New-York tribune., 1921-03-27
Chicago 4 Really
Beautiful, Says
Master Of Paradox Returns to
Sail April IL; Relates He
,sSaw u. S. Like Racehorsc
Shipped in a Box Car
Finds We Have Peasants
Declares American Democ.
racy Tangled Up in Ma
chine of Industrialism

CKkAl1C Ia 4AkuMStA A0AA la
Gilbert X. Chestertcn returned K
New York yesterday with bagful Of
impressions of America as she WAS re
veafed to him during lecture tour that
took him as far West as Oklahoma City
And it was in that metropolis of the
oil lands that Mr.. Chesterton met VI
withw what he deemed the most vivid en-
c6Nfter of his journey.
"He was covered with moons and
stars and such insight of his calling
and he stopped me on the street and
told me he was an astronomer" Mr
Chesterton's description ran. "He was
a brown, emaciated man, and said he
that he and the Mayor looked after the
city and he pulled detectives badge
from his pocket and showed il to me. i
don't know whether he was an astrono-
mer, a detective, or both, or just "a
harmless lunatic, but it struck me II
quite remarkable that he should ap.
proach me, perfect stranger, and tell
me those things"
The authors speaking engagements
kept him so busy. he said, he didn't get
a6 great an opportunity as he would
Saw Nation Like Race Horse
II saw America like race horse be.
ing carried in a boxcar and looking
out the window, If may compare my
self to so valuable an ANIMAL" he re-
marked. a.
Chicago, however, was q pleasing dis
appointment. .. :
~In England" he said, "they think Of
Chicago as q monster Of manufacturing
industry. l found it quite beautiful
especially the Lake Drive"
Asked to contrast American and
British literary circles, Mr.. Chesterton
begged off on the ground that he "knew
too little about either"
The subject of literature led some
one to inquire as to G. X. C.'s opinion
Of H. G. Wells's Outline of History,
Here it is:
II have reviewed Wells's Outline sew
eral times and have even gone to the
length of reading it. 1t is worth while,
as is everything Wells writes. But
can't read more than two or three pages
oft without getting into an argument
with him. His book is better than that
of ran impartial historian. 1t isn't so
dull. There are certain things that
irritate Wells. One of them is the
soldier. His treatment of Napoleon is
absurd. Wells is so obsessed with his
idea of world state and the abolishing
of var that he is angered at the thought
of linen like Napoleon and Charlemagne
who did much to advance civilization
by fighting"
9Ys Paradox of Democracy
democracy tied to industrialism" is
Americas most striking paradox, ac-
c0rding to the man who thinks and
talks in paradoxes.
"a machine must have a handle and
a handle must have hand" he con-
tinued. "The people who wrote the
Declaration of independence were agri-
culturists. Jefferson was sort of
squire, take it, 1t is horrible to real
!ze that when it is supposed all men
are to be equal democracy should be
tangled up in machine. All success
full democracies, like that of the
French, have been peasant democra-
c!es."
Do you mean you do not think the
United States is a successful democ-
racy?" Mr.. Chesterton was asked.
.4"More successful one than Eng
land" he rejoined. "We haven't even
a trace of peasantry in England and
your agricultural class, which balances
sndustrialism to some extent, is really
q peasantry."
Mr.. Chesterton was amused" he
in the United States had picked Sir
Philip Gibbs, instead of himself, to
hcckle.
Thinks Title Baited Irish
s"Gibbs is far from being an enemy
ofsheland," he said. "He is an apostle
ofsadvanced liberalism. II guess It was
his title that attracted the attention of
the Irish. If l had been Sir Gilbert
Chesterton perhaps they would have
gone at me. ss
t"The English people understand the
sympathy for Ireland in the United
States, and that sympathy for a down
trodden, unhappy, miserable people cx-
cites sympathy in England. What they
do not know about is the extent Of the
feeling against Ireland in America. The
English envision the Irishman in Amer
icAas pathetic exile in rags. They
don't realize he is frequently very rich
and power in politics. The English
say the Irish haven't got the faculty
OF political organization. The Ameri-
can says: That Internal scoundrel
Mulligan, is running my town. l have
also observed in detectives stories
from which ! get my conceptions OF
modern civilization, that the American
pQliceman is always represented az an
Lrishman."
ihe American short story, as printed
y IN american magazines, is an improve
ment over the American novel Of book
length, Mr.. Chesterton believes. He ex-
pAained he meant it was relatively .su-
perlor to the American book when COM
pared with the English short story and
Engiish book. He spoke of Sinclair
Lewls's Main Street.
Misses Murders in Novel
MY chief complaint against Main
street is that it cannot be called a
snort story" he said. "Of course. At
raises question that is we'll worth
raising. But there is q lamentahls IacL
OF murders in it, mean, getting to
! the point" e@s's ~
Mr.. .Chestcrton was asked IL he had
much opportunity in his tour Of the
country to observe the working out Of
prohibition.
is have had plenty Of opportunity to
observe its not working out" he
laughed, splendid opportunity. an,
against prohibition because | th;nk t.
iasdangegous to restrct the freedom OF
the Individual, but don't want to act
ia your country like Mr.. Pussvfoot
johnson did in ours. don't want -
lecture against prohibition. That would
besbad manners" -
t,nMr. Chesterton will lecture at the
Apollo Theater tonight on "The Re-
volt Against Reason" He may deliver