Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-06-06
I,Y JOEL. hMI,S.


Arthur Guitcrman IL II man In love
Ga! pieadcr OF New York. Not being
addicted to the vice of literary teas.
he is not apt 10 get excited and talk
IN nigh pitched voice In discus
sions OF hooks. Nor is he one of
tnosc poets who have a pet theory OF
talk TO Arthur Guiterpian about New
ne hot n;:o ana his scholarly features VIII
great enthuss assn Will kindIc in his
eyes: and ne viii tell you:
,on nVery city has personality
New York. They say that Now York
is Il city with no tradItlons-and they
are wrong. They Say that New York
~ hcartlcsS-and they wrong.
New York Is the most misunderstood
city in the world"
But what Arthur Guiter,nan has
bcen most concerned in proving Is
that those who say there is no poetry
In great city have made n miscal-
culation; For years he has been
Sip about the New YORK Of 3' old ii nIt 1s
burShcr days. and now Il volume OF
them; Ballads OF old New York"
has been brought out by the Harp
crs: "Ballads OF old New York" is q
mobilization OF the ghosts OF the
doughty iorcfathcrs OF modern New
fork-the Sew York OF Peter Stuy-
!, 'Sssant. Peter Xerger. and OF Pretty
, polly c"r;clyou"
- pretty polly Corteiyou.
.S Mistress Of the dairy.
=. Eorn a dainty little shTcw.
~ Sprightly ana contrary
With their legends. supcrstitlous and
''-Terse FOR which Mr.. Guiterman is
wei known 10 magazine readers.
,i, Golden Days OF City College.
-. "of course. WAS brought up In
New York" said Mr.. Californian. Il
Vent To the College OF the CITY OF
4, sNcw YORK in the nincties, the days
-suii known As She golden, age OF the
.Gity College. Two. members OF my
tlSr. and Isaac Herr who is today the
3 .Chlcf Rabbi OF EnS!and-and every
profession IN between tx represented
N that ontnt. i was. the day when
, Lne w"althi.st folk %: the city cent
,tbc!r sons o'thc C!ty College. along
I'D" those who went because they
ttnd poor. OF ono religion or another.
We were one Jolly big family. sport
VA a.; It's height IN those days at
Ihc college, and wc had base bail. la
lGfossc, boating. and track events ga
ture. Indeed, have aiways had the
shrm belief That one am!ab!c bcwhis-
marx Ia Greek recitation one day FOR
nv other reason than that / had made
s9od showing on the heId for the
lJnck team the afternoon before
y -, When | was fourteen years old
amas given volume OF Washington
T'!hS as birthday present. and
nrrt tasted the delights OF quaint
Ola NJ" YORK lore and Irving'a
Charming style. From that day on.
have been lover OF h!stOry-no;
.rhc formal history OF dates and bat
lies but the stray bits OF gossip
Shat humauizc our past. / have spent
N4nonths digging into dusty records
ror some !ttle village comedy or
-trased: that left Us imprint on the
New York OF today. and months more
-stecping myself in til. nne ballad
ts,4Vs. Ht-. .ay al u a.. - M,
'SSew York To which ina mysel.
always returning.
nroth.rs In New York.
- - VIII no, enlarge upon that too
.fnueH, continued the autnor OF Bal
Ads OF Ola New fpgk," smiling, for
-{faE OF sounding !Ressa crank: Bu,
Il. must say that tn. attitude OF the
saverase American toward New York
puz@.cs ne. While every European
cation is proud OF !tS big city. Amer
.Aca, which has reason enough 10 be
proud, has never done Justice 10 New
york. /, is not merely a groa, city
''phystcaily but IL Is II city with a
great personality There are human
dramas enacted In New YORK tina,
rSccm definitely TO come out OF the
the old days 1T 6. c, y y, stands
out particularly in my memory There
were TWO brothers in my class u;
-co!lcgc. on" Of whom was u par
Z -
-tJ ordinary. began TO notice along
An the Junior year that their atten-
-dancc WAS getting irregular. they
We're looking worried. and their work
Vas falling OFF. Then FOUND ,ha'
leach one was holding down job.
working long hours 10 support him
Aself while he went on with his
.stud!cs. At length one OF the broth
-era dropped out OF sight entirely
The rest OF the class asked no qucs-
-t1ons. but one day l chanccd TO meet
thc brother who had dropped out.
LAnd i learned the background OF the
Incident. They had found that the
arrangement they were workinG
talked the matter over between them
selves calmly, and had come to the
conclusion that since the older OF
: the brothers was the brighter, no
while tho younger brother worked
~. II was just n little ripple in
sthe current of New York.
Provinciulf
- "Thcy say that New York Is pro
lVInciai. Wei. saw that put to the
vtrst once ! used TO come around 10
the sessions OF the old Eagabonds
Club. Il congerial group Of writers
L -Yho came together at the National
|, Arts There all sorts of literary and
.staEc folk would come together NJ
lunch without any prcarranEcd plan,
and there we would have delightful
l.. y
.spnnlities as Theodore Roosevelt,
Andrew Carnegie, and William j.
'Dockc. Ono man who always had
something to say when he came was
l. rCarncgic. and l remember many an
s8nimatcd discussion that he started
with his alert interest in people and
things. At one OF the NaSabonds
gatherings talk turned TO the pro-
Yincality' Of New York. l was in
|. c)incd To have my doubts on that
anbjcct. L wonder how many of the
people seated at this table we're ac-
rtually born in New York. remarked.
Nnd il developed that just two ~
1 That distinguished gathering of New
rYorkcrs We're born thcre-and ono of
them was born in BROOKLYN before
-the days Of the bridge The rest came
/ from all sorts Of PARKWAY hooks and
.Cbrners Of the broad continent to
|, Door 'provincial' New York.
-. I'm my excursions into almost-for-
gotten history, | have been interest ed
RIO see that New York has always
Hecn bulwark OF liberalism. She
!, ,Gpt the broad spirit first from staunch
sold Holland. and she has mover lost
IL. one heroic episode illustrative of
-that spirit. the fight OF Peter Zenger