The New York herald., 1921-04-24
Max adds to his
collected works
Reviewed by SAMUEL ROTH.
AND EVEN NOW. BY Max Beerbohm
London: VIM. Heinemann.

"a'S VI q SdulN expiring century, pub
lisLed his Collected Works. 1t never
occurred TO any one to see a serious
design in this profoundly humorous
gesture. and when a few years later
another slender volume entitled More"
made its appearance good literary
people regarded 1t as the continuation
OF the whim of a very delightful young
man. No, not even Max himself real
lies how true, If Intentionally face
tious, was the symbolism OF the col
lected Works; for with the closing of
the Nineteenth Century closed the
book OF Time for Max Beerbohm who
was conceived in and even now be-
longs entirely to the Nineties-to the
old age of a century of gigantic self
assurance and boastfulness grown a
little shy and modest in It's last DAYS
through its whimsical recorder
The Nineties passed; the nineteenth
century passed. but Max Is proof even
against Death. yet Again" followed
More" to remind the world that Mr.
Beerbohm. though still with the dead
Ninetes. was himself delightfully."- alive.
Followed some stories and cartoons.
Max was fippant enough TO pretend
to be interested in such entirely mod
ern people as Sir Herbert Asquith
end Mr.. John Masefield, but by draw
ing them he was merely throwing a
veil over them-a playful but not very
useful thing to do. And on the cover
of his new book, issued only in Eng
land. where one looks for the title of
the book, you read And Even Now"
What a strange, beautiful fellow,
1t never matters what he chooses to
write about. 1t may be only on re-
membering single line. Down be-
low, the sea rustled to and fro over
the shingle.'' Or on having picked
up a book OF sample letters for peo-
pie who have difficulty with their cor
respondence. He remembers seeing a
ridiculously draped statue on an OBJ
scure point of the italian seacoast
with as much spirit as a certain visit
to Swinburne. These two Incidents
and the Tischbein- Goethe incident are
the most delightful things in the book.
But there is the danger of saying
such drastic things. The clergyman
whom he drags out of Boswell is not
a whit less funny.
How Goethe went to italy and made
the friendship OF Tischbein is a mat
ter of common knowledge. But why.
inquiries Max, did not Tischbein ever
finish his portrait OF Goethe? 1t could
not have been because he was not in
working humor. "He did crowds OF
heroes in helmets looked down at by
gods I'm Clouds he did centaurs leaping
ravines: Sabine women. sieges of Troy.
And he did this portrait of Goethe.
At least he began 1t. why didn't he
finish it?" AS Goethe was one OF the
most fascinating men OF his time the
conclusion Max comes to is rather
whimsical. Tischbein tired of Goethe's
society and fairly ran away from him,
But this is incredible. as incredible
as the story Of the "Mobled King"
II didn't know it was statue. I
had made by night the short journey
from Genoa to this place by the sea;
and. driving along the coast road to
the hotel that had been recommended
/ passed what in the starlight looked
like nothing but an elderly woman
mounted on pedestal and gazing out
seaward-a stout. elderly. lonely wo-
man In a poke bonnet indescribable
except by that old Victorian term "a
party And this statue of King TIM
berto must forever remain yelled in
this ridiculous fashion because the
town council cannot decide on a place
where its permanent stay will not be
a1 10 =,
outraged by the appearance OF the
statue: indeed. he thinks It would be
a good thing IL law were passed
decreeing that all the statues in Lon
don be redraped let an inventory
he taken of the statues. Let Il be
submitted to Lord Rosebery. and he be
asked TO tick Off all those statesmen,
poets, philosophers and other person
ages about whom he would wish to
orste. Then let the list be passed on
to other orators. until every statue on
1t shall have its particular spokesman.
Then let the dates for the various
veilings be appointed. If there he
four or f1ve veilings every week. I
conceive that the whole list will he
exhausted In two years or 80. And the
enjoyment OF the reported speeches
win not be the less keen because /
can SO well imagine them"
But the more think OF II the more
believe that the clergyman out OF
Boswell Is the most remarkable i'm
cident I'm the book. "Fragmentary,
pale. momentary." Max describes him:
almost nothing; glimpsed and gone;
81 II were, faint human hand thrust
up. never TO reappear. from beneath
the rolling waters of time. {.
Nothing i told OF him but that once.
abruptly. he asked a question, and
received an answer.
This was an afternoon of April Z,
177s, at Streatham. In the well-ap-
pointed house Of Mr.. Thrale, Johnson
on tho morning OF that day had en-
tertained Boswell at breakfast in Bolt
Court, and invited him TO dine at
Thrale Hall The two took coach and
arrived early. II seems that Sir John
Pringle had asked Boswell 10 ask
Johnson what were the best English
sermons for style Boswell suggested
Atterbury JOHNSON. Yes, Sir, one OF