Evening star., 1929-07-02
NEW BOOKS
/ AT RANDOM
I. C. M.

I. C. M.
HELLO TowNsi Sherwood Anderson.
Horace Iiverisht.
How easy it Is to be led astrayl To
20 there, instead of remaining here. To
fiy of at the fresh call, instead of
rounding up the business In hand.
I was at the point Of telling you about
q new book that had come my way.
An important book. A deeply inter-
esting one as well. Its subject big
nothing less than oiir own civilization,
how It came TO be the amasing and
shifting thing that 1t Is. At the mo-
ment was engrossed In the author
clear revelation Of that significant and
influential twelfth century which stu
dents, under the average schoolmam
are led to scant in the haste to reach
the later renaissance, that, after all, Is
but O sequence Of the fecund essence
of the twelfth century itself.
A&k
Just then there rose q small COM
motion among the books on the roomy
couch beside me where we live, mostly,
the books and I. "Hellol" said some
body, something. Not minded to be
diverted just then I edged the books
away. telling them to lie still and not
bother. "Hellor-and, outstanding, one
Of these volumes made straight for my
hand, like baby or a puppy. Hello
Towns!" was what 1t was really saying.
For an instant of indulgence I took IL
in hand. and leafed 1t. catching a word
here, a line there, friendly and familiar
greetings everywhere And this Is the
account of my temporary undoing. I
took to Hello Towns!" holding back for
short time the other book. For, you
see. found myself in Main Street, the
authentic Main Street. And how do I
know this? Why, because am Main
Street. All my soft years were lived
there soaking up the innumerable i'm
youth gathers inalienably for the sue
ceeding years Of every mans life. This
Is Main Street, the Main Street Of Amer
lea, to which thousands will give joy
ously the stamp Of their individual ac-
ceptance for its truth, their homage for
its understanding. I had to stay with
the place for while-with the old
familiar place.
Here is story, the story Of how
Hello Townsi" came to be. Just an
account of Sherwood Anderson's expert
menting some more with life. To 60
into the village or small town, to live
there, to take over the local paper, to
gather up the community roundabout
at first hand by way Of the weekly
news-that seemed to this man pretty
sure way Of getting close to the really
Sherwood Anderson became the country
editor. Hello Towns!' is a general
cleaning from the adventure. Broadly
speaking, we know that nowadays the
editor has become the recipient of con-
fidences from every quarter. such as
even the family doctor and the preacher
no longer hold in their old smutual
monopoly. Everything was griSt to this
new mill of Anderson's. Out of 1t the
full savors of Main Street issue to the
heart and mind Of countless readers.
&&
Month by month q full year of record
finds place in the book. Every possible
and familiar interest of the small COM
munity life marches through these
months. Individual character stands
in the open here-the odd and amusing
folks who salt the common insipidities
Of human behavior, the crlsty ones who
snap at life like abused and resentful
And the big bulk Of just the common
run come and 60 here, even more
vividly than they used to when I was q
child, by way Of THE Cayuga Chief,
the home paper up In Weedsport, N. Y.
More vividly. more engrossingly, more
revealingly, because, you see, that Sher-
wood Anderson Is not merely a man,
avid of humanity and it's behaviors, but
he Is great poet as well. He Is seer
and o truth seeker who, having found
truth, or It's semblance at least, stands
by, does not run away from 1t. Instead,
he takes It up and handles It search
ingly. Then he tells what he sees, tells
what he thinks and believes. You do
not always agree with him. That is not
important. At moments you feel criti-
cal. That, too. Is not important. Yet, rs
for me. wish that Anderson, along
with many another gifted man, did not
hold so rigidly to the idea that the
present age Is all wrong-that 1t Is ma
terialistic. suppreSsive of the individual,
turning men out all alike In bulk pro-
duction along with the other machines
Of the age. However, that is another
story, fit for another time. believe
that 1t Is not true view, since 1t Is but
q partial one. However,
Running the pages I see-"The
South" Here Comes the Band" "T'he
Great Dog Case" Negro Singing" !"
Snowy Nights" Chicago In Coon Hoi-
ow"-innumerable topics. In WASH
ington"-let's stop here Just minute.
Mr.. Anderson has been sent by his town,
Marion, up to interview Mr.. Hoover,
then Secretary Of Commerce. To pass
the time before his appointed hour he
makes sharp comment upon the art of
Whistler-and here Is chance for more
Of disagreement, but no matter-find-
ing clear solace, however, In fine old
Chinese painting there-a garden
wherein are the Chinese Emperor,
Ming Huang, and his concubine, Kuei-
fei. What a charming lady! 1t Is
Spring. She Is singing to make the
flowers bloom for her Emperor" He
likes that immensely.
IT am not going to be interviewed
Mr.. Hoover speaking" II don't care
Anderson's reply. "As matter Of fact
did not care two straws. had made
not futile. had seen the Emperor
Ming Huang with his concubine Kuei-
fei walking IN q garden"
st will not be interviewed. but we can
talk" came from Mr.. Hoover to the
disappearing back of the man who was
thinking of an old garden In China.
So the man went back and they did
talk-about the Mississippi problem
and the other outstanding economics OF
this great day. And the big Industrial
lists may not be Ming Huangs. but they
are in power. They have raised Mr..
Hoover up out Of the ranks as perhaps
the finest example of manhood and
ability in present-day American politi-
cal and industrial life. He Is, appar-
eDtiy n man very sire of himself His