Evening star., 1923-01-06
The Library Table
BY TAe HeoIxiover

'
We Americans have q liking for
humor in our reading matter. some
times even when humor is not called
for by the specifications. We are
often like the EIizabethan audiences,
for whom Shakespeare introduced low
comedy scenes into his most profound
tragedies. We must be amused.
II have never cared for Mrs.
Humphry Ward" said member OF a
circulating book club to a friend, be
cause she has no humor."
"But her novels aren't adapted to
humor." replied the friend
We'll they ought to be-" retorted
For the above reason many readers
are finding Sinclair Lewis' latest
novel, "Babbitt." far more interesting
than Main Street" Babbitt, the
| standardized American business man
OF the prosperous small city, takes
himself seriously enough. but in real
ity ne Is very humorous person: In
him every woman may find. IL mother
own husband, at least her father
brother or some man of her acQualnt-
ance. I: For example: SIN twenty-three
years of married iife.- Mrs. Babbitt
band Just sixty-seven times" He is
as naively conventional and afraid OF
public opinion at forty-flve as NE was
at twenty-five. when he married his
wife because of a misunderstanding.
"one evening when he was weary and
been weeping. She had been left out
| of q party given by Zilla. Somehow
her head was on his shoulder and he
was kissing away the tears-and she
raised her head to say, trustingly
Now that we're engaged. shall we be
married soon or shall we waltz" He
always eats an apple before retiring
and always recites to his wife while
! eating 1t. "An apple a day keeps the
doctor away" He laughs at his wife's
| pathizes with them. and looks for
ward with eager anticipation to his
| university class dinner and "an even
ing OF furious intimacy with such So
cial leaders as Charles McKelvey, the
millionalre contractor; Max Kruger
| ufacturer. and Adelbert Dobson. the
| fashionable interior decorator" Al
home he Jeers at his wife's appeal, 81
do wish you wouldn't say tux. It's
dinner jacket; but, in public he al.
ways conforms. He will not be called
| the telephone is almost too slow a
| means of communication with his wife
when he is elected vice president OF
the Boosters Club.
y y y
A new prophet Of health has within
the past few months become the SUBJ
ject OF drawing-room conversation. II
one may credit all one hears, the source
Of much benefit to many followers. The
little book, "Self-Mastery Through Con-
scious Autosuggestion," by Emile Coue
a psychologist OF Nancy. France, and
| several other books written to interpret
! the Coue method have found hundreds
of readers among all ages and classes
Coue study Is, ! understand, as popular
on the Pacific coast as In the east, anc
certainly In Washington there are many
persons who are telling a daily rosary
| OF knotted string while they repeat tht
formula, Day by day. in every way,
am getting better and better"
Official Washington, including mem
bers of Congress, will be interested
in reading in the January Nortf
American Review an article entitled
The Outlook for the Merit System.
the School of journalism of Columbis
University and formerly a membe'
of the New York state civil servic,
commission. The author expressei
much concern over the failure of leg
isiation carrying out the recommends
tions OF the report of the congres
| sional joint commission on reclassi
hcation. He points out that although
the United States government was ;
pioneer in seeking to establish meri
as a basis of employment, it had nov
Jagged behind private employers VIII
had adopted scientific methods of re
l.cruiting, testing and stimulating ef
eliminating waste The author state
that the United States Is trying to d.
the work of a twentieth century gov
every neld Of science and industry. b,
methods inherited from the eight
eenth century and "by employs
whose pay bears little or no relation
to the character of their service an
whose condition of labor. and chanc
than by favor are such as to discour
age energy and loyalty" Mr.. Brow
ldeplores the lack of funds to enabl
the Civil Service Commission to de
vslep its examination, system in IN
light of psychological research an
the experience of modern business. II
is disturbed by the fact that NOR
THAN rs per cent of the federal EN-
iployes are enrolled In organization
iaffiliated with industrial trade unions
but attributes such a movement t
the failure of the government to pro
wide any legitimate channel for tn
presentation of grievances and tn
Icorrection of the injustices of the EN-
ployes. He believes that the combi
nation of government employees .San'
trade unionists has ominous possibili
Ities and that this alliance Will con
ltinue to be a menace until a reall
scientific personnel system is estab
ilished. Then the Affiliations which h
considers unnatural can be forbidde
or will die q natural death.
y y y <
During the war German literatur
suffered an eclipse from which it ha
not yet begun to recover. Evel
Hauptmann and Sudermann, general
ly recognized as the leaders of mod
ern German drama and fiction, cease'
production altogether. Now the Ger
man republic has just celebrate,
the sixtieth birthday anniversary. o
Hauptmann and the monarchist
made the festival the occasion 70
vehement attack on this poet an
dramatist of mysticism and huma
| hrntb arhood Most Am meriCan reader