New-York tribune., 1920-11-12

Curiously enough, at this very time,
when millions upon millions of voters
have expressed themselves in favor Of
the principle Of "America first and the
world we'll lost" the best Of our ma
tive novels seem invariably to be con-
cerned with the question, "What is
the matter with America" The young
men and women who write these books
seem inclined to back ideal communi-
ties which are still but dreams and to
play the America of to-day for nothing
more than show.
In this new current Of questioning
literature the two novels which stand
out are Main Street, by Sinclair Lewis,
and Moon Calf, by Floyd Dell. Mr..
Lewis is frequent contributor to The
Saturday Evening Post and Mr.. Dell
is an associate editor of The Liberntor,
and so it comes with something Of a
shock to find Lewis far more impatient
with American life than Dell. Perhaps
the explanation lies in the fact that
the protest which Lewis voices in
Main Street is the expression Of bit
ttrness newer than that of Dell's. A lit
cings to Lewis. Dell has been longer
on the mourners' bench. Probably he
doesn't like things as they are any
better than he ever did, but he is in
c,ined to ask now for light rather than
lightning. Later we hope to discuss the
two books in detail, but to-day it is
more convenient to let Dell speak for
himself. He writes:
"a friend of mine, who a year ago
lent me a volume Of Congreve, has
written to me, indignantly, demanding
it back, after reading my remarks on
Sinclair Lewis's Main Street in your
columns; he feels that a person who
defends the Middle West and suggests
that a young idealist has anything to
learn from the stupid people among
whom he was brought up does not de-
serve to have in his possession vol
ume which contains the story of the
charming and outrageous young ideal
ist, Mrs. Millamant
1T serves me right. l did not intend
to attack the young idealist. But
had just published book about a
young idealist, moro foolish, if pos
s.ble, than Mr.. Lewis's young heroine,
but decidedly less unhappy; and what
had in mind was the superiority of
my young idealist to Mr.. Lewis's by
modesty having betrayed me, put it
by. | am interested in the subject
in more ways than one, and / can't
nclp comparing my hero and his hero
i'e. Felix Fay in Moon-Calf does not
hate the Middle West the way Mr.
Lewis's Carrie hates it; nor, although
he is Socialist, does he cherish such
eGregious plans for reforming it al
together. In fact-and this | think is
true of many young people in the
same situation--he manages to find IN
it the things he needs-the friendship.
comradeship, love and human educa-
ton. Sinclair Lewis's Carrie fails to
find anything except misunderstanding,
envy, contempt, failure and misery
81 suspect that many young people
will find it easier to identify them
selves with Carrie than with Felix
Il this is so, then-barring other com
persons between the two books which
| am not qualified to make-is it be-
cause the younger generation is afraid
to laugh at itself? wonder what you
think about it?
IL have been interested, too, in COM
pairing Felix Fay with the young hero
of This Side of Paradise There is an
extraordinary similarity, underneath
their differences of class, between the
two young men of these books. Only it
seems to me that the nero OF This Side
6 Paradise is essentially lonelier and
unhappier than Felix Fav, has less re
sources within himself to serve as
defense against the harshness of the
world and is more deeply suspicious