New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-23
lilly Il


Mencken and T. r. Smith.
7. r. is an epicure. proficient
In the harmony and counterpoint OF
foods. Mencken and ! are mere ANA
teurs In this art and we let 1. X:
orchestrate the dinner. Mencken said
II We. as inspired job as Beethoven's
FiftA I shouldn't 70 that far-l found
the Arpcggio In string beans DIT
haekneyed and little 20 my taste
but the rest Of the composition showed
cenius. ! was able 70 20 back 20 the
Office, even against my will, and write
a column In less than an hour. Hav-
ing engaged his annual passage 20 Eu-
rome and having dragged Mencken 70
the custom house for Mencken's an
nual help In getting his passports
Gcorre Jean Nathan has taken his an
nual trip 70 the Bermudas, and i. K.
was in a hui over IL. IL seems that
T. z. has sent FIVE boxes OF expensive
cigars 10 the boats Nathan has vari-
ously engaged passage on, and Nathan
has cancelled always on the last
day and T. r. has never got back the
cigars. Mencken says u Is because
Nathan suffers tortures in all means
u conveyance except a wheelehair;
that he nearly dies the first day out
AZ sea; that he has 70 get paralyzed
befor. he can endure riding In a train,
ana that he makes taxi drivers drive
~ the rate Of four miles an hour
Nencken has Just sent OF 20 the
printer the corrected proofs on his
APreiudlces: Third Series" and Is sail
ing Tor Europe in August 70 be gone
seversl months. In small bro
chure about Mencken published some
years ago, 20 which ! contributed the
openiag essay, there IS published
drawing Of the subconscious Moncken
By Mckee Barclay which makes all that
has been written about Mencken su-
perhuous. 10 Is az once a criticism and
an Interpretation; Il reveals all and
explains all. IL accounts for his limi-
tations and his best points. IL Is
portrait Of a beetle-browed, wrathful-
countenanced, ehallenging-eyed German
pedaut. his white hair brushed vigor-
ously back from a bald, high forehead
in the manner OF Henrik Ibsen. IL is
the face of a man who wants things
done well, whether II be a dinner, a
concerto, a lesson In Greek syntax or
a days blowing. It IS the face, too, Of
man with tough opinions and pretu.
dices, a flaming passion for truth and
honesty las he sees 80, impatient with
mediocrity and stupidity, utterly lack
ing In petty fattery or malice, insa-
tiably athirst for exact knowledge
(evcn II he later makes inexaet gener-
nlizations from iD, naturalist IN MS
philosophy, looking upon mysticism,
philosophic idealism, psychic matters,
utopias here or hereafter, the perfeeti-
bnitv Of the human race and most
Lof M
IL Is the portrait Of a good man and
an earnest and rather humorous one;
n man Of honor, fine scruples and
heavy touch Of sentiment; a man who
loves babies and loses respect for most
Of them when they grow up; a man,
indeed, whose bark is louder than MS
bite and who annoys and exasperstes
only petty minded, humorless, warped
and tedious people. He Is magnificent
In a verbal rage. His words swash the
buckle and dispatches whole troops Of
rich Jews, sovietists, radicals, liberals,
politicians, professors, spiritualists,
critics. Presbyterians, poets, rotarians
and vice crusaders. This phantom crew
of varlets disposed Of 70 the war
shouts, idiots" "Imbeciles," "Boobs"
and "Blatherskites," he subsidies, vets
his whistle and puts in good word
for Dresser, Cabell, Anderson, Herges-
heimer. Sandburg, Hecht, Villa Sibert
Gather, Thomas Beer, Thyra Samter
Winslow, Ruth Suckow. Harvey Fergu-
son, Steve Benet and dozens Of young
sters who are just beginning.
JULY IL
Lunched with John J. A. Murphy,
the wood-cut artist, and his wife, and
Murphy showed mo some magnificent
Impressions from his latest blocks.
Gauguins woodcuts are the only ones
I have ever seen which satisfy and
impress mo as much as Murphy's. by
the way, when the Post-Impressionist
exhibit was on at the metropolitan
last year ! do not recall that any one
made special mention Of the exhibit
OF black and whites-etchings, limo
leuu, and wood cuts, pen and ink draw
ings. pencil and charcoal sketches-by
the same men whose color work at
tracted so much attention. Had peo-
ple taken the trouble 70 examine
Gaugnin's line drawings, woodcuts and
linoleum cuts they would not have
given currency 20 the silly opinion:
"Gau4uin Is a remarkable colorist and
n marvellous decorative artist, but he
can't draw; he mas no sense OF pro-
portion" Gauguin, when he wanted
10. could etch as delicately as whistler
and draw with the classical perfection
OF a Holbein. Murphy toiu
me about new committee being or
gAnized through the Authors League
FOR the protection OF American art
and letters, a committee which will
hrht a tyrannical and unintelligent
censorship and which contemplated
vast cooperative work In behalf Of
American artists and literary men.
Djuna Barnes and Edmund Wilson
ir. came 20 dinner tonight and we
went 20 the "Chauve-Souris," which,
on second encounter, rather bored
me, except for the music. The price
they demand for seats, ! think, is out
rageous; the genuine artistic merit
~ OF the show is below that Of a. good
average vaudeville bill and IL seems
|Vto me mere snobbery 10 pretend that
it isn't. Djuna tells me that the pub
LEGATION Of ulysses" has driven her
70 literary suicide. Il shall never write
another line" she said, with a grace
ful gesture % despair. "Who has the
nerve 20 after that1 And poor Joyce,
what is he getting out Of II, poor
devil? Living IN wretehedness and