The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-05-26

10 not some OF CAe league uleluUeIS,
who are still in their right minds, and
who are selling farm products for the
present small prices, feel that this ex-
travagant policy is all wrong and
should be stopped Jamestown Alert.
SAMUEL NJ. CROTHERS
At one of the Faculty Club meet
ings in March Mr.. Fred c. Spalding
contributed paper on Samuel Nc
Chord Crothers, one of our modern
essayists. We feel sure that a read
ing of it at this time will prove fruit
l am not an authority but l have a
notion that an essayist is a sort Of a
cross between a literary or dramatic
critic and philosopher: On the one
hand the Simon-pure literary critic
slashes away at his victim with dlssec-
ton and appraisement at his main OBJ
ject while the essayist analyses and
evaluates, that his work may result
in some improvement in human rela-
tions. His criticism must end in some
OR at least generalizlng IN
human affairs. On the other; hand the
real professional philosopher serves
his profound conclusions straight,
wh;''e the essayist beguiles his readers
>.eh mixed product his cogent rea-
soning being we'll shaken up with apt
illustration, learned classical quota
ton or poetical gem and all we'll sea-
soned with spicy humor. At any rate
such combination is Samuel Nc
Chord Crothers. He is more than a
critic because he induces an upward
and forward look and never antago-
nizes. He is philosopher who wildly
pictures the different ways your
thoughts may go, by his style he en-
thuses your march with martial music,
but leaves you to actually arrive
alone. He might we'll have written on
the fyleaf of his books the motto of
a French Social Philosopher, II pro-
pose nothing, l impose nothing, l ex:
pose." To the brutal frankness and
detail of the exposed Photographic
plate, by the skill and finesse of his
art, he retouches the picture, not re-
moving but softening the harshness.
Penetrating, judicial, exact, but al
ways, to borrow an adjective from the
title of his most popular book, gentle
Like William Penn in his dealings
with the Indians he gets results with
out fighting. One reviewer says Of
certain of his essays "Their impact on
the readers mind is as light as thistle
down but it is nevertheless invigorat-
ing" Another describes his work as
charming, humorous, observant, which
often leads one nowhere in particular
but benefits him none the less all the
way. Most genial of our cultured
American humorists says another.
But I hear you say don't know
very much about him yet after all
those words of yours and others. What
does he write about anyway and how
does he write? Estimates of his writ
ings are lacking. They will probably
appear after his death. This being so
l can only paraphrase the well known
saying of the novice in the art gallery,
II don't know anything about essays;
or essayists but I know what I like"
Perhaps can tell you what I like or
do not like about the writings of DR..
Crothers. Or might use that other
quotation, itself a subtle
form of self-praise and describe my
efforts as "an ill-favored thing but
mine own" What are my amateur
ish impressions and what did DR..
Crothers write about after all?
After reading six volumes and some
scattering essays in the Atlantic
Monthly, my general impression is
that he wrote about most everything.
Of course an essayist would not be an
essayist if he rode a hobby. He would
be a propaganda or something else.
1t should be remembered also that DR..
Crothers gives his first endeavors to
his work in the ministry. It is said
that he abhors the substitutions Of
essays for sermons. There lies his life
work. He writes essays because he
likes to and because people have let
him know that they like to read what
he writes. But in his pleasant ram
bling essay he reveals a matured
thought on most of the social prob
lens of the day. I suppose that it is
a prerequisite to being called an es-
sayist that person should know
about most everything. If
pushed to the wall ! should say that
DR.. Crother's major interest is that of
although industrial prob
lens, national prejudices, varied lit
erary forms and authors, as we'll as
religious attitudes are woven into sew
eral of his essays. One entire book
politely shuffles together the different
phases of feminism and women's suf-
frage. But after all it is his methods
more than his material that gives
charm to his writing. In the first
place the scaffolding on which he
works is unique. The title essay of
his latest book is an example "The
Dame School of Experience. A few
words of the introduction will give you
the idea, which is. an interview with
the imagined school marin. OF SINH
lar type but even more clever is the
essay describing the little one-of-the-
way London school known as the
e Anglo-American School of Polite IN
learning" Both the Englishman and
the American are made familiar in adj
vance with the differences which will
CRATE on them when they visit the
land of the other. One clever essay
is based on the imagined assembling
together in convention Of books in the
place of Librarians. Another clever
device is his form of introduction. For
- e