South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-09-19
Books O the Week
By Elsie Clay Rogers

'F1appers and Philosophers" by
+. Scott Fitzgerald.
The question that arises about F.
Scott Fitzgerald IS whether or not
he thinks as cleverly as he writes,
that is, without pondering2 Does
three days Of afternoons come IN
a flash or does he tweedle and pull
the words around until he discovers
something unusual? Does he strain
for cleverneSs? l have the feeling
OF reading something made out OF
nothing. It's like eating cotton
candy at a fair. But not distaseful.
And something about that makes
you hungry for more.
And right on the heels Of This
Side Of Paradise" comes a host OF
poetical stories culled from no
place. "FIappers and Philoso-
pliers" is the fitful title, because
who knows what a "fapper" is or
understands philosophy? 1t Is a
pique TO the curios and even after
YOU know and understand. If you
ever do. there is ever a what-next
atmosphere surrounding both. The
author seems rather familiar with
the happer part, but he philosophy
sounds suspicious. a light! II is a
ilapper's philosophy.
But there is poetry. This un-
likely story begins on a sea that was
q blue dream, as colorful as blue
silk stockings, and beneath a sky
as blue as the irises OF children
eyes" Then, too. there is some
thing about "a little poor girl
dreaming over a fence IN a warm
cow country" It's colorful.
There are a few old fogies that
are going 70 have to get used 10
such things. Because here are a
few promising young Americans
who are going to keep on writing
them and oh. what host of read
How 1t Can Be Told" by Sir
Philip Gibbs
Sir Philip Gibbs certainly tells
could not tell before. He tells the
could no ell before. He ellis the
half that has never been told, which
none Of the boys who came home
over tell about. the half they are all
irving TO forge. But Gibbs was a
rewspaper correspondent then and
probably was just bursting with the
great big stories that were censored.
He got rid of some Of the best war
stories and facts ever collected IN
one book.
He says himself. I'm this book I
have written in a blunt way some
episodes OF the war as / observed
Them. and gained first hand know q
edge of them IN their daily traffic.
I have not painted the picture black
er than IL was nor selected gruesome
morsels and Joined them together
to make a zig-zag puzzle for ghoul-
ish delight Unlike Henri BarbuSse
who in his dreadful book lie Ecu.
cave the unrelieved blackness of
this human drama, I have here and
in other books shown the light as
veil as the shade in which our men
lived the gaiety as well as the fear
they had, the exultation as well as
the agony Of battle. the spiritual
ardor Of boys as we'll as the brutal
itv OF the task that was theirs.
have tried TO set down as many as
poets Of the wars psychology as /
could find in my remembrance OF
these years, without eXaggeration or
false emphasis, so that out OF their
confusion, even out OF their contra
diction. the real truth OF the adven-
ture might be seen as it touched the
souls of men"
The light he gives with stories
like the following
II was OF Gen. Hunter Weston
that the story was told about the
drunken soldier put onto a stretcher
and covered with a blanket, 10 get
hin, out Of the way when the army
commander made a visit 10 the
lines.
whats this?" said the general.
Casualty. sir" said the quahng
platoon commander.
ffN-Ot had I hone -
Dead, sir" said the subaltern
He meant dead drunk.
The general drew himself up, and
said. IN his dramatic way. The
army commander salutes the hon
ored deadi"
And the drunken private put his
head from under the blanket and
asked. What's the old geezer
a-sayin' of"
THE Negro Faces America" by
Herbert }. SeIigmann.
Herbert Selignann holds fair play
in labor dealings as the chief auti-
ture OF race relations. IN so far as
they are not allowed 20 degenerate
into violence and irren ediable bit
terness. would seem 10 lie with
labor and with liberal political
forces that represent working-class
sentiment as the old parties do not
and cannot. II will be largely on
the Job and IN the labor union that
the identity OF interest OF the col
ored worker and the white VIII be
demonstrated. probably despite all