Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-25
Editors See Only Humorous
Side of Bigelow-Wells Tilt

Not since the threats Of a duel that
followed Chimmie Fadden's facetious
picture of Richard Harding Davis in
horse show box stall, says the
Brooklyn Eagle, has the English
speaking world seen anything quite
80 funny as the hostilitieS between
Poultney Bigelow and H. G. Wells.
The famous American writer and lee
turer in series of "reminiscences said
Mr.. Wells looked like "a lucky stock
broker" whereupon the British author
observed that his American cotempo-
rary was bore. Now it is announced
that Mr.. Bigelow will seek $50 900
damages.
THE gallant old American, who as
a boy punched the head Of young VIII
| helm Hohenzollern and after'ward ran
up against Theodore Roosevelt on
Panama Canal conditions" is advised
by the Brooklyn paper to be calm. "Our
great intellects should take as their
motto, The shadows murmur, but the
deeps are dumb knowing instinc-
lively" continues the Eagle, that
they belong to the deeps, they should
| make quarreling taboo. Let US ex-
press the humble hope that the Bige-
low-Wells SANDER suit will never come
to trial. The burden of proof is on
Wells And how could he ever offer
demonstrative evidence that the scin-
tillating Bigelow is a bore?"
wells and BigeIow have made a
start which can only be called fair
middling," declares the Philadelphia
Public Ledger. ut might develop into
a battle of clever wits that would be
worth the price of admission. But
so far it promises Ill. At any rate,
their start leaves a great deal to be
desired. Where are the quips and
quiddities, the sallies and the salient
repartee that the world has been given
to expect from such as they? Can it
be that they actually take themselves
seriously? If so, it is all off, so far as
the gate is concerned" The Fargo
Forum, however, finds that great
writer's very frequently make them
selves ridiculous and always over
nothing"
1--WE do not envy the British jurist
who will be forced to hear the testi-
mony," remarks the Hartford Times.
There are some situations in which
the judicial solemnity would be tempt
ed beyond it's strength. What tho
legal standing Of the word bore is
we have no knowledge, and leave Mr..
Poultney Bigelow to his interpreta.
ton, but it would seem difficult to
make it tort for Mr.. Wells to be
bored by Mr.. Bigelow, unless 1t Is an
injury for Mr.. Bigelow to bore Mr..
Wells. And, after all, Mr.. Bigelow did
say that he mistook Mr.. Wells for a
stock broker. At this distance the
sanest thing to do would seem to be
the exchange of $4,000 and an agree
ment to keep the rivalries Of literary
lines out of courts"
X X * x
The Omaha World Herald laments
that "the famous hands across the
sea seem to be engaged for the mo-
ment In a good deal Of pinching,
gouging and hairpulling" and sug-
gests that apparently all the trouble
is due to lack of understanding.
What we need for a perpetuation Of
this interoceanic handclasp is more
Of a meeting of minds"
"Tht suit has all the appearance of
q CHEEKY jest" declares the Baltimore
Sun, which asks: why should Mr..
Bigelow really fear that his after
dinner oratory will be less popular
now that Mr.. Wells has called him a
bore? The fact that he dug into the
Britisher so hard in his published
"reminiscences proves that he was not
bothered about what Wells friends
may think. OF course, he Is a bore
from H. G.s standpoint. The only
way in which Wells could have harm
ed his standing with the anti Wellsian
crowd would have been to call him an