New-York tribune., 1922-10-29
WEDNESDAY,, OCTOBER 10

HEse oA sSaes - SAWHGE Suu JNG 60
Betty fer the Suppression of Vice
Esinss the publishers of an English
Translation of "THE SATYRICoN.a
fails decision was later sustained by
thief Magistrate McAdoo. Now Mr..
kumner has brought the book into
kurt again through thu agency Of the
h1s,rict Attorney. This lis nothing
Esort of persecution So long as a
Eallibie group of philanthropic easy
Esrks fall for Mr.. Summers panhan-
hing under the false impression that
he, are doing a service to the morals
IL me community, there is no reason
Hay he should not so on spending
heir money by bringing new suits
kgainst "The Sasyriconn as East as
she Judges decide against him. There
IRE two explanations for Mr.. Summers
kpnduct. One is that he has been
koaded into faee-saving frenzy by
Ehe editorial and judicial derision and
kontempt he has aroused. The other
hs that there was "a deficit in his last
Report regarding the society's funds,
kna that he is using the publicity he
lis getting as plea for more contri-
buttons, urging in extenuation that his
kiforts toward conviction have been
hampcred by lack of money. Mean
while it is TO be hoped that enough
Manage suits may be piled up against
tir. Summer by the publishers he has
karrassed and injured to cause the So
E;ety 60 see that he is an expensive
luxury as we'll as nuisance, and
kither get rid of him or limit him TO
legitimate activities.
One of the points made in the new
kuit against "The Satyricon" is that
khe translation contains idiomatic Eng
ksh and current American slang, This,
Mr.. Sumner (or the District Attorney
seems to think, deprives the translation
Iof literary consideration. II Is point
based upon sheer ignorance or stu
bidity. The original text, while writ
Latin of the Silver Age, Is SO studded
with the Roman argot and underworld
slang of the period that scholars have
for centuries puzzled and wrangled
Sover the Interpretation of certain pas
Sages. Any translation designed to
[giye the flavor as we'll as the sense of
Ehe original must inevitably contain
bdiomatic and slang expressions. The
famous French translation by Laurent
aTailhade, universally considered to be
bone of the finest approaches TO the
espirit of the original, contains so many
lwords current in Partisan thieves
Iargot that glossary is included to in
Bterpret the words for those not familiar
with French underworld dictioR. A
Translation by j. M. Mitchell, published
Hin England during the past year, is,
Iwhile considerably expurgated, replete
with English slang and colloquialisms.
-. T. r. Smith repeated to me to-
tday prize remark of the prosecuting
Iattorney in the case. 1t had been ex-
Ipiained to the legal gentleman that
CaHu haS
scholars and historians, like Gibbons,
Dillon, whitley, as literary and
documentary classic. "Well," answered
1.-THE gentleman OF the law, Gust be-
ieause 1t was classic two thousand
syears ago doesn't make it classic
how" :. As Will Cnppy said, if this
sort Of thing goes on ] don't want TO.
| Attend a luncheon to-day given by
George II. Doran for Mary Roberts
Rinehart. Around the table were:
stanley Rinehart, Sidney Howard, Rob-
II ert G. Benchley, Haywood RrOun, John
n Farrar, William Rose Benet, Alexander
WoolIc0tt and Harry Hansen. Mrs.
Rinehart told us about the supposed
spirits which have been haunting her
home in Washington. The Rineharts
occupy the apartment the late Boise
Penrose had built for himself and, ac-
cording to Mrs. Rinehart, night after
night they hear strange noises, see
doors open, and observe of morning
that furniture, including heavy chairs,
has been rearranged during the night.
STANLEY said he had been frightened
half out Of his wits on the occasions he
HAD visited his parents. They have
gotten used TO it, it appears; but Mrs.
Rinehart said that, entirely skeptical
and out of curiosity, she had visited an
internationally famous medium who
told her some rather amazing things
and said that it was the spirit of the
late Senator Penrose which was eaus-
hing all the rumpus at her house and
%that he would appear to- Mrs. Rinehart
Hin November and communicate with her
in person. Mrs. Rinehart said that the
phenomena might possibly be traced
to the vibrations from the Arlington
Radio Station, but that she reserved
Has using the rrbune book pages
ras home study course and that he
was repairing the deficiencies in his
education by reading the classics mem
toned in these columns, in proof
whereof. he produced from his pocket
a translation Of Dante's Inferno"
which, so far as know, has never
been mentioned in these columns.
Bob and / thereupon engaged in a
great goose-greasing contest, for ! ad-
mire him no end and I think he is one
Of the most gifted writers of nonsense
alive. ] hadn't read his new book,
F'LoVE CONQUERS ALL" at the time,
or ! should have put little sand in
my salve on account of that uncon-
scionable piece about "JURGEN." He
accepts the current Babbitt notion that
the book is a, sort Of glorifed Pullman
smoker yarn, from which there Ss no
book farther removed. Somebody
ought to have told Bob before he in
Guided the piece in his book that he
showed himself utterly insensitive to
Cabelfs intention, method, style and
philosophy by his clumsy attempt TO
parody these things. No one can write
parody who cannot get the point OF
view of his victim and make his criti-
cism of the victim entirely criticism
by implication. Bob's shoddy bur-
esque of CabeIps mannerisms is no
more like Cabell than it is like Bugs
Baer. Apart from this, however, there
are good things in the book mirth-
provoking, laughable things, such as
MS addenda to Hollis THE CARE AND
FEEDING OF CHILDREN" his jolly
ndicule of office conferences, his jests
AZ the suburban gardener-well, all ex-
eept the "Jurgen" item That is merely
breach of intellectual good manners
vi On the part of man who Is usually a