Pueblo chieftain., 1921-09-02
BY Frederic l. Hassin.


Chicago, III. Aus. 3n.--The Infection
Of artistic and literary bacilli. which
has been disturbing the sound COM
mercial constitution OF Chicago for
some years past. has broken out in
new spot. Ths spht is somewhere in
the region north OF the Chicago River
and between the Lake and State street
II is little shop. which used to bc
called the Old Tower Book Shop. Ap-
parently the book-seilins didn't pay.
and the shop now sells A variety of art
and artistic wares too numerous. tn
enumerste. II is also the headgusrt"rs
Of an organization for the purpose Of
finding Jobs FOR women writers and
s6',orE managed by Miss Ruby Black
But its rcsi distinction IN neither AZ
shop nor as an agency for the dis
/. trthution Of beautiful scrihes. Its real
distinction Is that here, once a week.
poets and postesses meet and read shsir
works TO themselves and each other
and any one else who cares to listen.
Some say that there ara really two
meetings a week at this place Ac-
cording 10 this story, when the word
went round that any poet could get an
audience for hip verses Al this place.
tho poets poured in so rapidly and nu-
time FOR all OF them to read all that
they had to give the world Bssides
that, a lot Of people came who didn't
really appreciate poetry NJ all. So
circle was organized. and now there Is
another meeting every week. TO which
only the really elect are admitted At
least. SO they say.
This reading circle seems 10 consiE,
chiefly Of poets of whom the world al
lara has Vat hard al kR
ono or two Of them who publish reg
ularly. II includes some poets and
poetesscs who have never even tried to
publish their works-who seem 10 have
scorned the public SO far. Among th.@e
is a woman who calls her poems col
lectively "Dishpan Lyrics" She Ia n
woman who has spent mos, Of her life
cooking and washing dishes SO they
say, and she has put into pulsinE meter
the thoughts and emotions. tho rebel
lions and hopes of a housewife tied to
humble tasks. escaping only in her
imagination. Her friends say that her
verses would appeal 10 large public.
but she has never sought to reach n.
AN AESTHETIC OASIS
Whether this little shop is really
nest OF unpublished genius or not. II
f. certainly one more center OF intel
lectual aspiration in tho greatest husi
moss place OF the West II "a one more
court Of beauty in the city Of beef. one
moro phase Of the strange process by
which tho city that typifies American
commerctaltsm and money lust at i'=
most intense. is also becoming a city
OF poets, painters and dreamers. a city
In which the aesthetic impulse is sven
forms.
Perhaps the phenomenon ia not
really mysterious. either rerhaps II
Us partly a matter OF action and reAc-
tion. Chicago is the place where the
great industrial push. which has used
most Of Americas energy for half a
century reached its greatest power. II
may he only natural that here the re-
action against commercialism should be
most marked and extreme.
Then, too. the course Of intellectual
empire in America seems now to he
moving Westward A hundred wears
a 60 Boston was the intellectual center
Of America. Then It shifted to New
York. II probably remains there. hu,
New York is more and more becom-
ing a mere market for literary wares
while the people that make them seem
more and more to bs westsrners, and
especially middle westernerR
generation ago poets and artists
generally were ns scarce along the Chi
caso river ae fish in tho Sahara Then A
Eroup Of newspapermen gathered there
which Included saveral poets OF real
merit and at least one sood novelist
This group broke up and most of its
members became mere popular writer's
1t is only within the last few years
with the rise Of the Bo-called Chicago
school of poets. that tho great beet
town has begun 70 get a hishhrow rep
utattor.
In part this reputation has been
wished upon Chicago. H L. Menokeu