New-York tribune., 1919-07-26
Viereck and T. R.
Ambivalent Admirer Paws
Respects to the Poet
By Rupert Hughes

If I were as sure of immortal fame
as George Sylvester Viereck is I
should not worry about anything else.
If were as certain of my eternal rec
titude as he is l should face death
with unconcern. In his latest dedi-
cation he admits that he is never on
the winning side; always on the right"
if one is alone in the opinion.
If l were IS positive that I under
stood anybody as he is when he says,
There is no question that I under
stand Theodore Roosevelt" I should
feel as proud as he does. But his
statement would be more generally ac-
cepted if it read: "There is no ques-
tion that I do not understand Theo-
dore Roosevelt
Mr. Viereck's latest eruption is in
the form of book called, Roosevelt:
A Study in Ambivalence." 1t is, of
course, mainly celebration of G.. S. V.
He is as conceited as Peter Pan, except
that his is not a pretty conceit, as he
says, Nor is there any doubt that I
can WELD pen"
Mr.. Viereck sends me his unsolicited
book and his publisher solicits my opin-
ion of it. In his preface, Viereck
says, with his customary always right
ness, This book, dear reader will be
delightful secret between US. 1t will
not be reviewed in the American press.
1t will not even be mentioned. My psy-
cho-analytic Interpretation of Colonel
Roosevelt contains much that is start
ling. 1t adds to the portrait OF The
odore Roosevelt line here and there
that cannot be erased by the relentless
years, nor by their relenting histor-S
ians."
The first three sentences have al
ready been proved false. The fourth
is open to the objections that the book
is not psyche analytic" or "interpre-
tation," and it is not ''startling." The
fifth is beyond Viereck's power to
prove, or ours to disprove
l think that Mr.. Viereck has got his
prophecy hindside foremost, and that
th9 book will be a delightful secret
to posterity, for it adds absolutely
nothing to the portrait of Roosevelt,
except the fact that an intensely gen
erous man and a voluminous letter
writer included Vicreck among the
throng of authors he praised and
treated him politely. Later, learning
more of Viercck, Roosevelt turned
against him with disgust as he turned
against great numbers of other men,
Roosevelt's changes of mind were a
subject of incessant comment through
out his lifetime. His reputation of
Viereck was inevitable.
Many man, seeing small animal
at large, has gone toward it, calling
Kitty, Kitty, nice Kitty" only to
observe the black and white stripes
and flee, holding his nose Some
people say that skunks make very nice
pets if they are not startled. And
Viereck has friends who like his
peculiar ways Of doin' things.
Viereck's 'psycho- lysis" of Roose-
velt is the veriest piffle. He tells
nothing that is news to anybody who
knows anything about Roosevelt or any
body else. He tells a good deal about
Vlereck, but that is not psycho-analysis,
for Viereck flaunts publicly the emo
tlons that the Freudians ransack other
peoples minds to uncover.
He has said that the Poetry Society
and the Authors League will be re-
membercd only because they expelled
him. There might be far worse things
to be remembered for at that Viereck
seems to think that because man can
string words together ingeniously he
is emancpated cternally from the
criticism or discipline of his fellow
citizens.
Viereck has written verses that
show very marked ability. Nobody
denies that, least Of all Vicreck. But
there has been good deal of fine art
turned out by mighty unpleasant peo~
pie.
should say that the poetry of
Francois Villon would stand quite as
we'll with posterity as that Of Vicreck,
but Vlllon was as yellow dog as ever
lived.
Ingenious 80 ever as Viereck's poetry
may bc-and I think it infinitely less
great than he declares it to be and ut
terly without literary innuencc-his
prose is inspired by nothing but atti-
tudinizing cgotsm. the ludicrous bonn
bast Of Il man who is his own press
agent and who is no more credible
than any other press agent