New-York tribune., 1920-06-07
Books

Some Of our political friends insist
dolefully, few gleefully, that If GER
tain candidates, laws, economic schemes
or what not, fail Of speedy adoption we
shall have revolution. We are even
told that tho scenes of the French Revo-
lutton will be enacted here. We don't
believe 1t for a moment. At any rate,
not II Dickens painted true picture in
"A Tale of Two Cities" because none of
the radical ladies Of our acquaintance
would possibly perform the required
knitting.
When we read novels Of English life
we are not infrequently moved to won
der whether the Atlantic Ocean is cor
rectly called "the big pond" There is,
for instance, "The Third Window" by
Ammo Douglas Sedgwick, into which we
ventured with the greatest enthusiasm
until we met "He came and leaned on
the back of her chair, looking across her
head up at the mantelpiece, where row
OF white fritillaries stood in tall crystal
glasses, their reflections showing, as if
through film of seawater, in the an
cient mirror behind them"
There we paused to take counsel. We
hesitate to 60 on without knowing 1ust
how important \ part the white fritil-
laries are to play in the plot. For all
We know, the most tense situation in the
M +o h.
somebody is found dead with white
fritillary through the heart or in his
hand and we would never know what
killed him.
Speaking Ct romance and adventure.
as We we're and are despite the interrupt
tions Of old Frank Adams, we are off
for Chicago and San Francisco to the
conventions. San Francisco has a ro-
mantle sound If you live far enough
away, but when we get there as like as
not We shall find no more excitement
than may be cleaned from hearing A.
Mitchell Palmer cheered for fifty-six
minutes. And for all his private prisons
and his spies and many minions we dare
say hare and now that we would rather
hear and participate in a two-minute
ovation to "Babe" Ruth than two
hour ono to Mr.. Palmer. The demon
strations for the various candidates dur
ing tho conventions, if placed end to end,
will probably stretch through the bet
ter part of the day, and yet in them all
there will not be one-tenth the true
elation or sincerity that greets Ruth
when he puts the ball into the bleachcrs.
But then baseball is serious business
which is played in full sight of every
body. It the fate of the ball games wa.
decided by little groups of elder states
men sitting in back rooms "Babe" Ruth
hilnself would be no more inspiring than
Govsxnor Sproul.
Small, Maynard & Co. are bringing
out "Plays,' by Susan Glaspell. We
recommend this volume to our readers.
II seems to us that Miss Glaspell be-
longs In the forefront of our native
dr1mstlsts. Particularly in the one-act
form she has displayed great gifts of
form ss we'll as substance. Unless our
sights arc all wrong, "Trihes" is one of
{. best short plays in English.
~ read with interest your review and
comments on Joseph Conrad" writes w.
l.. Solomon. "Is it not the truest kind
Of art to make the setting consistent
with and in harmony with the drama :?
Tho elemental and titanic struggle 60
ing on in the mind of Lord Jim has
fitting background in the weirdness Of
tho tropical scenery. Ajax dcfying the
lightning In Union Square would be
eonamitted to Bellevue, and the affair