New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-09
A Bookman's Day Book
June 90
By Burton Rascoe


dsrburgh is 20 give at Columbia TINS
summer. and we fell into discussion
Of the origin Of mohotheistie worship
I told him had long had the notioh
that nonothcism was economic IN or
igin. One finds in the study OF com
parativo religions that the hrst eVl-
dtnces Of the worship OF one Goo AlS
salvravs noticed among poor, harassea'
ror,sdie tribes or slaves like the
5sraelites. They could not afford oola-
tions and sacrifices TO numerous DEL
dies. and, very likely, with that human
eapncitv OF ever making virtue OF
necessity. they came 20 believe that
the rich and powerful whom they hated
or envied and who could afford extrava-
gance in worship mad the wrong ideas
about things. The objurgations OF me
prophets against the worshippefs OF
false gods arc more concerned with ING
luxury and license involved than with
anv other merits Of their case.
.But. "A Edmund Bevyn points out IN his
tHellenism and Christianity II doesn't
matter now what is proved or dis
proved about the Bible; Christianity
and the monotheistic principle will not
be in the least affected.
lanes Branch Cabell says truly IN
.~Beyond Life" that the most beautliul
'.torv in the world is that of the child
who was born in a manger and became
a god among men-and that is the
Cinderella story. VI. l.. Meneken adds
another wherein the exalted among men
are humbled By death. IL is admirably
represented In the impressive Capuehin
funeral ceremony for the Hapsourgs.
Admission 10 Capuehin vaults IS de,
manded for the Emperor with a full
and pompous recitation Of his temporal
titles. One Of the barefoot servitors
Of God disappears, returns after
momentous wait, and reports that
there is no such person on the roll.
A second humble request is made on
behalf Of, say, plain Francis Joseph,
"a poor sinner" and the burial pro-
eseds. In an excellent article
by Philip Littel in the New Republic
on Maude Royden's Sex and Common
Sense" and Haveloek Ellis's Little
Essays on Love and Virtue" ] encoun-
tered what strikes me as the most
Illuminating criticism ever made OF the
literature OF sex. Mr.. Littel points out
that even Havelock Ellis, certainly the
most intelligent commentator on the
eubiect in English, leaves something
70 be desired: even he becomes mys-
IDEAL and exalted at times. Mr. Littel
SAYS: III could wish for. though can
not distinctly imagine, a book which
would make me envy, more keenly than
either Miss Royden or Mr.; Ellis
has made me envy, men who are
more spiritually minded than l, which
would make me wish ! were eligible
20 their company. In both MISS
Royden and Mr.. Ellis there IS an ex-
altation which does not put me at my
ease. And so far as possible ] should
like 70 be at ease about sex. | should
like to have been told, when l was
a Young man, that for the average
Young man sex, Of all the important
objects Of emotion and thought, is the
ons most likely 70 receive attention IN
excess. that II Is possible 70 think OF
seq Clearly, 10 think Of II unselhshly,
and vet 10 think Of q too much. u
should like 20 have been told that the
right amount Of attention, which Is not
the same for all men, is for each man
terribly difficult 70 measure. shouiu
like TO have been told that my pre-
occupation, which took TO be shame
full and unique, was the common !1.'
One OF the significant divisions OF the
male human world is into men who
think all sex jokes funny, those who
think no sex Jokes funny, and those
who think'some sex jokes funny For
the first class no good book upon sex
can be written. Good books for the
second class are published every year.
wish somebody would send me the
title Of a sex book good for the third.
In the same issue Of "The New
Republic" Edmund Wilson jr. has the
hest considered critique OF James
Joyoe's Ulysses" that has been pub
lished. valery Larbaud's article IN me
"Nouvelie Revue Franchise" may. be
taken 70 represent Joyce's own ideas
relative 20 his novels Che Is Joyce
constant companion In Paris and MS
article reads as though IL had peen
made from notes taken IN converse
ton with Joyce); Ernest Boyd's article
in these pages places joyce IN ms re-
la.ion 10 contemporary Irish literature;
Arnold Benefits piece is interesting
largely as personal reaction
and rs revealing two things,
namely, that Bennett was shocked
nv The obseenities Of the book
ard that he is smarting under the at
4itude taken by the younger generation
toward him and Mr.. Wells, and J. Mid
Slston Murry's review in "The Nation
and Athenaeum" was rather weak and
naintIess. Because "The Little Re-
view" published as much Of "Ulyssses"
as IL dared before the postal autnorl,
ties nut n stop TO IT. 4 All ACh'HNNN
that those indomitable young women
Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap
have scraped together enough money
10 get out another issue Of the maya
yine-a Picabia number-whieh IS
delight. The translation Of Guillapme
ApolIonaire's Aesthetic Meditations IS
begun in this issue-an important 1T
erary scoop. There are some eontri-
buttons by Cocteau and Picabia,
among other notable moderns, and MISS
Anderson has begun eolyum OF witty
and Satire thrusts. She plinks me
neatly with her beanshooter. The first
time I met her her first words were:
"Ah, not quite so academic as
thought" With drAwling emphasis on
the "ouite." Marion Splitter took
me 10 meet Fanny Brice in the latter's
dressing room at the Palace. Miss
Brice Is as much a delight off stage
as on. She told me she depends upon
her audience for inspiration, rarely
having more than bare outline OF
Aprogram before going on the stage. 1t
$ easy 90 be seen she Is born mimic,
kith sense Of the comic element OF any
- situation. when ! 20 to sec tragic
drama or a movie melodrams," she
said, IL never see anything except
something funny in them. When the
heroine tears her hair and beats her
breast I can hardly keep from laugh
ing. I can't help making funny faces,
burlesquing tragic sentiments. That's
why I never cit IN the front row, for
I found | annoy the actors and that
,onnia would he0in 20 laugh NJ me in