The New York herald., 1921-07-03

electric washer. that big drum in which
you can leave your linen to swirl among
soapsuds and think no more about II; the
electric wringer, which saves you the trouble
of squeezing the wet linen. and which Is so
delicate that you can intrust even lace 10 IT,
This civilization is extraordinary and taxes
extraordinary forms such as the electric
curling iron: the immersion heater, which
enables you to warm your coffee when you
have no coffee pot by dipping stick OF
metal direct into the fluid and even the
safety comforter which you can connect
with a plug and lay upon any part of your
self which aches. Everything has been
thought of. More people in America are
thinking of how to make life easy tnan
anywhere else"
And he adds one more chapter to the visi-
tors volume about our high buildings. After
dismissing in n few scornful sentences the
work of England and Germany in archtec-
ture since 1860. he goes on
"'Then came America and ferro-concrete
America discovered the natural use OF the
new material and she discovered height
Americans have often told me that l am
wrong; they argue that the origin of the
skyscraper is TO he found I'm the small size
of Manhattan and the cost Of land. That is
not true for the skyscraper is not confined
to Manhattan. You find II In Boston. Chi
cago. even In Oklahoma where land was
not worth a nickel "A foot. The truth is that
American architects. who went for their
training to Paris had the At of exaltation
which in other times produced the great
styles That is how they made the style
OF the present, and Il is magnificent. Some
of the tall buildings are bad. some good.
The architect has not everywhere equaled
his dream. but in general he has all the
time kept firm hold on utility. the only
safe companion for the man who builds. He
has wasted time and no money on the
scrolls and garlands which dishgure Eng
lish buildings; he has not broken up his
noble columns with irrelevant stone cubes.
He has used no columns at all except to
support something SO far as possible (that
is after compromising with the demand for
plate glass ground hoors), he has made
honest use OF his material. And so. by long
lines. by avoiding fret. he has produced no
bility. The wooworth the Wurlitzer. Its
neighbor the Bush Terminal-al these.
though rather elaborate, are clean lined and
good Lit up at night. the Bush Terminal
is a fairy castle in the air. The Commodore
Hotel Is perhaps the most magnificent of all
because II is less narrow. has more dignity,
and because it's use OF two materials is light
and gay.
you find them all over the town, these
landmarks Of the new builders. Sometimes.
as In the case of the Flatron. the failure IL
horrible. At other times the result is dull.
but in the main they make New York into
city of columns which support the sky. They
mean something in terms OF aspiration"
One Of the finest passages in the book is
an Interpretation Of the psychology back Of
our talk
Kindness is almost universal In America;
In my first three months 7 collected only
three deliberate rudenesses. though, doubt
less. deserved many more. found every
where assistance and what the stranger
needs so much. information. Sometimes I
found a little too much for the American
does not always realize how lost is the
stranger in this immense. complicated sys-
tenn. and so burdens him with detail The
American Is often quiet but he never re-
fuses conversation and on the whole, Il is
better that people should talk too much than
too little: this contributes to general So
ciability and ease Of intercourse Also. con-
versatlon helps man 70 exhibit himself
Very few OF us ever attempt 20 discover
what the other man thinks we talk SO as TO
assert to him what re think; this helps US
to discover what we really think. I suspect
that the American moro than any other
kind Of man. his mind being filled with a
vast number Of physical impressions. needs
conversation to sort out these impressions
Burdened by certain forms Of national pride
local pride. and personal pride. by old puri-
tanic views and new efficiency views by
sentiment and by ruthlessness. he needs
conversation as a sort of clearing house. He
has TO formulate"
Truly conslderate words. And maybe hav-
ing lived here long enough TO catch the
American attitude. Mr. George had to write
this brightly conversational book as clear
ing house for his own vast number Of Ameri-
ran ir,,prcesionsf