Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-20
THE MOVIE FANS LETTERBOX
BY HENRY NJ. NEELY

IN. s. j." started something the
other day when she wrote in and said
the correspondents OF this. column were
not ian element worth while and that
the replies TO letters printed here were
''cheap' and the pen singer in charge
was simply wasting his talents on this
job. I've had a lot of letters, only one
Of which agrees with M. S. J.,' so
we'll start with that one today and
Naturally, in discussion so personal
joinder to any Of them. Here are some:
III. e. r." writes---"Your editor
hin Of this very interesting column
makes you more or less of a public
character and therefore lawful game for
any one who does not agree with you.
Some time ago. in commenting on
tie work of d. W. Griffith. you de-
plored his small town point of view
and thereby stamped yourself upon my
mind as q man OF rather broad vision
and penetrating insight. had prided
naysAf on being one Of the few who
saw that weakness beneath the pre-
tsntiousness and mechanical facility of
tie master.
II have been reading your column
spect for your opinions on nything
pertaining to the movie business; but
] have lately come to the conclusion
that you should bar from your column
aaything pertaining to the real creative
arts, including your own views. Il
suppose my letter will be the first), for
Il 10 there. Hen. that you have be-
tfayed yourself as lacking any real
bFoad sense Of artistic values, and as
the possessor Of point Of view that
when scratched turns out to be of the
variety you call small town.
I'm discussing the recent Hollywood
scandals you stated the belief that the
nan should not be distinguished from
the artist, or words to that effect. You
seemed inclined to the opinion that no
matter what his works were, he should
BE- judged as a man and not excused
for any of the mans weaknesses or
misdeeds.
''As long as you refer to actors 7
Na3ree with you. because they are not
artists in spite Of their loud claims.
but when you extend this to Wilde and
his like, I'm afraid we part. I don't
mean that when an artist commits q
crime he should be condoned and not
properly punished legally, but do be-
lisve that people of true artistic taste
artist and his art. not the man.
'As Fl. i. Mencken has pointed out.
the American attitude toward art Is
essentially provincial. He traces its de-
velopment from the Puritanism that
originated in the English lower. middle
classes and has Aourished in the barror
intellectual soil Of America, n hardy.
ungracious weed. choking and starving
the finer, more sensitive blooms. One
Of It's manifestations is tho small.town
point Of view and one of the varieties
Of this manifestation is the habit of
judging creative art BY the personality
Of its creator.
''People who do not know n single
line of Poe and could not tell his work
from the jingle Of Greest, know that h.
died a drunkard and as such is he re-
Inembered by his grateful Cnuntrymeu.
''Oscar Wilde, the degenerate, swim
ish glutton, il dead and in The grave a
long time. Al that We have left Is the
beautiful verse thai will live long after
you and ! are there. He should be re-
membered and respected as poet and
10 respected as such by all lovers of the
beautiful.
"I'm afraid we must quarrel about
Shaw, too. You don't seem to under
stand him any better than the rest.
al
church going. God fearing Presbyte-
risn, married and living a convention
ally respectable life, 20 ! don't see
where the pick comes there. I don't
believe he takes himself seriously as Il
thinker or philosopher, You, like many
others, evidently thing he does. Yet he
10 an artist.
"We both believe that Chaplin is an
artist. I consider him the only actor,
Stage or screen. in America who has
any claim to the title. Well. then the
amusing, diverting Mr.. Shaw Is a cere-
bral Charlie Chaplin, high class men
tai clown. See him that way and you
viii BE- able to appreciate him. Shaw's
characters and plays are not true t.
life, as you say. When you criticized
shot was off the target. Down fifty.
His characters are made to spout his
droll nonsense and nothing more, and
his plots are only very light structures,
built for the purpose OF hanging his
real business. His plays are comedies
and they are really worth while nrt
that will live with those of Shakespeare,
Sheridan and Goldsmith
"Henry--a man of the age and ex-
perience that you claim should know
Batter. Or have you really neglected
to think straight because you were
contemptuous Of the Judgment of your
readers"
Gan right; as l see it, when my
apiuions happen to agree with yours,
I'm good critic Of creative art. When
fhey don't, I'm punk and my stuff
odu't orter be printed. Parenthetical-
I yiaA you could zee the many svi.