Evening star., 1924-06-24
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM

/ u - u ~ /
TAKING THE LITERARY PULSE.
Joseph Collins. George II. Doran
Company.
Joseph Collins, MD. Student and
critic OF current literature as well.
Despite ones inability to link i'm
mediateiy these two seemingly di-
verse pursuits, there is in actuality a
is a man whose professional business
for thirty years has been an inten-
sive study Of the human. To the
limit of natural capacity and special
lied training he has, during this
period, traced many of the sources
of mans maladies and alterations.
gathering UP along the way a store
of highly useful knowledge concern
ing both the secret and open springs
of human behaviors. A Jealous reader
of distinct literary bent. besides. the
Doctors mind turned naturally to
checking up Writer'S on the basis CT
their fidelity, not only to the tech
nical art of construction, but to the
truth OF human nature as well. 1t is
by way of this combination-profe
sional experience and keen literary
lnterest-that the doctor of medicine
takes a hand here at the diagnosis
OF current literature
r
The Doctor Looks at Literature
is a last year book by Joseph Col
Inns. In it the author places the
really useful and generally available
psychology in the hands of the novel
list. That which is left, a limited
amount, belongs to the specialist in
morbid psychology. 1t is to the nov
elist that we look for pictures of
human life. Tt is he who deals in
human behavfors. manners, customs,
vices, virtues, hopes, aspirations, de-
feats and triumphs. II is the novel
ist who must sharpen and discipline
MS wits upon psychological truths
as one of the first essential steps In
the art Of novel writing. In both of
these studies-the one Of last year
and the one in hand--it is the psy-
chology OF the author. Of the reader
and OF the publisher that engages the
attention of the doctor.
Taking the Literary Pulse" is. in
the main, an outlook upon current
American novels. Prior to a consid-
GRAFTON of these, however. DR.. Collins
stops for a consideration Of the
greatly agitated question Of the i'm
proper, the obscene novel. His strong
est condemnation here is directed
against the agitators themselves,
against the purity hounds. with
passing thrust at certain publishers
besides. In the first place, he con-
tends. there are very few Of these
novels; that the most of them would
die early deaths were 1t not for the
clamor set up against them by social
uplifters. on the one hand. or by the sly
suggestion of an occasional unscrupulous
publisher that certain issue prom
ises hectic thrills without number.
In the second place, he denies to
these self-constituted censors the
competency to judge either the quail
fty of the literature or its effects on
the human mind He challenges any
one to come forward with the con-
fession that he or she has been hurt
by reading one Of these condemned
books. Again, he reminds us that the
standards Of one age are not those
of another, pointing, in evidence, to
hidden now behind the respectable
books along the library shelf. I'VE
suppressed Jurgen' until England
showed us how stupid it was to do
it. and we are still too Puritanical to
sell openly Susan Lennox,' story
that should take its place beside that
of Mary Magdalene. never see
Correggio's st. Jerome with its por-
trait Of the Magdalene, whose face
and attitude are so divinely express
sive Of all-embracing love, without
being reminded OF Susan Lennox.'
That is a sample Of what bad books
do to me-" The doctor maintains
the stun of life, with peoples genuine
thoughts, emotions and conversa--
tions, not with their censored
thoughts, their sterilized emotions.
their affected conversations; that they
are dealing with the intimate things
of life, not those of the public
square"
Pointing out the ignoranee- and,
therefore, the futility of attempted in
reference with much in letters and
around with something worth while
that these promoters Of purity could
They could agitate for
an intelligent sane, comprehensive
and ordered program OF teaching
se hem the ans sow Of ha ha
should be utilized to keep presenting
the complexity of the subject to the
childish mind as 1t goes from bud to
flower There should be committees
in every state drafting plans fer this
work. These plans should be sub
mitted to a supreme court made up
Of psychologists, biologists, priests,
philanthropists. for in
simplification and prac-
tical application" Let parents stop
sex life. Let them believe and teach
that the family is 'the institution
Of which the world is proudest" En-
gagged in this honorable and useful
occupation, they can afford to leave
literature to its own ways, certain
that the stupid and unSeemly will die
Of its own rottenneSS, equally GER
tain that the soundIy based, we'll de-
veloped novel will live, as it ought to
live, no matter how intimately 1t
deals with the truth Of the human
heart They say that this doctor is
suave and urbane gentleman. This
agreeable fact, however, has not soft
ened his speech. For a more forth
right man in the expression OF his
solid convictions it would be hard to
find. More power yet to this unafraid
man,
Women will look up after reading
his chapter ON American Woman
Writer'S" Among these he counts a
big four" You may not agree with
him at this point. but you will listen
to him Hard to imagine any one
turning an Indifferent ear to this
man. Edith Wharton. Agnes Rep
pIier, Amy Lowell. Ellen Glasgow
These, with reasons, are the big
four" Among the women he pays
special attention, besides, to Fannie
Hurst and Ethel Kelley, and Villa
Gather, and Zona Gale, the lady who
makes wonderful music on a violin
of one string"
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Be sure to read the chapter on
Sherwood Anderson, advertised as a,