Evening star., 1921-10-16
Reviews of New Books

ERIK DORM. BY Ben Hecht. New
York: q. T. Putnam's Sons.
TN a recent magazine print Ben
Hecht writes of "The American
Accouchement." which is merely
characteristic bit of imagery
to cover his forecast of a new birth
for American literature. This, so he
promises. will be a literature sprung
from the revolt of individual writer's
against 1.-The mob mind with it's mid
dle-class superstitions, it's phobias,
|inhibitions, knavery and cowardice."
Its method will be that of the clinic.
gerry Will carve out. clean. the true
|centers of all human behaviorS.
Il |Once born and on it's legs. this new
literature will put to ignominious
rout the present fat gods and drivel-
ing fetishes of the craft. 1t will he
the novelists. then, not the scientists
and philosophers. that will provide
|posterity with the mainsprinSs of
human emotion and action. In sup
port OF his theory and as hostage to
his promise. Ben Hecht offers Erik
Dorm. In entertaining Erik Dorm it
lis important, but not vital, that one
has to do away with accepted rules
| for novel making. No beginning,
as such, no end, no line of action
lin between. Simply Erik Dorm him
self with a couple of women-one his
|wife, one not-who are merely sound
|inS-boards for the flowing words of
Ithe man, looking glasses to give back
reflections OF himself. States of mind
take the place of action here. Words
and words-strung like bright beads
|into patterns of shining ornament. or
|SplaShed with careless hand. or foot
Into sprawls of brilitHut disorder.
|ScN feelings are the prc"ccuua tlon-
This is the Fundamental issue. Porn
IcallS it love and talks "ndirSSlE aDout
lit. He watches love SHrins; aad die
through Il perfect ritual oI gesture.
while the real thouCht and feeling OF
| the man stand off. analyZinS. meas
|uring. making up ncW words ana
phrases about lt-aS the ritual ltSell
goes automatically on 4 very Keen
Intelligence lies back of this book.
Some fundamental thinking animates
lit Brilliant wording-frank. most
it. 1t is series of
explosions. emitting flashes and
sparks and sound. without order or
sequence. Startling? Oh yes, all OF
THAT.
THE CRUISE OF THE kAWA; Wan
derings in the South Seas. BY Wal
ter L. Traprock. F. r. S. S. Z. U.
Illustrations. New York: G. r.
| PutnamS Sons.
With a perfectly straight face and
la wholly businesslike bearing. the
kawa set sail. We said. Another eX-
podition headed upon new expert
|,.nces and fresh copy = Just an
other O'Brien-Safroni-Bro London
MauS -Gaugin adventure to the
South seas" And. in perfect good
faith, we went along. One hates, to
own that his sense of humor is dull
II at anything about him IS dull-but.
for full twenty-three pages here we
believed that We We're actually gong
Itlong with just about the breeziest
| bit of adventure that the South seas
| had ever invited. 1t was the diScoV-
ry OF those islandS-the Filhert Is
bands, where the trees were literally
crawling with nuts and tropical
fruits of every description"-tha
woke us up TO tire shame of our own
.dullness. We refused to stay ashamed.
however. The fun was too furious.
too compelling to waste time over our
own shortcomings Too much was
Happening every minute for us to
stop for the poulticing of bruised
VANITY. I'm the shadow Of the broad
pan jaudruS leaves We could see whole
|loaveS of breadfruits falling unas-
sisted to the ground. while between
| .tne heavier thudS of cocoanuts and
: "ap..fruit we feard the incessant
past ter of light showers of thousands
| Iof assorted nutlcts. singing the ever
IlaStinG burden and refrain of these
audible iSlandS"-aud 50 on through
an elaborate simplicity of nonsense
Wherein native brides play part
and domestic joys abound. Upon the
|raptures of the poets and artists over
he islands of the South seas this in
Icomparably guiielcss humorist has
Ibuilt tfiS delightful comedy of ad-
venture. Just surpassing bit of
L'ure huinor. that only one writer
It.x aryss N
Nv ritter, that is.
MIR. WADDINGTON OF WICK. BY
| May Sinclair. author of The Bel
fry" etc. New York: The Macmil
Ian Company.
1t is with a sly Mona-Lisa smile of
complete comprehension that May
Sinclair presents Mr.. Waddington of
|Wyck. A gentleman of substance in
ithe community, this, a family around
|h,ni an impressive line OF Nauding-
lions behind him. and a rapidly de-
|creasing span of years before him.
9 his las fact. in its effect on the
'ehaviors of Mr.. Wadding;-a, gives
Form and filling to the romance in
band. Thoroughly English-county
II;nglish-in eXtcrnals. the story. by
Virtue of it's central figure, is at home
the world over. For, Mr.. Wadding-
on. getting old dandrefusing to-own-
Iup, is Il universal person. So. as one
reads. his own Mir. Waddington is
|Ip the street, or around the corner,
Or, possibly, within his own skin.
|iiis stamp is unmistakable-the
h. andering eye. the jaunty step. the
'avortings and caracolines upon oc-
.asion. the taste for young women.
! he bitter diStaSte for young men,
hese are familiar. Pathetic. too.
since they mark the losing fight OF
youthful spirit against an aging
,ody. Upon the whole. May Sinclair
-ealizes that this is spectacle not
wholly to he laughed at. so she holds
Ter rauStic humor in check. giving
Mr.. Waddington chances. time and
gain, to save his face. so to speak.
o cover himself in the decent gar
nents of all the Waddingtons of
Nyck Clever in insight. adroit in
handling. interestingly local in col
|ring, the book is an admirable bit
bf satire on a certain critical period
n the life of every man.
EFT FER BUCK. A story OF the Pass
ing Of the Old West. By Charles
Wellington Furlong. f. r. G.. S..