The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-06-12
running
LITERATURE,
CHARGE
Mrs. [. A. Miller, Of Women's
Clubs, Attacks Audacious-
ness Of Modern Novels

LOS ANGELES, Calf, June l2.--
'Audacious and irresponsible youth
H. running the literature Of this age"
was the declaration today Of Mrs.
L. A. Miller, of Colorado Springs,
Colo, chairman of literature Of the
General Federation Of Womens
Clubs.
1--WE ale living just now, at tLo
in making her annual report to the
convention. I'm life we call It boil
shevisIn; in art we call 1t futurism;
in music, jazz: in literature we call
it modern masterpieces If we be.
long to the young inteilectuals.' II
we are just plain, old-fashioned folks,
brought up on Chaucer and Milton,
.wc cali 1t mud pies for the aHnuse.
ment Of very dirty and disagrecAble
infants.
American literary expression Of
today is far more chaotic and I'M
disciplined than the literary express
sion Of its youth"
Youth Once Was Ignored.
Mrs. Miller said that in that
earlier period eff youth had any
opinions they received scant atteu-
iion," and that writers aad editors
were men Of white hair and flow
ing boards"
Into this paradise of the Gaze.
fully selected few and fit, az re.
mote as possible from life, with its
vulgarities and commonplaceS, some.
thing unspeakable entered contin.
ued Mrs. Miller.
6STFINA xx1nvld xxynVok V1aoH IN ak@ hAVaa.
age Of youth. Youth was not SLOW
to recognize its opportunity. The
besiegers swarmed into the editorial
sanctums, into university chairs aid
INTO the lnahogany-lined precincts OF
the publishing business.
with a pathetic assumption OF
wisdom, these young old men, blasc,
devoid Of all illusions and hampered
by no ideals, cast about them for
a new literary policy.
quite boldly they threw their
Neitsche and their Freude from
beneath the mattress, put their
feet upon the mahogany desks, lit
cigarette and proceeded to re.
construct American letters.
1.-THE business Of criticism be.
came cleverness in hunting out
and crucifying the conservative
thinker who dares to voice an
opinion. Ignorance may let loose
upon a suffering public a flood Of
mongrel English and epithets oh.
scene even for a barroom; II he Is
only sufficiently audacious and
modern he is hailed as a prophet.
"And now we have in literature
what the pathologist calls vicious
circles or the reaction Of a cause
upon its effect, so that the cause
becomes effect and effect cause.
Authors Eyes on Critic.
ut has become the merriest sort
of a game. The author writes with
his eyes on the critic; the critic
reads with an eye on the publisher,
and not one OF them gives a
thought to the great, hungry,
reading public. Round and round
they go, pattfng each other on the
back and exclaiming, with childish
naivete, over each new audacity.
America is more than the
Main Street Of any Of her little
standardized towns. It Is a great
epic country in the making, wait.
ing for the master who shall trans.
mute the rough and sordid ele-
ments into the TILTED loneliness Of
a ring 1t is the business of litera-
ture to interpret life. and anything
else Is not enduring life.
I'VE ask that literature shall
give us an honest Interpretation Of
life-a middle course between the
easy sentir.entality Of a former
generation and the reputation Of
beauty and purity which distin-
cuisines much Of our present out
put"