The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-08-20
ON SECOND THOUGHT
By JAY e. HOUSE
(From Philadelphia Public Ledger.)

By JAY E. HOUSE
From Philadelphia Public Ledger.)
Discussion of books and literature
in this panorama of platitudes recent
ly has fallen low. We have been de-
TERED by sense of incapacity and
unworthiness. When those who mako
a profession of writing of books and
literature, and who get money for
doing it, begin referring to Rupert
Hughes as the American Balzac and
Hurst's "Stardust'' is a great novel, eve
beat it back to the shelter of the
bush and the trivialities of middle
class life. The higher walks of intel
lectual adventuring apparently are not
for us.
We concede some things to Miss
Hurst and Mr.. Hughes. As we have
hitherto observed, Miss Hursts de-
scription of the mulberry -colored
mark which his collar button imprints
beneath a mans Adams apple swept
the heights of realism And certain
ly Mr.. Hughes'S> feat of freezing a
beautiful young woman in a cake of
ice and subsequently setting up said
cake of ice against the walls of an
Adirondack cabin for the edification
or the villagers and other spectators
never has been approached by Balzac
or anybody else. Mr.. Hughes, il we
may lapse for a moment into the YER
nacular, made Balzac look like a
"piker." But our inferiority complex
renders us tiInid and hating and re-
luctant to speak.
1t is with trepidation, therefore, that
we approach the subject of Joseph C.
LincoIn's "Galusha the Magnificent"
1t is, we apprehend, not a great novel,
There isn't an oath in it nor an illegitf-
mate child 1t has no sex interest No
great wrongs are corrected and nobody
is uplifted. No political grafters are re-
buked and sent to the penitentiary.
There is no attempt to convict the
government Ct a criminal offense.
Capitalism is not once attacked. But
Mr.. Lincoln has brought together a
| little band of entirely plausible peo-
pie, who perform naturally for three
or four hundred pages and manage to
hold the interest of the reader to the
end without being offensive personally
or violating any Of the well known
ethics.
This, to US, seems so remarkable a
feat that, despite our inferiority COM
pick, We are moved to speak of it.
OF those with whom we have dis
cussed the matter, Mr.. Cullen Cain
appears to have the most plausible
theory concerning Mile. Lenglen's I'M
expected defeat. You will. however.
have to see Mr.. Cain about it. Eveyy
man his own historian is the policy of
Eventually, we assume, the inside
story of the manner in which Mr..
Ford runs a railway at a profit will
be written by some capable and disin-
terested reporter and printed in some
newspaper of wide circulation. But
the truth never will catch up with the
propaganda already disseminated by
Mr.. Ford's publicity service.
No, we don't know anything about
it. But we don't believe Mr.. Ford can
run a railroad better than those who
| have qualified as experts in that line
of work, If a thing isn't proba BILE,
the chances are it isn't true: and we
| should be willing to hypothecate the
on the proposition that there is Sene-
gambian in Mr.. Ford's woodpile and
that he will eventually be uncovered.
The reason we stipulate the pay
| check of October rs is that all of the
others of prior date already are n.y.
| pothecated.
One Poor Fish Rises to the Fly.
Sir-As a golfer, I am very much
intrigued by your account of your
| long drive on the eighth hole at
Aronimink;- but you carefully omit
from your version of the episode the
most interesting point for other golf
| ers. I am not interested in what your
caddie was doing or in whether or not
you were applauded for your m1gnift
cent effort. What wish to know is,
| did you sink the putt for a two or did
you blow 1t and take a three?
I am sure many other golfers were
| intrigued by this same point and will
appreciate enlightenment in an early
issue OF the column. NJ. J. B.
We putted for two, overrunning
the cup some four feet. Coming back.
we missed the cup by a margin of
three or four inches; but having
played 1t pianissimo, 1t came to rest
within six inches of its objective and
we holed out in four. No. is a par
four hole. When we play hole in
par the detail of the achievement is
! nothing to us.
It is not that we wish to sprinkle
the featNYith perfumed words. It was
nothing unusual. It is duplicated ev-
cry day on every golf course in Phil
adelphia. We have driven the same
green three or four times this season.
The point we made is that the poor
man has no chance. Had Mr.. Hard
ing driven that green there would
have been a big fuss about It.
II TTTCT EnT &c