The New York herald., 1922-01-01
D. H. Lawrence the Traveller

them is merely playing trick on him
self and his interlocutor. The Sar-
dinian, on the other hand, still seems
TO have one downright mind. L bump
up against a downright smack out
belief in Socialism, for example. The
Sicilian is much too old in our culture
to swallow Socialism whole; much too
ancient and ruse not to be sophisti-
Gated about any and every belief. He'll
go off like a squib: and then he'll
smolder acridly and skeptically even
against his own fire. one sympathizes
with him in retrospect. But in daily
life it is unbearable."
And here is a bit of recent history,
an echo of the Fiume affair:
"D'Annunzio has just given up.
Two compartments away; we hear
soldiers singing. martial still though
bruised with fatigue, the D'Annunzio
Dragging songs of Fiume. They are
soldiers Of the D'Annunzio legion.
And one of them. I hear the sick
soldier saying. is very hot and repub-
lican still Private soldiers are not
allowed, with their reduced tickets,
TO travel on the express trains. But
these DICTIONARIES are not penniless:
they have paid the excess and come
along For the moment they are sen
to their homes. And with heads drop
ping with fatigue we hear them still
defiantly singing down the carriage
for D'Annunzio.
"a regular officer went along-a
captain of the Italian, not the Fiume
army. He heard the chants and
entered the carriage. The legionaries
were quiet. but they lounged and
ignored the entry of the officer. ON
your feetl' he yelled, Italian fashion.
The vehemence did it. Reluctantly
as may be they stood up in the com
partment. 'Salute.' And though it
was bitter up went their hands in the
salute while he stood and watched
them. And then, very superb, he
sauntered away again. They sat down
glowering. OF course they We're beaten
Didn't they know it? The men In our
carriage smiled currously: In slow and
futile mockery Of both parties
IT was said at the beginning Of this
review that Lawrence, the novelist.
and Lawrence, the traveller. were DIFF
ferent men. No doubt that is largely
a matter of theme and medium. Ad
mirers of the novelist will find him in
the report of marionette show which
closes thus:
However. this fray is over-Merlin
comes to advise for the next move.
And are we ready? We are ready
Andidmo' Again the word is yelled
out. and they set off. At first one is
still engaged watching the figures:
their brillIance, their blank. martial
stare, their sudden. angular. gestures
There is something extremely sug-
gestive in them. How much better
they fit the old legend tales than liv-
ing people would do. Nay. If We are
going TO have human beings on the
stage they should be masked and dis
guised For, in fact, drama is enacted
by symbolic creatures formed out Of
human consciousness: puppets II you
like; hut not human individuals. Our
stage is all wrong, so boring in its per-
sonality.
Gradually, however, I found that
nv ewes were OF minor Importance.
Gradually Il was the voice that gained
hold of the blood. II Is a strong
rather husky. male voice that acts d.
rect on the blood. not on the mind
Again the old male Adam began to
stir at the roots of my soul. Again
the old, first hand indifference, the
rich, untamed male blood rocked down
my veins. What does one care? What
does one care for precept and mental
dictation? Is there not the massive.
brilliant, outflinging recklessness IN
the male soul summed up i'm the sud
den word: Andidmo, Andiamo. Lct
us go on. Andiamo--let us go hell
knows where, but let us go on. The
splendid recklessness and passion that
knows no precept and no schoo
teacher. whose very molten sponta-
neitv is rs own guide"