New-York tribune., 1921-09-12
Books

The Messrs. Putnam introduce this
week new novelist, Mr.. Ben Hecht, in
erik Dorn," which rs the story of a
clever newspaper man and his wordy
engagements with himself, with women,
with the war and with such other
things as go to make up the life of a
journalist when he is bright and Pc
culiar.
The introduction is more complete
perhaps, than the readers of ERIK
Dorm" will realize, since, to those ac,
quainted with the author, the book par
takes Of the photographed. Except,
Of course, where it tells about women.
Mr.. Hecht himself is newspaper man,
though, to be sure, Chicago one, as
Mr.. Broun has said He conducts g
sprightly column in "The Chicago Daily
News" as the successor to Eugene Field
and George Ade. He is young and he
is handsome, in a jaunty, picturesque
way; he has the flashing eye and the
agilo physiognomy of the Middle West
press man; and he is full of the smil
ing insolences, the audacities and the
Responsibilities that are so ingrati-
ating when met with in column con-
ductors. l go thus deeply into the
young mans character because erik
Dorm" suggests that Mr. Hecht's subse-
quent works will cause discussion.
II X X
Ono of Mr.. Hecht's most discompos-
ing impudences, if I may be further
reminiscent, was in a play called
"Dregs," in which he told the gospels
according to Hecht in a way that en-
deared him to no presbyterians. That
drama was produced in the Dillpickle
theater of Chicago, saucy haven for
the indignant and restless of the COM
munity, sort of alley Grand Guignol.
wherein short plays of a bold and dis
respectful nature were performed with
out vexing the gendarmerie. "Dregs"
was a sodden little Easter idyll, in
which a cold hobo, standing forlorn
upon a snowy and remote New York
street corner, encountered Christ and
talked to him in the unclean argot of
the tramp. The squalor of his words
was incredible. The first sentence of
the play was SO cutlery thing that
persons, refusing to believe that it
could be uttered in a theater, came
from afar to listen to it. "Dregs.'
therefore, became a prosperous chit"
To those who knew Mr.. Hecht it's i'm
pieties were not so offensive; for it
represented the believable attitude of
The humble friendliness of the va
grants lowly good-fellowship removed
for many theatergoers the blasphemies
suspected by many others.
Erik Dorm might have written such
a drama, though Erik was addicted to
words more elegant of cut and fabric.
"He often contemplated with astonish-
ment his own verbal brilliancies, which
his friends appeared to accept as ire
futable truths of the moment" He
was proud Of his words, though in the
midst of them he would sometimes say
to himself. What n hell am I talking
about?" They were his experiences and
sophistications. They were the excuse
for his wearing hat, embarking daily
for his work and returning daily to his
home. He was preoccupied with form
and his nature was shadows. He
loved everything in life and art that
gave him the emotion of symmetry. But
emotion in others invariably aroused
in him sense of the ludicrous
Though ever good talker, whether in
tht Chicago ateliers or the back room
OF saloon, people derived nothing
from his friendship but a fascinated