New-York tribune., 1919-11-24
BOOK

1T appeared" says Harvey O'Hig-
gins in From the Life" chat she was
college graduate, educated in modern
languages, studious reader, fond of
serious fiction and able to pass judg-
ment on it with cheerful common
sense. She seemed to have an idea
that there must be in writing, as there
is in golf, proper stance, a correct
stroke, a championship method"
The analogy is sound 1t is easy to
look through the world of letters and
pick out the writer's who get great dis
tance from the tee but have no sense
of direction. Then there are those
who take their eye off the ball and
others who have a tendency to depart
from the straight line, with slices to
the right or pulls to the left, as we'll as
certain husky writer's who get pretty
good distance but might get more if
they didn't try to hit the whole teeing
ground as we'll as the ball. Theodore
Dresser, for instance, belongs in this
class which sclaffs. No American
writer whom we know cuts deeper
divot and yet he usually gets some
place just the same. Then, in writ
ing as in golf, the cardinal command
of all is. "Take it easy. Don't press"
There is much in Jerome X. Jeromes
new novel "All Roads Lead to Calvary"
Oodd- -MeadD which is interesting, but
it gives support to the DID, and we think
utterly unfounded, idea that newspaper
readers are interested in the personal
appearance of the people whose stuff
they read. The heroine is about to ac-
cept Job from a London newspaper,
but becomes abashed when the manag-
ing editor says that he wants to make
the stipulation that every article shall
be headed by her photograph. When
she demurs he says: "How else do YOU
think you are going to attract their
attention? BY your cloquence? Hun
dreds of men and women as eloquent
as you could ever be are shouting to
them every day. Who takes any no.
tlce of them? Why should they listen
any more to you-'another cranky high
brow; some old maid, most likely, with
a bony throat and beaky nose If
Woman is going to come into the fight
she will have to use her own weapons.
If she Is prepared to do that she will
make things hum with a vengeance"
stuff and nonsense. In this country
women won the ballot by using mems
weapons. Both here and in England
some of the most notable work for suf
frage was done by frumps, and the issue
was decided almost entirely not by how
women looked or dressed, but bv. what
they said. Newspaper editors gave up
the notion years ago that thev could
interest their readers with practically
any sort Of poppycock if they headed
the column with the picture of a per-
sonable young woman who wrote it.
When it comes to the written or the
spoken word the "old maid" with the
"bony throat and beaky nose" has no
reason to fear any fluffy young person
who has nothing to say In fact, we
rather think that outlandishly beautiful
women are under great handicap as
speakers. 1t is true that men may like
to hear them talk, but they never paw
much attention to what they have to
say. And as for photographs of news
paper writer's. we can imagine nothing
of less Importance than how F. p
looks or what Briggs wears.
The nurse said that H. third had a
fight in the park with one of his little
playmates and won it. She was prond
and partisan.
"Woodie," she said, using the fearful
nickname which has fastened itself upon