The sun., 1918-08-11

HARDY as "a sort of village atheist broodlng and
disappearing over the village idiot" That was
rough the Old Master; it is possible that he may
have stung CHEsTERToN by referring to him as
socialist-one of the common but utterly absurd
mistakes of those who have only heard that &c. K'
wants democracy, but who have not taken the pains
to discover what kind of democracy he is shouting
for
Chesterton, Critic.
Let us look upon the critic CHEsTERToN in his
most polite mood. He is writing an ESSAY on
BROWNING:
''The supreme and most practical value OF
poetry is this, that in poetry, as in music, note IS
struck which expresses beyond the power of ra-
tional statement condition of mind and all ac-
lions arise from condition of mind
Perhaps there is better broad definition Of
poetry than this, but if there is somebody has
filed it out of sight. 1t is good example Of the
culture of CHEsTERToN but it may as well be
said for the benefit of tmid readers, that CHESTER
TON will not wear soft gloves next Sunday. He will
not be writing of the mysteries of BROWNING, but Of
the mistakes of WELLS He will not be discussing
the past, but the present.
Chesterton, Man.
CHEsTERToN s personality is interesting, but un-
important He is As years old and was educated
at St. Paul's School, He is married and lives at
Overroads, Beaconsfeld, Bucks England, in a
house as proportionately small as he is large. He
weighs around 300 pounds and looks like a COM
poste picture of BALzAc and SAMUEL JOHNSON
Between Grcybeards at Play, which he wrote in
1900, and The Crimes of England "a paradoxical
title for a tremendous outburst against Prussian-
ISM, which was published recently CHEsTERToN
has written more than thirty books, and every one
of them worth reading. He is England's greatest
authority DICKENS, but personally he prides
himself on being Englands greatest authority on
hams and bacon. He does most of his work in a
library that he built in field across the road from
his house.
good deal of his time is spent in London, where
he breaches Middle Age common sense to his col
leagues at the Savage Club and, while sitting at
table, writes essays for the New Citizen the pub
LEGATION which has been favored with most of his
critiques since he left the London Daily News
in 1913 after thirteen years of "preaching ortho-
doxy to nonconformists, - as JULIAN WEST remarks
in his book on GILBERT KEITH CHEsTERToN. For
CHEsTERToN is incuraby orthodox Of this he saws
himself:
There is only one way of really guarding our
selves against the excessive danger of dogmatsm
and that is to be STEPPED in dogmatisms
and soaked in philosophy"
He is, as HoLBRooK JACKSON says, 1.-THE happiest
and heaviest of men,
Mr.. Chestertons First Letter.
The title of Mr.. CHEsTERroN's first letter, ap-
pearng next Sunday, is Mr.. Wells and the Leaque
OF Nations, and the letter is the first of series
upon literary subjects and public affairs Mr..
CHEsTERToN' will select his own subjects and say
what he pleases. We shall print his letters on the
page facing this editorial page and at the top Of
that page. This is our page of verse, and will re-
main so, The Best Verse of the Week appearing
lolo, @ho