New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-23
A Bookman's Day Book
By Burton Rascoe

believe mem "Olyttch Fae Il'fNe ~
be a contemporary "Werther 70
numerous writing young personsi they
oil speak OF ending their seribbling
careers In despair over the perfection
OF "Ulysses." But they will get over
Il. hope 80. Djuna, for instance,
has an unusual talent, a curious way
Of locking az things. gift FOR imagery
an unschooled and undisciplined'
nreeious facility OF expression. DjunA
aid that Joyce Is friChtfully super
sti.ious. Just before Ulysses came
out she was walking with him and
his wife in the Bots de Bologne, when
man brushed by and mumbled some
thing she did not understand. Joyce
blanehed and trembled. Djuna asked
what was the matter. THAT man,
whom | have never seen before" ne
aid. "said 20 me as he passed, IN
Latin. You are an abominable writer
THAT Is a dreadful omen the day be-
fore the publication Of my novel; she
also told an amusing story about how
Margaret Anderson, on visit 70 the
AQUARIUM. had upbraidod the attendant
Tor cruelty. because In one OF the
tanks nothing had been provided for
the FISH 20 sit down on.
JULY is
Pead a pretty Vicious attack upon
me- In "The Freeman" by Albert Jay
Mock. occasioned by a report in TINS
column Of q conversation Gilbert Seides,
John Dos Passes, Bunny Wilson and
| had over an article Mr. Mock had
written some weeks ago. / had not
read the article at the time we talked
about IL and did not read IL until the
Dav Book for that week had gone 10
press. My impression Of II was gained
largely from Seldes, who was disparag-
ingiy mentioned by name IN Mr.
Nock's article. / concluded from what
they had 10 say about II that Mt
Mock had been applying his bellows TO
the current stage winds Of doctrine
about the younger generation and
made light Of him 20 Seldes, Wilson and
Dos Passos and reported in my journal
pretty much what / said. ! read the
article. after Il was too late 20 change
IL. and discovered that II was an at
tack upon the older rather than the
Younger generation. Moreover, | ex-
planned this 70 Mr.. Mock, with some
show Of contrition, before the piece
came out--in the presence Of witnesses
at the Algonquin Hotel. The whole
point Of his attack upon me was that
iMr. Rascoe has shown himself grossly
and preposterously unable TO read a
page and half Of plain English prose
and get correctly or even approx
mately one single idea that he found
expressed there. One asks ones self at
once, OF what possible value would be
any literary judgment Of such per-
son ?" Assuming that he understood
the plain English Of my explanation
20 him, II seems rather a snide trick
70 base an entire article on pretense
that had read ii and failed TO under
stand II. And, assuming that he ola
not deliberately misrepresent me, then
Mr. Mock has shown himself grossly
and PROFESSIONALLY unable 20 listen 70
a few words Of plain English prose and
get correctly or even approximately
one single idea expressed therein. One
asks ones self at once, OF what possible
value would be any judgment whatever
Of such a personl ] do not qualify the
noun by the adjective literary" As
a commentator on literature Mr.. Mock
excites only my disabilities, for his
notions about the creative arts are,
| frankly, supplemented. As a soeio-
political irritant he is one Of our
/ best minor entertainers in the
/ field Of journalism; but as literary
critic he has yet 70 write a complete
/ article which IS not in many ways non
sensical. He once wrote that the
/ trouble with American writers such as
/ Sherwood Anderson and Sinclair Lewis
was that they didn't write like Gogol,
and, little later, having Just read
maria Chapdelaine" Ga good enough,
third rate novel, such as Is turned out
/ by dozens Of writers every year in
/ France and England), he said the
I trouble with them was that they did
/ not write like Louis H6mon. No one
/ sought TO disturb this harmless drool-
/ Ing by pointing out that these Ameri-
can writers had entirely different
stories 70 tell from those written by
/ Gogol In Russia century ago, be-
cause when he set these stray notions
/ 20 paper Mr.. Mock naIvely admitted
\ that ne had read almost nothing by
/ the American writers he objected 20.
/ Mr.. Mock concludes his attack with:
81 wish that Mr.. Rascoe could be in
duced TO join me in this desire (for
"a criticism which shall stand in the
classical traditionD." Just why he
should want me 70 Join him in any
thing after spending a whole article in
an attempt 70 prove that | am ire
sponsible and incompetent | am Curl
Gus 20 know. And certainly until he
begins 70 show some evidence that he
knows what criticism which stands
in the classical tradition is and begins
70 practice IL instead Of giving silly
advice 20 American authors he has not
taken the trouble to read, haven't the
slightest wish 10 join him. Guy Holt
puts the point very pithily in letter
IL Just received from him: Il liked
what Seldes wrote on the younger gen.
Grafton. IL is nonsensical, | think, TO
attempt 10 classify as a separate species
men who are grouped together only by
"a chronological accident. The trouble
Is, in part, that the prematurely and
self-eleetedly elderly gentlemen who
have been attacking their immediate
juniors have in their minds COM
posite photograph Of Amory Blaine.
Three Soldiers, and John V. A. Weaver.
There is no such creature. Meantime,
Il would be interesting 70 discover what
contribution TO the recognition, not Of
beauty but Of the creators OF beauty,
these elderly gentlemen have made.
Spingarn has Croce 70 his credit, but
what else7 He has paid tribute TO a
theory, but has he said a word Of
original praise Of any Of its practition-
ers. And Mock, what has he done be-
yond recommending Gogol 20 Sherwood
Anderson and Hal Lewis7 I ask for in
formation, but have In mind a suspi-
cion that both these gentlemen have
shown greater diligence in indorsing
ed ~ a