New-York tribune., 1922-06-18


case. an editor and an author may
honestly differ.
Finance capital does not care rap
abou. ths book page. Capital is con-
eerned with more important parts Of
the newspaper The literary editor -
rot a punitive person. except when he
spanks the author OF what seems 10
him a badly written book. Apropos OF
took. old or ncw-l have observed ana
rracticod this many timcs-a literary
editor or subordinate reviewer can
express ideas which would not be
cutie acceptable on the editorial or the
financial page. To this extent the
/ literary editor Is a privileged person.
/ He does not amount 20 much. anyway,
and even authors should not take him
too seriously. He has one great prob
,eni. 10 find a book which will light him
up. give his poor secondary mind
something 10 think about. stir his
ideas. and help him 20 do his stint. II
his mind were not secondary he would
own the newspaper, FIRE the bosses
and be not commentator on Upton
/ Sinclair but Upton Sinclair himself or
somebody Just as good. or better.
Now, 70 come 70 our review, the rea-
son, suspect, that the hrst volume OF
The Book Of LIFE" was ignored Is
that IL is rather bore. The whole
book, including the second volume, now
first published, Is eallow, naive, pre-
tertIous and confused. No man, not
even so dlligent a reader as Mr.. Sin
clair. can know enough about 80 many
subjects 20 qualify him as preacher 70
other people. A casual essayist can
play with the universe. Mr Sinclair Is
not an essayist. not one who delights
/ In IDEAS or causes delight IN them. He
Is reformer and prophet. He Is en-
eyelopedie in his index but not eney-
clopedie IN his Imagination. He ranges
from adultery 70 unemployment. from
The prevention Of badness 70 psyche
analysis. from Diet 70 the economic or
ganlzstion OF agriculture in some de-
sirable new form Of society. He has a
messianic mania and he reads Us lee
lures on better moral order in manner
which 4. Intellectually without order.
He earnestly wishes US TO be good,
better than he Is, In all ways, In his
ways. 7, for one. refuse 20 be good in
bis way, for distrust his wisdom. I
can take reformers one at time, an
expert on this subject and an expert
on that, but cannot swallow all re-
forms when they are delivered TO me by
one man. theoretically knowledge
ought TO be unified, but II requires
larger mind than Mr.. sinclair's 70 make
an impressive synthesis.
On certain topics he Is superficial.
For example, he devotes about fourth
OF his book 10 sex, and there Is no In
dicstion either in the text or the index
that ne ever heard Of Havelock Ellis.
lie DOES, Of course, say some intel
IL ligent things about some Of the
hundreds Of topics he treats. And
there are other topics on which he may
be uttering the last word of sapienee. l
do rot know, for cannot pretend 20
his universslity Of interest and infor-
nation. Some OF his opinions and
judgments seem 10 me simply stupid.
81 doubt" he says. ~ there would
have been any capitalism in the world
IL IL had not been for alcohol" That
will do for the secretary Of the
Ladies' Christian Temperance Society
Of Unskeewoowa, who are moro set
against drink than they are against
capitalism. But II Is poor stuff from
man who evidently has read and ad-
mlres Marx and other historians.
Not that Marx or any other author
ity is infallible. II IS the right and
the duty" Of rebellious minds TO un-
dermine authority and set at the facts
behind the throne. But rebel against
j tne IeDel WHO 0dIts 70 ac5NtAV AAab AV
reflects more wisely than a physician
reflects about the action Of stryehnine
on the heart, who seems 70 think that
he is making contribution TO human
knowledge when he informs US that he
eats a third Of q pound Of beef foi
lunch and never in his lfe smoked
more than half a cigarette. In thought
tobacco and beef II seems wise not "a
bite of more than we can chew. "The
Book Of Life Is a. difficult and intri-
cate series Of volumes which will not
be completed for several years. COM
petent general editor has not yet been
elected. When a man appoints himself
20 the Office one does not quite know
whether 70 laugh az him or 70 applaud
his cheek. self-complacency and COL
ossal lack Of humor.
Books Received
HEIIENIsM AND CHRIsTIANiTY. b
| E1.r., Hovs~ fDcrarl STUDY a