The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-10-17
'Trk Dom"

There ought to oe law I" prevent Tue
misuse q. words by eSuberant rerie"
ers. All tho words which l should !ihs
To use In reviewing Zen 'Hechrs ETH
Dorm" published BY c. i. rutnant's
Scrs, have been m.suscd so often that
they have lost their or!g!ns. meaning
aad when q book Ike tails comes H!ohS
enc has no vocabulary with "h.Ih 10
salute Il.
Erik Dorm" Is TO mo ono OF the most
r.gnif!cant novels OF tho year because
il represents tho highest point We;
reached In tho development OK tho IN
Prospective move! Ban Hech; s. chi
caEo newspaper man, and tAs Ia MS
Prs. novel. Tho phrase FIRST move
,cses i.s customary flavor OF C"Edcs"en-
sl.r here. The author Will not need to
wiLrc another novel in order 10 perfect
HIS technique. Technique ~ second
AIRY consideration In novel c. ms
Kind. Tho thing IS fo-mless. disorder
>, Il has no more pot than hea':t
beat. II 10 a record OF Impressions DIV
the impressions are those OF II man WHO
has his ear very r.ose attuned TO rea
!:v Ben Hecht IL poet and he clothes
HIS ideas with images. Like his hero
he "a always making pictures. but the
r!rtLres are gorgeous, fanasHc, beAut-
fu! and his writings are shot through
With tho pregnant phrase which results
from perfect Coordination between per
cept!on and expression.
Civilization Completely Of Surfaces.
Ben Hecht sees civilization as com
p.ex!.y Of surfaces behind which mai.
hides from reality. Erik Dorm. his here.
who may DO taken &C h!a conception o.
the highest type OF man yet evolved by
cI; I!rpt!on. amuses himself with tho
spectacle.
The nature 0. Erik Dorm was sha :
lows. Life did not live In him, He
saw Il rs something eternally OUTSIDE.
To himself he seemed at times PEI =
<.ct translation Of his country and his
day.
I'm like mon vii, all be years later"
he tells his wife" when their emotions
arc finally absorbed by tho ingenious
surface. with which they've surrounded
| themselves. ard life lies buried behind
the inventions OF engineers. scientists
and business men.
Dorm IS represented as norma! OUT,
! vardIv "a ehrewd editor and
Journalist. tunct!onirB in his home and
work as c.everly conventional figure
he had lived since bcyhood IN an un-
changing vacuum into tnIs
emptiness OF spirit. life had poured Its
! excitements as into thing h"ttom!ess
as mirror. He gave !: back an Image
! q, words He was proud OF his words
| They were his experiences and sopAist!-
! Gallons. Smiling. garrulous and
impenetra ble--garru!cus even IN MS 81
lence, he DAILY entered his office and
,,ll, No., D Hh
! felt himself n man Ideally fitted 10 en-
/ toy the Nt,le spectacle his day offered.
/ He moved through his day with vivid
! understanding OF its c1c!tements. There
! was no mystery. One had only 20 LOOK
orl see and words fitted themselves. 4
nst,cru twisted ,scl' into prcr,si"ns--
nr.ris!ons o. mon. hating. loving, quest
,rc Tho understanding swayNd him no
tween ply and contempt and left tn"
balance Of an amused smile In his
! eyeA'
Events Of Human Life"
THO chapter entitled. "S!ee7. Dream.
Wings, Adventure. silence" may he
taken as an outline Of the events which
60 70 make up war period. !. "a
po-n's love for Rachel I.aSkin Hh!rh
gives him wings; II IS the war which
sends him away from her. and 1t Is the
war again wh.ch launches h!al on az
| venture. The question arises IS To what
sort OF combination 81 events could pre-
! sent itself as an adventure t" q man
| Ike this.
1T was three months after his arr!Ns!
! In Berlin that Dorm wrote his curious
| sketch OF the German situation. Tn"
| three months had witnessed change
| in HIM He had become a worknah-in-
| Gustrious. .nquisitive. determined lie
put into his writing passionate sens"
! o. the irony and fut:l.ty ot his day rs
! clarity arrested me ohfusCated Intellect
| n, nation groLnnG. whining. ard
. clustering under the shadow OF tho
k,,r. n, Versailles Tho wit .
! ing q: II had rid him for the time OF
! Rachel Of Anna. OF the years OF be-
! .uddl.ng emptiness that had marked
, his attitudes toward the surfaces OF
| thought a bout him. The erntionlcss
| d!sillus.on o: his nature had finally
| produced an adventure for h!m-the ad-
| venture OF mental fecunidi,y.'
The book might end there, but doesn't.
! There Ia still silence" Old age Is rep
| resented as a sort Of pause in which one
waits for the lights 70 fade. | said the
| man was n poet didn'r |" E:if Dora
! makes a final picture n wi!oh re sees