New-York tribune., 1922-12-17
The Sad Case Of Stuart P. Sherman

Niltten Dy bianu the lcohoclAst or mack
writer on a blaekmail sheet:
Therefore she modern aapper' revels in
English paradoxers and mountobanks, the
Scandinavian misanthropes the German ego
mfniaos and, above all. in the later Russian
noyelists, crazy with war. taxes. hunger,
anarchy, vodka and German philosophy"
AT the present moment the isolated in
dividuals and scattered bands Of pae-browed
iLtellcctuals striving TO realize at once the
federation Of the world by the renunciaton
of their nationalities-these are weak things
where great things are required" THAT at
the present moment" sounds exactly like a
Ihrase out Of the mouth OF George F.. Bah
titt, and "palc-browed intellectuals" exactly
ike the vaudeville jest about "long-haired
men and short-haired women.")
Mr., Sherman is very much Of a sophisti
he is without scruples in critical argument;
he stabs in the back with a Maehiavelian
absence OF morals; he deliberately comforts,
cxaggerates and misrepresents for the pur-
pose Of scoring point, as, for instance, in;
"Many Of the young writers In America are
disposed to reject the English tradition as
unserveeablc lumber. They scorn equally
n greater part OF the American tradition as
puritanieal, efTeminate or over-inteleetual-
lied. They have broken away from
so much that was formative and they suffer
so obviously in consequence Of the break.
Their poets have lost skill which Poe had;
though they paint little, and chant little,
snd speak a great deal OF family rhythmical
prose. they have not learned how TO sing.
Their novelsts have lost a vision which
Hcwolls had: though they have shaken of
the moralstic incubus and have released
their suppressed desires, they have not
learned how TO conceive or TO present CO.
herent picture Of civilized society" There
ia not one single sentence in this paragraph
which is not untrue 20 the facts)
"Mr. Mencken has no heart; and IL he
ever had palate he has lost il Unprotected
orgies Of literary strong drink lie
IA a little more sober since the passage OF
the national prohibition act, and bit less
lyrical about the Pusener-motive in the writ
irgs Of Mr.. Huneker; but, come rain, come
shine. he still points with pride to a diges-
t;on ruined By alcohol" (All this is very
amusing. but untrue Still. it is a more
ethical attitude than Mr. Sherman adopted
during the war. when. under pretext OF re-
viewing one Of Mr. Meneken's books, he
more than hinted that Mr. Meneken was IN
the nay OF the Wilhelmstrasse and ought
20 be locked up in Atlanta.)
Lastly. let me quote two passages Inc
first is from a jeremiad against theodore
preiser in the volume "On Contemporary
Ii,o,otgre" The second is from the new
book In the first Mr.. Sherman Is speaking
sareastically Of the view Of life eHpresseu
in Mr.. Dreisers novels;
"Tbe central truth about man las eh-
messed BY Mr.. Dreiser's heroes Is thA' nc
!. an animal amenable to no law but the IA"
- Ne own temperament, doing as he de-
sires. subject only to the limitations OF MS
mower. The male Of the species Is enAfAe
terized by eupidity, pugnaeity ana S'H'''"
INCLINATION for the other sex.
s4rhi. welter Of her culture she (the mod
ieupe hlIe) plays. now and them at
..;,;no on some strictly modern prin-
III. .ueh as her father applies 70 his busi-
,,.b "a her brother applies TO his
.,aa,,res-a principle Of egotistieal combat,
nrineiple OF self-indulgenee, cynical ana
luxurious" -,-,-, :.
To-day Mr.. Sherman is proelaimins TO
1. ,he horrible truth what only yesterday
- vas taking pains, in almost the same
words. TO deny.
The obvious points in the ease for and
,..inst Mr. sherman are: He is clever
,,s,,v resoureeful, passionate, personal en-
,-;ons' deficient in a historical sense. at fault
- wel,er Of contradictory ideas, revolte
-, ,rstinet and a reaetiOnary By trimming,
a poet. a gifted dialeetieian, an ironist' a
-, vvbo resolutely refuses al times to see