The New York herald., 1921-04-24
Fifty-nine kinds
Of sense and fun

WELL, WHY NOT? BY Thomas L. Mason.
Doubleday. Page Co.
T@ HIS collection is rather an assorted
lot of Mr.. Massons contributions to
i the general stock of cheerfulness in
the United States. There are fifty mine sep
arate pieces besides the Prologue to the
Foreword" and the "Foreword to the Intro
duction to the Preface" and the 'Introduc
ton to the Preface" and the Preface" with
its Postscript" not to speak OF "A Few
Remarks" about the author by the Lady
Cook of his household, who is, we gather,
the most distinguished" person whom he
could prevail on to write something to hang
up over the entrance to his book. like an
Abracadabra or Mazuza, or a horseshoe.
to avert bad luck from his venture.
Now just why Mr.. Mason suffered such
crise dc nerf as he evidently did in thinking
it necessary or expedent to make such an
elaborate feint at jocosity all this pre-
liminary canter indicates at the beginning
of his book is one of the inexplicable mis-
haps which befall writer however gifted.
when faced with formidable pile OF ms
own short pieces. which he has got tired
of. and realizes that they are to be offered
to the public in book as merchantable
material He has no more accurate judg-
ment about them than a cat in a cats
cradle could have about the day after to-
morrow; and such an animal we submit,
never was on land or sea. So we must for
give all the suffering start and be glad OF
the book for itself.
For it, as Gilbert once said of life (the
mortal estate not the periodically is pud-
ding full of plums. There is propriety
(nor space for it) in giving string of titles
of the most amusing pieces In the book.
But this one thing seems to be true-that
the moral tale of "The Man Who Came
Back" provides a good and sufficient and
comprehensive explanation of Mr.. Massons
complete capacity as the editor of LUe-the
periodical-for twenty years. For In 1t he
has conveyed with the utmost clearness the
supreme Importance to every man of keep
ing life in his own body until he is quite
ready to disappear, kerplunk and forever.
in the deep pool of oblivion.
In this story we read that Henry BillSins,
a man who had been in his life much loved
and respected round about. had found out,
through the activities of the Society for
Psychical Research that he could come back
after having been dead and honorably buried
for ten years. He thought they would all
be glad to see him back here back he
came. He called on his son. to whom he
had left his money. He bit embar
rassed, but filial and respectful, lent him a
hundred dollars and suggested that the IA
ther should wait day or two before call
ing upon his widow. Mr.. Bilkins discovered
shortly that the lady had married again and
was very contented He hunted up various
and sundry of his old friends and tried to
make golf engagements with them, but they
all had other engagements.
Now, there isn't anything bitter in this
little tale-not thing. But 1t contains In
herent evidence of Mr.. Masson's possession
of a most competent and earth-shaking
sense Of humor. in that he perceives the In
evitable joke which a man gets played on
him as an individual. far as life goes,
when he once let's go and slips out of his
place in the world. or in society, or in his
own circle. or whatever you like. This Mr..
Blkins had been in life admirable char
acter, and Mr. Mason crowns him with
great glory in attributing to him the ablli1'
to see the joke as II exists and TO accept the
fact without resentment, but with full rec
ognition of the complete finality OF demise
as accepted by regretful family and friends.
Here endeth the lesson. O. =. ID.
There is much wisdom in little room" In
tie remarks upon "Egotism.' which, Mr..
Mason says. is also known under the names
of vanity" and "Conceit." But by any
name it is "a source of unalloyed happiness
to Itself Solomon drove Vanity to the
woods with his reproaches. so that she has
never been the same since. though Egotism
and Conceit have tried hard to rehabilitate
her. And as to the egotst-"the serenity
with which he ignores his own mistakes Is
equalled by no philosopher. He
needs no merit. ~. He lives by faith
alone-faith In the one person in whom he
has the utmost confidence-himself."
Mr.. Mason writes feelingly "On Spending
Ones Money visuazing with perspicacty
ones friend A. who pinches and scrapes the
whole kernel out of whatever nut he gets
into his paws, and friend r. who chucks
his money around as II IL grew wild in the
back yard, and whose family all do the
same. One meditates upon their habits with
wonder and INDUCES oneself alternately in
lnexcusable extravagances and miserable
petty economies altogether. spending ones
money is largely a matter OF ones worldly
imagination"
Mr. Mason writes with gallantry about
Book Reviewers" He says: II am positive
that book reviewers as a class wholly
misunderstood. Their nice sense OF honor
prevents them from associating with au-
thors whose books they review. their re-
lationshps being with people of a lower
order. such publishers and editors.
X Is not the province Of book reviewers
to tell what is In book II they did this
there would be no use in reading It.
The majority OF book reviewers not only
very much alive. but extremely consci-
entious. within their lights !. They
should be segregated. fed upon simple but
nourishing food and after passing examna-
tions be provided with book reviewers
licenses"
All this, and much more OF good humored,
intelligent and encouraging char OF a dis
eliminating sort, In this latest addition to
the authors long docket OF proven books.
1t.