The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-06-25
"ARROWSMITH" BEST
SELLER OF THE YEAR
SINCLAIR LEWIS LATEST NOV
Ell HAS PASSED THE $4,000
MARK
NOW "LOAFING" AROUND
NOTED AUTHOR RETURNS TO
NEW YORK AFTER VISIT
WITH FATHER

Sinclair Lewis left for his home in
New York Saturday evening after en-
joying several days visiting with his
father and many old friends in Sank
Centre.
Mr.. Lewis, wife and little son re-
turned a few weeks ago from some
time spent abroad. Upon being inter-
rogated by the Herald editor as to
whether he had a new novel under
way he stated that for the past year
he had been loafing around. He may
not have new piece of fiction under
actual construction but it is impos-
sible for one with his nervous temper
ament and active mind to do much
floating" and more than the ground
work of next. novel is very likely
stored away in this think tank.
Much of the time the past year
Mr.. and Mrs. Lewis lived in Lon
don, ten days We're spent hiking
through Switzerlapd-Bernese Over
laud-the heart of the Alps; three
months were spent in Paris, and
visits were also made to Monte Carlo,
Geneva and Munich in Italy; Vienna
and Prague. They were in Berlin at
the time Hindenburg was elected
president.
Mr.. Lewis stated that conditions
in Germany were apparently normal
and that living was very expensive.
He said the Germans felt especially
friendly toward America and toward
England in a lesser degree, but that
their enmity toward France knew ne
bounds.
They returned to London for a
short time before returning to their
native land. They have taken over a
home in Westchester county, about
80 miles from New York city where
they will reside indemnity.
Mr.. Lewis stated that except for a
few book reviews and several articles
contributed to the Nation in the in
terest Of LaFollete's candidacy during
the last campaign he has not written
anything since he finished his last
novel first published serially in The
Designer magazine and published
under the name of "Arrowsmith" in
book form. Mr.. Lewis said that over
$4,000 copies of the book had al
ready been sold and that it was the
best selling piece of fiction of the
year.
The following review of "Arrow-
smith by Sherwin Lawrence, Smith
in a recent issue of the Boston Eve
ming Transcript will be of interest
to the gentleman's many friends in
this city:
"For long time, Mr.. Lewis has
desired to write fctional tribute
to great scientific doctor. DIR.
Kennicot, whose single hangs so con-
spicuously in Main Street, did not en-
tirely fulfill the authors yearning
and though his studies of the medical
fraternity were interrupted by the
persuasive Mr.. Rabbit, Mr.. Lewis
has come back to his cherished pur-
pose. This purpose is no doubt a
strong one, because of the fact that
he comes from family of physi-
clans. But the doctor he now evolve ]
is not one of the gentle school of fam
lily practitioners. DIR. Martin Arrow.
smith has greater visions than this.
Doctor Lavendars may be well
; enough. Humanity would be worse
off not only physically, but in other
ways without them; but in "Arrow-
smith" Mr.. Lewis vision is one of
impersonal research, of discovery OF
q spirit which aids races and leaves
individuals to those euipped to profit
by the vision of genius. His ideal
figure is not the comforter of the
few, but the healer of the many.
Here the kindly routine of the bene-
violent village practitioner is not an
element except as it is held out to
be something undesirable on which
Martin is forced to waste little of
its precious career. Mr.. Lewis medi-
cal ideal is one of large dimensions
and necessarily his novel is also of
large dimensions.
It is not necessary, however, in
spite of his hero's mission being i'm
personal, that he should be imperson-
ally drawn. In all Mr.. Lewis writ
ings it would not be easy to find a
more distinctly human figure. He
does not set himself to make the read
er's affections go out to Martin Arr
rowsmith. While bis insurgent spirit
carries him along, he has plenty
unlovely qualities. But underlying
all Mr.. Lewis has been able to draw
the Unsuitable CURIOSITY and the unsat-
isfied spirit of the born scientific in
vestigator. Few readers may be will
ling to admit that Mr.. Lewis has
drawn fairer or a trler portrait in
Martin Arrowsmith than those which
appear in ssMain Street" or in "Bab-
bitt:" but surely, he has painted on a
larger canvass. Martin is an arresting
figure and he is intrinsically a bigger
man than we often find in a natural
istic novel. As a rule, characters
drawn to become great figures of
their time in fiction are either treated
with difference or are subjected to the
intellectual whips and scorn of writ