The New York herald., 1921-04-24

things. To tell the detailed story OF the
huge prank would require page. but even
outline will serve to bring laughter and
unalloyed joy to the countless throngs who
subscribe to Mark Twain's famous dictum
that "the Lord ioveth cheerful liar"
II is evening in the Authors Club, which
az you may or may not know is quartered in
Carnegie Hall. The time early in the year
1918. Half a dozen chums are seated in the
smoking room after dinner. In the group Is
a gentleman of high intellectual attainment.
one who has achieved things in his profess
sion, an adro!t controversialist and a man
who ever speaks with authority.
AS this man wittily discourses on this
topic and that, there is another man sitting
slightly apart from the group though of it.
II he partakes In the discussion 1t is as a
commuter. that Is TO say, he makes but in
termittent trips into the conversation, al
ways returning to his easy chair the
outskirts of the gathering. His friends
chide him for aloofness They call on him
TO "st in the game" and wireless to him an
inference that they would have him un-
sheathe a rapier with him OF the uncanny
book knowledge.
With clever semblance OF being bored, he
accepts the challenge Craftlly he steers
conversation into a channel OF his own
dredging and suddenly he fires a question:
We'll, in that event. since you hold to such
doctrine what do you think of Larrovitch?"
'I never heard of him"
what Never heard Of Larrovtch." The
tormentor gasps in amazement. Gentle
men, surely you are Joking me-"
The challenged one remains defiant Since
you know so much. tell us. please who is
this Iarrovitch? What did he ever do?"
After all. l am not surprised that you
should be unfamiliar with the writings of
this mental giant. In point of fact, his
works are not widely known In this country.
But since you ask the question I'll say that
Feodor Vladimir Larrovitch is really the
father Of Russian literature. Tolstoi, Gorky,
even Turgeniev, are mere echoes
What did he ever write, this Larrovitch?"
"Oh er. books. mean novels. essays-and
In his youth he wrote some virie verse stun
that showed the glowing fire OF patriotism
which so inspired him in all that he did"
How is II you know so much about the
writings Of this unheard of Russian?" pur-
sues the sceptic
"My first acquaintance with his books
dates back TO f909--no. II was two years be-
fore, on my first trip TO ST. Petersburg, as II
was then called found French transla-
ton In bookshop. and reading II became
40 interested I made a point Of looking up his
other writings They were not easy to
Obtain Many Of his books were burned
when he was sent to Siberia Still, did find
two volumes done into English when I got
10 London.
.'Tn Paris later found a volume Of his
essays In French. and i'm Berlin 1 was so
fortunate as to- exhume in the municipal
library two of Larrovitch's suppressed polti-
cal treatises IN original Russian and one OF
his longer novels translated into German"
The Larrovitch controversy became topic
Of spirited discussion In the Authors Club.
About the time that the controversy was at
Us height Mr.. Jordan dropped into the club
ono night n FEW weeks after the smoking
room episode.