The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-05-26
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.0aY By Day
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NEW YORK. May 25.-There is a
group OF seasoned writers and
literary infants In Manhattan who
gather for luncheon in a hetel near
Broadway. They are dubbed The
Vicious Circle of the Algonquin"
by those whose enmity they have
stirred. II is asserted they uplift
art by sneering at Harold Bell
Wright and Samuel Shipman, each
despite individual opinion is emil
nently successful in his chosen
sphere.
Greenwich village calls members
of the circle" log-rollers. They
are accused of the knavish vice of
back And whether
true or not, the belief is growing
that they are banded together as
puff-hucksters for members only.
A notable instance is in the sale
Of The Cruise of the Kawa." a
burlesque of the South Sea Island
craze.
The book was without grea,
humor. but ii carried favor with
a certain group of writer's by the
heroic travesty OF Legendary
taunt by members of the con-
federacy. The rotarian scheme Of
mutual advertising that followed
gave a rather stupid volume a tre-
mendous sale. This has brought a
cry from the pack-outside the
Vicious Cirde-that has trumpeted
the affair into newspapers with
editorial rebukes.
There is no denying that there
is much column caressing among
the favored. Two members of the
Vicious Circle collaborated in the
making of two current plays. Ex-
cellent efforts too. Yet two play
wrights outside the circle cata-
paulted from the same obscurit,
would not have received the copius
blurbing that was accorded by
what one critic calls the local
Hanseatic league"
The chief complaint. Of course.
well meant-panegyrizin promotes
among the eullible an appetite for
the unworthy and is a menace to
honest art. One OF the newest
writers and perhaps the most skill
full came from a Western city six
months ago. He has built up a
great following. 1t is quite no.
ticea BILE that he has been COM
pletely ignored by the Vicious
Circle. which makes a point Of
nrodding prodigies into the spot
light.
over on Seventh avenue there is
an old Hebrew locksmith. He has
for years puttered away at his
trade. One afternoon an artist
dropped into his cellar shop. He
was impressed with the locksmith's
picturesque appearance and asked
him to pose for him. Now the old
fellow is making 81 an hou! posing
as St. Peter for painters and stu
dent artists. He is in constant de-
mand.
Frances White has pet canary
she calls 10. Funny name for
bird" said a friend. rs the name
Joseph or Josephine"
Don't know" replied the CO.
Medicine, that's why l call II Jo."
Speaking Of writer's. as We were
a little higher up. there is one dis
tinguished novelist who Is not ad-
dicted to the oily embrocations OF
self putting. He goes about his
work in a businesslike way in an
office building. He does not even
have his name on the door. How
ever, so many folk amble in that
he is going to have in gilt letters
on the door the sign: The Des
Rrosses Estate" As he explains. II
will not mean anything. but It
sounds intriguing and rather
awesome.
There Is a romantic little French
hook-shop near the Hippodrome
filed with gay journals for the
devotees OF the French feuilleton,
ESSAY and fiction. Naughty, high
kicking women fare forth on the
covers. There are spindly little
tables where readers may rest and
peruse the light literature. Most
OF nv patrons are Of the German
descent" the proprittor told me.
All OF which struck me as interest
ing II not important.
And all the bookstore clerks COM
plain that customers in asking for
F.. Scott F'tzgerald's newest novel
INQUIRE II they have The Beautiful