The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-03-11
Walt WHIT A N.
AND EUCLID
IN PARODY
Former IS Too Tough a Custo-
iner for .he Imitators TO
Handle Other Book Is
Weak HumOr.
By AMES KENDRICK.


tAmerican Library Service) or
even any justification therefor
unless It be that Of poetic Justice.
1nasmuch as Walt Ii under sus-
picion in some quarters or being
responsible for much OF the freak
stuff which nowadays passes for
poetry. It seems but fair that
some Of the dire results should
be exposed to the public gaze.
Whitman's rough-hewn lines
have been q. 9fav0rite target for
the pensy Of the sparodists these
many years. but in all the collec-
tion compiled BY Henry s. Saun.
ders there Is no contribution bear
Ing any greater resemblance to
the raucus ballyhoo Of Old Walt
than penny whistle to the siren
Of the Leviathan.
There is much sound material
scattered through the innocent
looking lines Of Whitman. lines
which do bear some resemblance
20 the sappy stuff Of the new
school poets. But it is only surf.
ace likeness. Alongside the lusty
dissonances of the Nickel street
bard, the Tyre Of Pound or
Lowell ernits q strain reminiscent
Of Tschaikowsky's "Pathetique"
played on q Jews harp BY . deaf
and dumb ChinamaH.
~
DULL stuff. indeed, is Wilbur
r. Birdwcod' e attempt at hundCr
which he calls ..Euclid's Outline
81 SEX CHenry Holt & COD. The
author Is at great pains to dis
cern many examples OF the eter-
nal triangle IN the work OF the
Father Of Geometry, all OF which
may be true for any knowledge to
the contrary in our possession.
Most Of the time We should have
given to bordering the pons
asinorum and kindred topics we
nedulously devoted to the life and
works Of the worthy James
Brothers.
While we are quite agreed with
the author Of this work Of re-
search that Freud, Jung and
much Of the psycho-anaIyst for
nnulas are fit topics for satire, we
are not moved to ecstatic merri-
ment BY the result Of his labors.
ttR q. r." the provocative
satire on modern industri-
aIism by the young Czechoslo-
wax dramatist, Karel Capek.
which the iTheater Guild chose to
open the current season has been
published BY Doubleday, Page &
Company az the first volume OF
the Theater Guild library.
Rossun's Universal Robots.
mechanical men which were con-
structed by old man Rossum and
perfected by his son, mechani-
cal engineer, TO do the work of
the world, were gradually replac-
ing all human labor. Turned out
at q hundred and fifty dollars
each these human machines did
the work OF two and a half work.
men and cost three and quarter
cents an hour. But the human
race, freed from the necessity of
labor, rapidly lost its vitality.
Urged by wistful woman who
grieYed that no children were
being born, the designer OF the
Robots gives them finer sensibili-
ties until finally they learned to
hate and to love. Rising in
world revolution these mechanical
men slew all human beings save
one and he, alas. could not re.
member the formula for their
manufacture. Extinction threat
ened them also, until love. new
emotion. made the world for them
q second garden Of Eden.
II OVERS Of Wild Western fiction
are favored with another Of viii:
liam Patterson Whites thrilling
yarns. called by the felicitous title
Of "The Wagon Wheel" little
Brown & Coz 1t has heroine
who casually heats poker red
hot against the return OF an un-
welcome admirer whom she has
Just dashed out of her kitchen. A
few chapters later the same
amiable maid takes a horsewhip-
ping rather than marry the gent.
IF the mission of storytelling Is
to make men forget their
troubles then John Goodwin's
book, THE Sign Of the Serpent
Putnam) fulfills that mission.
It 10 a rafting good story.
There lie plenty of thrilling ad-
venture, love and romance, most
Of which takes place aboard the
sea-going yacht "windflower."
1t IL a purely imaginative Of
fort. But related in a coherent
manner. The author has sue
ceeded in showing the relation.
ship between character and hap
penings.
The strict fiction reader will