The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-02-20
lesterton LkesA Things American, Especially Waffes

the dark, or by a tract or novel. they give
US very old stuff. Theosophy. a theology for
atheists, synonym for the higher foolish
ness alterations in poetry and art, free
thought hysteria-all these things may
easily be found i'm tho Middle Ages
rs there anything more insufferaoly tire
some than the theory Of reincarnation? II
has oloomed and died. and bloomed and died
again at almost fixed times in the history
Of the world. ] groan when pick UP a book
ana find that the author has a set Of char
scters that were reincarnated Egyptian
princes and princesses. That's the popular
"eincarnation of modern authors of fiction
Why not give some other race chance
What's the matter with the persons that lived
along with Boadicea that should prevent
them from coming back, or even the higher
class of your American Indians? Why should
the noble red man be left out or merely
get look in now and then as a control?
Looking for New DEVELOPMENTS
From SpirituaIiStc Revival
IN this general spiritualistic revival We
may look for some developments, a new re-
ligion, Wro knows? And while it endures
the mystic writer's have their day. Algernon
Blackwood is example There is about
him, as in most of the writer's distinguished
by this appellauon, something Of the second
rate: but in his beginnings he gave certain
promises. That was when he was Willing
70 follow his fancies as a poet does By max
ing a cult OF rencarnatiou Blackwood grew
duller and duller.
Compare his early work The Centaur
with some Of his later volumes. II has i
form that charms almost with the old Greek
magic; vague but enhancing atmosphere
pervades the book in which if nothing
Christian appears, there is sti1l vague ap-
peal or approach to a belief in the unknown
powers The absence OF Christianity does
pnf rTn for he Iu.1y -. an
ism which is the next best thing. ANY book
which gives Us appreciation of thos,
times when the followers of Christ loved
and preserved the pagan poems while deny
ing the pagan tenets. built their churches
like Greek temples. but exiled the GreeI,
Sods-any such book is likely to be delightful
The Centaur' was
Now take The Wave, a story of rein
carnation of those deadly Egyptians
with the first pages I fairly swooned from
a sense, an appalling sense. Of boredom"
How human comparisons limp, To SEE
the burly but not ungraceful figure with 1
book on the knee, to.study the expressive
smiling face, TO listen to the mild voice talk
ing about any subjectmade one wonder how
Chesterton ever came to be likened to John
son as faithful James has painted him Ii
IS impossible 10 conceive Of a roar from tho
living author. lie could never rend his fel-
lows in the great Cham way. And perhaps
in his own day girth and massiveness were
not TO be attributed solely to Johnson
Yet there are other likenesses besides size
In the universally OF their reading the MOD
ern ana the eighteenth century authors RI.
semble each other 1t would be difficult ID
suggest a subject, surely not one on a lit
erary topic, that Chesterton could not talk
endessy about This was "a Johnsoniai
trait.
In the present instance this graceful volu
bility proved embarrassing; there were So
many topics on which It was desirable Il
draw out the English writer's opinions. but
the fulness of his treatment OF those he did
touch on kept the others from a hearing
There can be no mind more agile than Ches-
terton's in the "uptake" Of an idea One
suggested by a syllable meant n paragraph
or a page; an idea that took sentence 10
express called forth a chapter OF exquisits
talk. In interviewing Chesterton the safe
course Is to suppress any but the leadinr
subjects. And when these are literary ~
their nature the interviewer Is lost If h,
would like to turn to politics. Literatur.
Is this mans life; nc Is a bookman first
and always
Following my public appearances as 4
purveyor Of commonplace, there has been
a pleasant flow Of letters in which the lee
turer has been treated TO some flattery en-
couragement ana now and then a couple OF
words OF admonition. I have emerged from
the trial with better grace than ! would
have believed possible, but fear that dis
appointment has been the lot OF some OF nv
listeners who eXpected-hcaycn knows why
but I don't something rousinc or romantic
IN tho lecturers appearance Perhaps that
word disappointment hardly states their
frame of mind and they have minimized their
feeling out OF politencss.
DisavowS Any Relations