New-York tribune., 1922-01-23
Books

Mr. Candy, of "Thc Evening Post
and other urban critics regret that
Joseph llergesheimcr selected all un-
ripe and trivial society in which to
pose for observation and study the I'M
portant motives in "Cytherca.' 1t is.
quoting Nh Candy, the spumc Of coun-
try clubs, the drunk, reckless, codeless,
restless, unproductivc rich, the froth
Of the var, that he portrays with such
fearless ability. you cannot Mr..
Candy adds, make silk purse out
Of sow's ear, skilled though you may
be- Lest it be inferred that Mr.. Canby
disaprrovos completely Of "Cytherea
it should be said that he includes it. as
this reviewer does, among the readable
works of Mr.. liergeshcimer that will
be "useful historical records in the
future
It may seem to less exactine patrons
OF "Cythorea' that in .hc case Of the
troubled Lee Random what Mr.. Hcrgcs-
heimer really did Das to make a sow's
car out OF something like u silk purse
Random. though living in the interior,
had many Of tho qualities OF the inn
portant metropolitan. He was univcr-
atty bred, man of vide reading and
poetic tendencies He preferred sym
phony concerts TO the opera and knew
the difference between the Gluchs, Alma
and Christopher. lie talked beautifully
to himself in his frequent moments Of
introspection, although ] heard his
words and phrases described the other
day by an eminent novelist as resem-
bling those Of negro evangelist. He
dressed each evening for dinner. A sue
c'ssfu! inland manufacturer Of cigar
cites, newspapers, bottled sarsaparilla
and pig iron, he yet knew, when it came
time to chrsten his symbolic doll, that
Cythsrea and Aphrodltc were Identical.
= X X
Moreover, his home life was admjra
Bile and he was rather faithful to his
austerc and knfe-like Fanny. "Just
because you existed" he said to her
once, "thc world was full of prismatjc
colors; it was as though an orchestra
were playing and ! were floating on
the hnest music. You were like A figure
IN heaven that drew me up to YOU"
Until he came to New York unselGshlv
to prevent friend from becoming un-
conventional with motion picture ar
tstc, and met the rapacious Savina
Grove, his habits, save in thought.
were estimablc. The little dcbauches at
the Eastlake Country Club revoltcd
him, and the vagrant kisses that he
bestowed upon two of his wife's friends
were followed by profound rcmorsc.
These, WITH many, many other at
tributes. may appeal to the loss sophis-
tcated as distinguishing Lee Random
from the trivial and unimportant mi
norlty of characters in American &c
Non. lie will seem to them, perhaps,
to be tit figure by which to illustrate
one Of the most exciting of life's di
lemmas. Still, he was so trivial and
insignificant that when he told his
brother Daniel of his experiences a
one of the train Of Cythcrca, ION a
pear shell in the lonian Sea-" his
brother Daniel fell asleep.
x K X
To the Editor of The Tribune
oir: Good taste, as illustrated by the
old lady who kissed the COW, differs
widely among human individuals, but
ono must be indeed cantankerous and
cro'chety to take offcnsc, as did your
correspondent Charles f. Chase. at Mr.
Percy Hammond's rcview Of Hcrgcs-
he'mer's "Cytherea,' Not only did |
fall to find anything obscene in Mr..
ftammond's article, but showed il to
three estimable and worthy persons
"nom asked to act as judgcs-my
elderly sVinoter aunt NV wife apd ~.