New-York tribune., 1919-10-01
TINE elevator in our house goes up hand
over hand and because 1t moves slowly

forget to classify it. OF course we would
prefer 90 be like the elevator man. Such a
temperament as his would be Invaluable in
reviewing books. Often we spend a number
of hours in reading a book, and then can't
for the life of US think up anything to say
about it. 1t doesn't seem to US the greatest
American novel written since Monday. nor
yet do we feel that the author ought to be
hanged It's just one more book. and there
isn't anything much to be said about It,
Next time we get stuck like that we think
We'll ask the elevator man.
We don't know what he'd say about Rob
ert Chauvelot's "Parvati" Century. but il
seems to fair and much warmer than
usual. Helen Davenport Gibbons has made
the translation, which is colorful. The
book tells a rather interesting and torrid
story Of a love affair between French
painter and maharanee of modern India
The happy ending Is pasted on Ike post
age stamp.
"Mummery," by Gilbert Cannan (Doran>.
has been in the Office for weeks and week.
while we have been trying 20 think up some
thing to say about it except that it con-
talns q clever burlesque OF Beerbchm Tree
and much else that is rather heavy
mixture of burlesQue and fantasy
Then there is Conan Doyle's "Thc Doings
OF Rafhes lIaw" (Doran) Not much can be
said about this. 1t is moderately inventive
story of 81 man of great wealth who finds
that his riches are debauching influence
upon all with whom he comes In contact
The story is supplemented with two old
friends from the Sherlock Holmes collec-
tions, "The RedHeaded League" and "Thc
Boscombe Valley Mystery" which are of Z
moro entertaining qualify
William ". Ellsworth, in his Golden Age
of Authors" (Houghton- -Mifln), tells of an
encounter between Doyle, then on lecture
tour, and Boston cabman, who hailed him
by name as soon rs he approached the curb
The inventor of Sherlock Holmes was
puzzled, and asked the driver how he made
the identification.
We'll, sir" replied the hack driver, "of
course, all members Of the Cabmcn's lit
erary Guild knew you were coming on this
train. and noticed. sir if you will excuse
me, that your hair has the cut of Quaker
ish Philadelphia barber; your hat shows on
the brm in front where you tightly grasped
1t at Chicago literary luncheon; your right
overshoe has on it what Is plainly a big
block of Buffalo mud and there are crumbs
Of doughnut, which you must have bought
at the Springfield station, top of your
bag. And then, sir, to make assurance
doubly sure, l happened to see stencied in
plain lettering on the cad O. the bag the
name Conan Doyle'
"Chesterton," writes MIR. Ellsworth in the
Same interesting volume, "is about the big
gcst man ever saw, considerably more than
six feet in height, with tangled curls on q
great head set on his massive body rode
with him once in an open automobile down
Oxford Street and Piccadilly and ne attracted
as much attention as the King going to open
Parliament. why ! SAID, they all know
YOU Yes replied Chesterton, in a grieved
tone. and if they don't they ask"
John B. Fosters well known work How to
Play Baseball" makes its appearance under
the French title Comment on Joue a l.
that the French equivalent for strike is
"Un coup on une prise" Which must be .
great temptation to the French umpire be-
hind the bat to call everything "ballc'
We spoke recently OF Iafcado Hcarn'
interesting habit of refusing to review for
his newspaper those books which he consid-
cred unworthy of his attention. In other
respects he seems to have more nearly fol
lowed the usual customs, as we Judge from
the wondering comment Of Charles Wood
ward Hutson, IN his introduction to the
Houghton- Miin collection OF Hearn's "Fan-
tastics": "His capacity for reading swiftly
for getting the heart out Of q book-was
amazing. While others read sentences he
read paragraphs, chapters-in the time il
would take ordinary reader to finish {.
chapter ne would have read the whole book"
There is what seems 10 us shrewd advice
for readers in MacGregor Jenkins's little
book of essays. Literature With a Large l.
(Houghton Mifflin). "The arbitrary choice
of list of titles" he writes. "see1ns to me a
great mistake. The charm of real reading
is its digressveness-the fact that one book
leads to another. Get started with fiction
and you may find yourself in metaphysics
but in every transition from book to booA
you have followed some natural intellectual
craving, Consequently, avoid libraries OF
the best books, avoid lists of helpful and
stimulating reading. and. above ALL avoid
lists of books representing literature with a
large L. Avoid, as you would the plague, the
person who talks to you about intellectual
development. 1t Is too late for most Of us to
think about that now. If we were ever
going to develop intellectually we probably
would have done 80 long before this. Let US
accept our intellectual bankruptcy "a 1t stands
to-day, and make the best possible settle