The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-08
By M. K. WISEHART.

w pages Of reading matter 1" the
Heart Of Fool gets his grip on a man.
The villain may be bit villainous and
the hero-as the author says himself
may be a good deal of dub; but the
reader lays hands on man, just the
same William Allen White Is bigger up
and down and broadwise than any man IN
his book. There is no fat man In the
book, but there are some tall ones.
My purpose is to violate a confidence
and to record a chat with the author OF
this highly praised and lambasted book.
If we begin at the beginning with the
Artistic Adventures of William and Me
we get at our purpose directly. My first
meeting with Mr.. White was in Chicago
in 1916, when, well in advance of the
conventions, he was defying the world to
say that Col. Roosevelt wasn't going to
be nominated. The next time 1 met him
was in the Place de la Concorde In Pans,
when he had made himself the author OF
the big book. The third time l met "Blll, >"
the son, a second edition of the father.
When "Bill" was referred to as one OF his
fathers life works, the father amended
the matter thus:
ayes, Bill, he's one of my life works
bound in calfr'
Our artistic adventures began with
scramble for taxicab in the Place de la
Concorde. Taxicabs are not "hbre" these
DAYS. "We'l have to catch one of 'em
bare handedp he exclaimed, and brought
one to a stop in good outfelding. style. We
arrived at the studio Of Pierre Laurens.
The visitors at NJ. Laurens's that after
noon saw some mighty strong and nor
dant things, the record of the artists war
time Imprisonment and associates at Wit
temberg and in Cortland / noticed that
White didn't say much; he just looked.
There was quite feminine group there,
French, English and American, includ-
ing Lady tombstone, the sister of M.
Pichon, and some of the wives of distin
guished Americans in Paris. There was
quite bit of talk, too. 1t. eventually
came around to In the Heart Of Fool
Some one remarked that the labor
leader hero said some strong things.
Why did he talk thus7 Weren't they a
little extreme for the timesf All, well
(some one else explained), he said them
because he was a Socialist! And any
way (thc chorus chimed), it's fine book.
Mr.. White, if the hero, was a Socialist;
if he did lose his hand and get an iron
claw!
/ could see that Mr.. White was
touched, deeply moved, in fact. In an
ELEGANT Paris studio by those who talk
most about art he had been approved.
One could see that the man was having a
real struggle between vanity and emotion,
but he was true to himself and remarked
rs he strolled away to look at gripping
portrayal of Courland peasants, man and
wife atop their wagon, against the Cour-
land sky: -,
"Thank 'e, girls, for them kind words|
1t was really sweet breeze from Fan
sas right there IN Paris.
Presently we were looking for the Mu-
see Cluny. 1t was some distance of and
we had our troubles finding the track,
then losing il and finding it again.
Finally we brought up along the curb
Moor the Luxembourg. an tell you,"
said White, 1--WE might go to the Louvre
to renew acquaintance with the Venus de
Milo. No! There'll be several hundred
of our doughboys there of Sunday ar
ternoon, and it does seem as though the
lady might have some privacy one day
out of the week. Wen go into the Lux
embourg gallery"
After the Luxembourg, then, we found
ourselves on the terrace of q cafe in re-
mote part of The city.
"Yes,D said White, IF the war achieves