Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-09

THE less judgment people have, the
more they think they are right" the
gentleman was grumbling as he passed
along the street with companion.
Sometimes it seems that way" re-
piled the other. Then the two were
soon lost in the crowd, and 1t was i'm
possible ever to know what specific in
stance of bigotry they were referring to
1t made no difference. The general
outlines Of the subject are far more
worthy of being considered by the aver
age person.
1t seems as II most men and women
find 1t necessary to bolster up opinions
which they instinctively recognize as
weak. with very positive statements.
Thus one hears woman reader going
counter to prevailing critical opinion On
the subject OF the merits Of some best
seller"
She has neither the background nor
experience to set herself at variance with
the thousands who have read and loved
the book. but that does not prevent her
for a second from saying that 1t is
horrible, nevertheless.
y X
"Oh, will admit" she will declare
loftily, that IL is we'll written
Terribly, terribly out of the bag is
that cat!
If book is we'll written, it must be
good, since good writing is the very
backbone of literature.
But how is she in a position to know
whether it is well written or not, If
she insists that this specif1ce volume
the delight of many thousands, is not Sc
very good, after all?
The best critical opinion has so ouS-
voted her, week after week. now year
after year. that her precious opinion
is tacitly thrown into the discard
The waste paper basket, for your
opinion Babe" says old Critical Opin-
ion himself.
Making any concessions at all is one
of the basic mistakes of those who
profess positive opinions, especially
when they are opposed to good general
! opinion.
1t must be recognized that there is
good general opinion and poor general
opinion. as well as quite mediocre gen.
eral opinion. The likes and dislikeS OF
the mass of the people are susceptible
to the same lack Of discrimination
| taste and body Of experience as the
! judgments of individuals.
In matters of art, however, one is
more surely at home. for here the gen.
eral opinion is on a great. more or less
even, plane. where all participants look
at each other eye to eye.
And book judgments, once formed
can never be reversed. One speaks OF
the true judgments. of course. No doubt
many enthusiasts found very much to
| their liking certain old rcmances of the
| 18th century which we of today find
unbearahle reading.
Yet men liked Shakespeare's plays
long, long ago, and they love them
today. The works of the great Roman
and Greek authors are immortal. II
would do no good for any one, at
this late date, to rise on his critical
hind legs, as it were. and attack them
| No one with ordinary powers of dis
erection would care much If they did fol-
all the outpouringS of wrath in the
world shall not prevail against worS
of art which time has rightly called
great.
Failure in critical opinion is due. in
many cases. to the feeling on the part
of so many people that an instant opin-
ion is demanded.
One will not be considered real
bright If one insists on cogitating! We
are expected to snap back with an opin-
ion about everything. offhand and in
! stanter, on pain OF being regarded as
SLOW"
Slowness Is the modern evil, moi
crime.
1t is all right to be immoral, many
seem to feel. but distinctly out OF date
| to be behind the second in ready