New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-05-07
bOOPS Heypood Broun

Fannle Hurst has always seemed to
us one of the most eloquent of the
feminists, and in Star-Dust there are
number of we'll devised and con-
vincing pleas for the cause, but In one
respect we find her backslider. On
page 800 of her novel we found: "He
ordered mans dinner: Clear soup,
with croutons. Long oysters on the
half she'll. A thick steak with potatoes
deliciously concocted beneath a crust
of cheese. Light wine. Ices in long
glasses as slender as the neck Of a
crane. Turkish coffee brewed at the
table over alcohol"
This seems to US a most tempting
meal, but why, we wonder, is it "a
mans dinner? Now that the vote has
been won will it be necessary to begin
a new campaign with the slogan:
"Thick steak for women? Our knowl-
edge of meat up to the point where it
is eaten is limited, but we are under
the impression that some steaks come
from cows and that there should be no
discrimination about the sex of beef
eaters. There is even less justice in
making oysters definitely a part of
mans world. Oysters, we have always
understood, are practically free from
sex consciousness. Inhibited oysters
are rare and are never served at the
best hotels. In fact, watch any oyster
opener at work and you will find that
ne does not even take the trouble TO
knock. Ks has no fear of embarrass-
ing the oyster, because he knows that
he, or she, is quite without shame.
Their hospitality, frankness and aloof-
ness from petty prejudice, indeed, hes
bean summed up in that well known
phrase "the freedom of the seas"
An oyster does not care in the least
whether it is eaten by man woman or
child. This lack Of curiosity is another
good point which should be noted in
any extended comment, but ours must
be brief. The oyster does not need
our defense. He is not sensitive. Not
for his sake, then, but merely for the
sake of the record, we wish to insist
that "long oysters on the half she'll"
are not necessarily part of a mans
meal.
10 be sure, we are not wholly with
out self-interest in this matter. We
must confess that in spite of our ad-
miration for the character OF the oyster
we Go not like to eat him. We prefer
clans, and we are making our protest
because we want to be able to 20 on
ordering Little Necks without SEEMING
effeminate.
Owing to the peculiar time schedules
OF the newspaper world, it is possible
for US to retract to-day something
which we are about to say tomorrow
In the Sunday Magazine OF The Trib-
une. In reviewing Star-Dust to-mor-
row. we will say: There are crudities
in Star-Dust, which is Miss Hurst's
first novel. Several of the obligatory
scenes of the novel which deals with
stage life are present. Yes, there is
scene in which manager tries to
seduce young woman. No novel of
the theater can do without that. But as
one who has read good many novels
about the theater we wonder why the
managers invariably keep on irving.
nj
properly squelched by the heroine"
Unfortunately, when we say this we
will be in grave error, for it was writ
ten at time when we had not vet
read page 257. Still, we have no hard
feelings against Lily for betraying our
trust. 1t must be admitted that her
circumstances were desperate, and we
had no right whatsoever to predict