New-York tribune., 1919-09-08

w Napoleon to reap where he did
SOW. Several readers have w.
in to correct US for attributiry "R...ss
the Alps lies italy, to the Little Corpo,s'9
Alexander Woollcott, as is mis- Won.
tributes the remark to Lady Gregory n
P. E. writes: "What is your authoritv :.
stating that Napoleon was the autbo. =.
Beyond the Alps lies Italy?' Some v..'
ago the editor of Life called up sTh. GO
asking who the author was, and all the ,.s
put on the job of finding out. Nah,..
found out, however, and finally old r,..,
O'Mallcy took a straw vote of some o..
we'll known New Workers, with the rs,n,.
that considerable majority attributed -.
quotation to G. NJ Cohaa."
Adelaide could have set them stra,,s,
II can't bring myself to wonder very NM. :,
she writes, about the attire worn }.
Napoleon when ne said Beyond the A..
lies Italy, because, go far as 7 know !.
didn't. But l should be much interested; !,
learning what Hannibal had on when Il,
c rding to Livy, xxi, 3o.5), he actually dis
make this memorable remark, more H.,
-wer.y centuries Lefore the time c. =.
Little Corporal"
Even if ain the Sweet Dry and Dry" (Bo,
Ljveright), by Christopher Morley and Be-.
Haley, were not, on the whole, al excelIss,
burlesque, we should still be its yols,,
partisan, because it marks a hod attemo.
to fight the modern disregard for the uu,
Usually, we suspect the good faith of peor.
who assure US that they are distressed !,
puns. They are recruited from the rens,.
cious ranks of those who assert that ,h,,
"can never see anything funny in Char,
Chaplin" We feel convinced that not :.
like Chaplin or puns is an acquired tasu
Such people grow up to be sheer snobs vi.
to the Polo Grounds
To be sure, not all the puns of an Il,
Sweet Dry and Dry" are good. Some an
fearful and yet, by some curious twist, +.
has always seemed to US that next 10 a good
pun nothing is quite SO amusing as bad
pun. Only the middlng good ones are IN.
acceptable Frank Tinney with his jou
about "berth control" and Ed Wynn with biz
story of the young lady who sought advia
from the cigar store man because he knew
all the ropes" have demonstrated the CON.
mercial value of the bad pun. If the sam.
tendency holds good among the reading pub.
lie "In the Sweet Dry and Dry" should b.
enormously successful.
We need only submit few samples: "Ths
Bishop has what may be denominated sin.
gle-tract mind" "Since we are to be
slaves they said, at least let's have son.
serf bathing.'' "Chuff has put us here under
the pretext of being drunk. Very we'll: then
let us be drunk. Let us go down in our
cups not in our saucers"
The heroine of the book is Miss Theod-
linda Chuf. who describes herself as 8,
alcoholic medium. at is the latest and mos
superior form of spirituaism. By gang
upon ystal-particulari upon an empty
tumbler-I am able TO throw myself intos
trance in which l can communicate with De.
rarted spirits. A good drink does not die, yog
know; its soul hovers radiantly on the tws,.
tieth plane, and through the occul. powera
a medium those who loved It in life can &c.
in touch with it once more Through these
frances of mine have been privileged TO
put many bereaved ones in communication
with their dear departed spirits. To hear the
tablerappings and the shouts of ecstasy you
would perceive that a great deal Of the an
guish of separation is assuaged" One O!
Miss Chuff's most faithful disciples is Virgil
Quimbleton, who always seeks psychics
communication with Wurzbureer. He refers
atfectionately to the medium as his Little
Jeanne Dark"
Although we do not suspect Stacy Au.
monier of humorous intent in the matter. the
fact remains that in his delightful novel
"The Querrlls' the hero goes 10 the Russian
Ballet where 'the curtain went up on Les
Sulphides.'
A reader who sends us a piece about
Maugham's "The Moon and Sixpence" headed
pearls Before Swine" thinks that the re-
viewers have not done justice to the book
because they have been trained by the pub
fishers to expect a different sort Of fare
"These publishers" writes Mr. Cornell, pay
the majority of authors and critics to be the
purveyors of soothing syrup which is easy
to swallow"
We are under the impression that the puo'
hc generally overestimates the perqu'si'es
pertaining to theatrical and boob reviewing
The graft, we have found is largely sea-
sonal and pictorial, although we must admit
that we felt rather partial to the Winter
Garden for several seasons after receiving
three thousand Christmas Sweet Caporals
from the Shuberts. For tie rest we found
no difficulty in preserving "a strict impair