New-York tribune., 1922-06-11
The Letter Box
RodcnheIm'a Patron

Dear Mr.. Raacoc: NnAt you N'o'
in your Bookman's Dayhook under
Nav Is about Maxwell Bodonheim was
very interesting 90 me. especially ms
YOU referred TO his having been sup
portcd FOR long time by n profes-
sional thief. who had queer early
Christian theory about non-resistanee
and the rights OF property to which
Bodcnhcim profcsscd 20 be converted"
This professional thief. etc" as you
probably already know, Is myself.
Concerning Maxwell. think OF him
ns having attempted from quite early
youth 20 occupy q leading position IN
the creation Of present-day poetry and
prose. with no means OF support AZ
his command. he could give maxi
mum OF attention 20 writing only by
using every form Of pnrasitism he had
ready opportunity 90 use. The con
+ stnncy and whOle-hcnrtcdncss Of his
effort 90 fulhll his hope made him ex.
poct from many directions sign, or
/ full recognition Of his works value.
/ The coming Of these signs IN less vol
ume than he had expected made him
suspect that attention 90 his work was
hindcrcd IN large measure By per
sonal disliking OF him. A. times,
probably IN moments Of extreme wcari-
ness. he has extended the use Of his
belief 20 explain honest and more or
less capable estimates % his work
/ with which he didn't agree. The ex-
preston of this belief. and Of like ones
associated with u IN his mind, has
made close eompanionship with him
difficult 10 the extent 20 which such be-
liefs are acceptable. Yet the purpose
Of his which has produced his attach
mcnt 90 these beliefs has also given
us the exquisite poetry he has achieved
very frequently.
His connection with the professional
thief you referred 20 was % value 20
him rot only because u was an easy
means Of getting himself supported for
a long time. but also because the pro-
fessional thief was capable OF Appre-
cinting his personal worth moro highly
than was usual In his experience. For
him 20 have that queer persons full
friendship II was unnecessary 20 pro-
fess conversion 20 tho la;ter's theories.
as the latter desired from him merely
friends right 20 m attentive hearing
Of his theories. Maxwell can't truth
fully deny that he discharged the
duties Of friendship rs far as he was
able. Most appreeistively,
JOHN COFFEY.
MstteAwhn State Hospital. Beacon,
NY.
The Fair Rewards"
Sir: see where an author named
/ Thomas Beer has written a book called
| "Fair Rewards" where fellow named
Mark Walling gets 20 be stage man
nger, and everybody seems 20 think its
written about George ". Cohan. And
/ I SEQ that Geoge NJ. heard tho same
F stuff and read the book 20 see. and
somebody hsked him how Il struck him
+ lie said. what In hell IL IL all about
/ Well. read this book and then heard
what Cohnn said hbou, this book, and
now ! want 20 say what ! say about
what Cohan says about the book, which
Is ditto.
What I want 70 know Is. How do they
get that wnyl This f.llow Walling Is
a hick kid. and leading woman runs
away with him and mArries him when
he's sixteen. and that's how he comes
20 take up n stage career. Sort Of ae-
cldentnlly. should Say. Whereas the
only aeciden. in connection with
George ". Cohan's entry into stage life
was the accident Of birth. II he hadn't
been born hc might never have gone on
tho stage. But having been born al
most on the stage, you might say,
drinking In the stage from his first
bottles. don't SEQ how anybody begins
20 mix him up with Walling.
Then. I guess, Cohan was a day or
two over sixteen when he married his
leading woman. Cora Boyle bit Wal
ling on the head with a curling iron
and he got = divorce. ! don't think
Ethel L4vey ever used one I mean
iron. Walling had no children. II
George didn't he's been slipping some
thing over on the public-cspecially in
this lest show. Mark Walling went %
England 20 get m education. ask
you. would any one who knew George
Cohan ever believe he got his education
i In England? And answer In the sane
paragraph, You said a.
40. sir. I've been on the stage nearly
twenty years. and I've followed George
I NJ. Cohan's career from tho start And
tho only resemblance ] can find be-
tween him and this bird Wnlling is
7 they both talk through their noses
Yours very truly. HARRY JOLSON.
Note.-Mr. Jolson, Keith vaude-
VILE headliner. Is Al Jolson's brother
Ed
Prom the Nilds
Dear Burton-Why do live on this
God-forsaken lsnd7 OF course. can
use mango cure here (for baldness)
but there's no book store. II there
was I wouldn't 60 70 H. For Lytton
Straehey's new book isn't out yet, and
gentle Julia is.
II tho L. s. book is out, say 20, for it's
hs good as gold When I was Ia town
once some one gave ne a part Of the
advance sheets. The missing sections
contained the title and a part Of the
hrst essay ION Raeine), which I can
stand. but tho last essay in the book
F. (chewed off by some wild animal, prob
ably a BABY is one whom. think you
Stendhal. u would be. Oh, well. there
are worse troubles. have them. too
I'm always wondering II some one will
explain Stendhal before get time.
Why not7 Maurice Hewlett has. Per-
hGps Straehey says something 9.
SO that's why hate babies. Ny sub
conscious knew that this would hap
pen. Still, IL may have been only a
hyena.
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