New-York tribune., 1920-01-16
Books

H. Sd handed me a pencil and then
stood around as il he expected me to
do something with it. didn't suppose
he wanted me to commit myself in writ
ing about any recent plays or books, and
l guessed that he desired something
more pictorial. l drew q face and
showed it to him. It wasn't any face
in particular and didn't know whether
to call it the Spirit of the Ages or a
young JugoSlav artillery officer H. Sd
looked at it with interest and promptly
said "baybay."
l let it go at that and was pleased
that he had caught the. general intent
OF the work. Unfortunately, I tried to
show my. versatility, and the next head
was stuck underneath pompadour and
on top of a rather elaborate gown. But
again he called it "baybay" l added
trousers, walking stick, high hat, a
fierce scowl and put a long pipe in the
mouth, but he could see no difference.
1t was still "baybay.'
was put in the quandary Of setting
II. Sd down as little unintelligent or
stigmatizing my art as ineffective, until
/ suddenly came upon the correct ex-
planation. These pictures Of minr, were
direct, naive, unspoiled by any theory of
life or composition. They were the
natural expression Of creative impulse.
In them was the spirit Of spring, and
freshets, and early birds, and saplings,
and "What Every Young Man Ought to
Know" and all that sort Of thing. "Bay-
bay" said n. Sd, and he was quite right.
couldn't fool him by putting Peter
Pan in long trousers.
There is no lack Of pose in Carl Van
Vechten's book Of essays called "In the
Garret" Knopf), and more than trace
Of caddishness, but with all that it con
tains some pleasant and amusing writ
ing. Personally, we are fond Of infor-
mality in such work, but when the
author marks a quotation, from a critic
with whom he disagrees, by a footnote
and invites the eye to the bottom Of the
page, where he has set down the COM
ment, 80, Sugar!" we feel like refusing
to play any longer.
The light touch is an engaging quality
I'm writing, but II it misses the nose and
falls on the wrist it hardly deserves tc
be counted among the blows landed.
However, one must forgive Mr.. Var
Vechten much in reward fop his dscov
cry of the following passage from Ella
Wheeler Wilcox's "The Worlds and ~:
II have circled the world almost twic,
and I have seen so much beauty tha
the memory of it is like panorama O.
glory upon glory. have seen the won
ders Of the drive from Sorrento t,
Amalfi; the majesty of the drive owe
Mount Diablo in Jamaica at dawn; th
tropical splendors Of the drive from-C Co
lombo to Handy in Ceylon; and l hav,
stood on the edge Of glaciers in Swift
fore me. I have seen Stromboli send
ing flame of fire hundreds Of feet j,
the. air at night, while its river of fir
ran down the volcano to the sen below
and have sat in the old Greek theate
in Taormina, Sicily, 5000 feet above tn
earth, and gazed on Mount Etna in tn
distance lifting itself 1900 feet owe
the Ionian Sea; have watched the SUI
turn sapphire sea and azure clouds I
vcrmilion, as it went down on thi
glorious scene. These and many NOR
wonders of Gods earth have behelt
yet nowhere have found any othe
spot which seemed to mo to combine =
much beauty, comfort, convenience an
charm for the enjoyment Of simple an