Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-27
and remain nunaskuils? or that those
who have frowned upon general social
dancing after marriage are prize asses?

| and remain r1umskuils? or that those
who have frowned upon general social
dancing after marriage are prize asses?
Twenty Million Frenchmen Can't Be
Wrong In the title of a book. or song,
we forget which. and II makes no diff
ference: II simply states again the old
belief that the voice Of the people Is
right.
In this matter of reading, the opinion
OF any one reader Ia right, 30 far as
he himself is concerned. II book
strikes him as improper, In the real
sense of that word, II It calls up all
the smut and fiith that trickles into
the mind OF even a decent man, then
he has a right to brand the work as
futile and to pass 1t and It's kind up.
There Is dangerous liberation at work
In this country which would corrupt
the secret springs Of taste on the ground
that progressive and growing people
ought to be sophisticated.
When sophistication, however. de-
mands that one forget the honest
teachings OF youth, and substitute Xix
ing for law, and cleverness for decency,
and "Smartness" for morality, the time
has come for the honest reader to call
Itdlhs ~ ubtiC lEHdAuCu pIlhoC VI tktiH
dangerous business Is the attitude OF
thousands that one should resent be-
ing preached at" They little suspect
that their attitude Ia the result OF clever
propaganda of those who would simply
like to do as they please land they
always want to do wrong according to
age-old standards Of right and wrongl
AS a matter of honest fact. preaching is
fundamental form Of human express
sion. The world has been preached at"
since the beginning. A decent man. we
believe, likes to be preached at He
knows he probably deserves 1t. He does
not foam at the mouth because q piece
Of fiction plainly breaches lesson.
Only the smart-alec '.intellectuals'
throw fits over sermons. Preaching
makes them feel uncomfortable: that
is what is the matter with them! AS
for most of us. we shall doubtless bene-
fit by being preached at now and then.
After all, one doesn't have to pay any
attention to 1t! So we cannot see why
any one should resent being preached
at In the least.
Hence we make plea for every book
reader to be his own reviewer Have
honest likes and dislikes. What do you
care what an unknown wight, solemnly
sitting in Judgment on the world In
New York (of eli places, thinks of
your opinion? Your opinion is probably
Just as good as his. generally speaking.
and far superior. In relation to your
self. Must you read book with de-
light because the publisher tells you
that II Is great stuff? There Is no
law so compelling you. You have paid
high price for the book t$2.S0, was 1t
not?) and have GOT
A neatly bound volume. with fancy
end papers. and colored top. pretty
presswork, hne paper, excellent type
all put together for the purpose Of
giving the world bit OF real life. You
YEARLY wonder why real life must be
so thunderingly real as this? You long
for "Poliyanna." They laughed at poor
Pollyanna. yes. but she at least didn't
bring you cieverly constructed lines
which conjured up unlovely pictures,
then sneering said, 1T all comes out
your mind. not mine. you rascal" We
are tired OF books that serve us up
something rotten and then biatantly as
sert, because we can smell II, that the
trouble lies with our own nose Nothing
OF the sorti We have right to choose
our reading associates, thank God. and
we do not choose to walk there with
strunnpets, and the friends OF strumpets.
why should we read about odious pec-
ple? There are enough OF them, any
way. So we end as we began, with our
incontrovertible thesis: Some books
ought not to be written: II written.
they ought not to be printed. II printed,
they ought not to be read. This book
was written, and printed. and we have
read it--but we hope you won't. And
Won won't.--if we can help IT,