New-York tribune., 1920-12-27

it is the trick Of the unexpected OBJ
vious. 'As for Zuleika, few pages
further on, that. l grant you may be
called trick And / fail totally to see
what the trick is in Enoch Soames, nor
is my pleasure in that story spoiled by
knowing it almost by heart. The au-
thor tells you exactly what the story
IS going to be right at the very be-
ginning, the identity of the third per-
son in the little restaurant is known
to you, and his deal with Enoch
Soames is more than foreshadowed in
the conversation which goes on. The
result Of it, except for the very minor
part that Max plays in it, is predes-
tined. What's the trick?
Il do not know a single page by Max
Beerbohm which have not read at
least five times. Nor do | know a single
page which / shall not read FIVE times
more. AS for 0. Henry, he has his
special qualities, about which you are
not inclined to be overindulgent. But
for heavens sake try to read the purely
trick story of o. Henry, the story that
really depends on those famous last
lines of his, and see Low far you get.
Did you ever notice how easy it was to
retell those stories, once ?"
This rebuke is pretty generally jus
tined, although we certainly had no in
tention of presenting Max Bcerbohm as
an English equivalent of 0. Henry.
We merely meant to suggest that Beer
bohm was writer. not much read in
TINS country, who deserved popularity
on many grounds, one of them being
that when he was Of the mind to do
so he could turn out short yarn with
a distinctive snap to its finish much
more cleverly than our own favorite
O. Henry. Perhaps Enoch Soames. in
Seven Men, is not truly trick story.
Certainly it is much more than that
although the part which Max himself
plays in the story at the end was q
surprise to Us and no minor incident.
either But if Enoch Soames is not a
trick story A. V. Ladder, in the same
volume, is--a gorgeous trick story.
However, we are recommending Max
Beerbohm to our readers on much
broader grounds. Not only is Beer
bohm almost the most amusing of all
living writer's, but there is very little
OF him, which makes his work doubly
precious. The Happy Hypocrite and A
Christmas Garland are both available,
but we don't happen to remember at
the moment the publishers. Zuleika
Dobson can be obtained from Boni &
Liveright in their moderate priced
Modern Library edition. Alfred Knopf
is the American publisher of Seven
Men, which costs 81, but is worth it in
paper and binding as we'll as content.
Speaking of censorship" writes
Anon, The Liberator is in trouble
again. The Liberator is frequently in
trouble. If it isn't having its lates t
issue condscated by the police. it is
running short of funds and hayine to
call on its friends for help. 1t is "a
journal Of revolutionary progress pub
lshed in New York and edited by Max
and Crystal Eastman and Floyd Dell.
They find the path of revolutionary
progress in America full of stumbling
blocks. The latest one has been pro-
vided by the postoffice, which has de-
clared the latest issue unavailable on
necount of an advertisement. And so
The Liberator has called on its friends
again. They are coming to Its aid
some of them in limousines. If it
weren't for those people in limousines
the path of revolutionary progress in
America might be even harder than it
Is. They are going to the printers in
nice friendly little parties, and scratch
ing that unmailable advertisement out