
asks: "Is reader choice of book lottery or
does he take advicef Whosei'' And then he in
quires further in a manner indicating an idea on
his part that Books and the Book World gives adj
vice to its readers
We do not We never give advice. We fire.
uuently receive it; We receive not only advice but
commands, exhortations entreates and sometimes
threats We always take the advice, obey the COM
mands, listen to the exhortations hearken to the
entreaties and disregard the threats.
But we do not give advice because, contrary to
a popular impression, it is not cheap but costly
The function of Books and the Book World
Solemn word, function) is to give the facts. Our
readers having the facts set before them will then
know what they do not want to do which is as
much as any one ever knows in this world.
Sometimes we express opinions but only be-
cause it is dangerous to have any Best get rid of
them A law is soon to be passed making it mis-
demeanor to carry a concealed opinion.
We are not of those who hold convictions. Con-
victions can no be held safely than grenade
with lighted fuse. After several convictions ex-
ploded inficting serious personal injuries we de-
cided that the danger too great to continue
taking such risks. As as we were convinced Of
this we felt that all danger was past. 1t is, until
this conviction blows up.
How to Become Utter.
M ORE and more the feeling comes upon us
I'l that an interpreter is needed to make large
tracts of the Little Reriew ineligible to the re-
grettably human race. For example, the July num-
Der opens with Our Tetrarchal Precica use by THAYER
EXToN, described as divagation ION the cover as
translation from JULES LAFoRGUE. Thus:
"There arose, as from great ossified sponge the
comic opera Florence Nightingale lighthouse, with
junks beneath it clicking in vesperial meretrcious
monOtony; behind them the great cliff obtruding
solitary into the oily, pouphOisbious ocean, lifting
its confectiOn of pylons the poplar rows, sunk
yards Luna Parks, &c, of the Tetrarchal Palace,
polished jasper and basalt funereal undertakerial
lugubriOus, blistering in the high lights under a
pale esoteric sun-beat encrustcd, despatched and
damascened with cynocephali, sphinxes, winged
bulls, bubuls and other scuptural bylaws. The
sereeeh owls from its jungle could only look out
upon the Swallowed parts of the sea- which they did
without optic inconvenience, so deep was the OBJ
scured contagion of their afforested blackness.
''The two extraneous princes went up toward the
stableyard, gaped at the effulgence of peacoeks,
glared at the derisve gestures of the horse cleaners
adumbrated insults, sought vainly for footman or
to take up their cards.
Does this OhScurp9 II iS only a pioturo
the Coney Island Mardi Gras. But the way it's
done-that's, OH very artistic, very utter
After JAo had declined both the poisoned coffee
and the sacred sword of the Samurai he fed French
rolls to the fishes, aware that there was nothing
nothing-which could rouse his long since respec-
table carcass" At that moment the German Crown
Prince came in with several dandies:
Strapped, pomaded gloved laced; with patu-
lous Boards with their hair parted at the backs of
their heads; with their corkscrew curls pulled back
from their foreheads to give themselves tone on
their medallions; with helmets against one hin:
twiring the muskballs of their sabres with their dis
engaged restless fingers, the hyperborean royalties
were admitted -