Evening star., 1932-03-05
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH C.. BOWERHAN.

When the next Pulitzer award is
made it is quite likely that The Auto
biography of Lincoln Steffens' will al
least receive some votes. II it does not
receive the prize. It is a most read
able book and illustrates the fact that
a really great subject is not necessary
for good biography. Sir jaime:
Barrie's mother was simple Scotch
woman, but her famous son immortal
ized her In his memoir, Margaret
Ogilvy." Jane Welsh Carlyle was not
herself a genius, only the wife of a
genius, yet her gift for letter writing
has caused all her letters, edited by
Freude, Alexander Carlyle and others
present time. Perhaps the indication
OF domestic unhappiness, with some
doubt as to the responsibility for it
has had something to do with the
popularity Of the letters. Samuel Pepys
was not exactly great man, though he
thought exceedingly we'll of himself, but
he could write an interesting diary
which has made him better known to
posterity than many other more i'm
portant men of his time and has given
pleasure to thousands of readers.
Stefan Zweig's biography, year or so
ago, of Joseph Fouche, undistinguished
opportunist of the French Revolution,
is as interesting as any of the biog-
raphies Of RobeSpierre, Mirabeau, Mime.
Roland or Marie Antoinette. Examples
might be multiplied of excellent biog-
raphieS OF people whom political or
literary history passes by with a mere
mention. Perhaps any human being
would be a good subject for a biog-
raphy, If only the biographer was skill
II RnnIoh HQhituat
ers have been heard to remark when
confronted with the two volumes of
The Autobiography OF Lincoln Stef-
fens" one volume edition has since
appeared "A journalist, a magazine
editor, 'muck-raker'! And such a
long biography! 1t can't be very inter-
esting. They did not consider that be-
ing successful journalist Lincoln Stef-
fens has known how to write up the
interesting subject of himself.
The first Is chapters of "The Auto
biography Of Lincoln Steffens." the
story OF his boyhood, are good docu-
mentary material for the child psychol-
ogist. 'Lennie" SteffenS was a selfish
boy. ''Lennie" was a vain bow AS an
elderly man he freely admits the self
ishness and the vanity and every page
OF the boyhood record demonstrates
them. His father was a wise man and
saw through his SON. On one occasion
he cast aside his usual reserve and
spoke frankly to his son. The son re-
membered the diagnosis: "All that wor-
rleS me Is your poSings, the bunk you
nave seemed always to like. I never
saw you do anything for the fun of
DONG 1t; you always wanted to tell
about 1t and see yourself and be seen
doing 1t. That's p0ppycock. 1t does no
harm in boy, but you'll soon be no
longer boy, and there are a lot of
men know who are frauds and bunk
ers all their lives, I'd hate to see YOU
go on into that sort of thing" Mrs.
SteHens, not 50 wise, rather encouraged
ner sons egotlsm and posings, especial
~ when they took the form, as they
did Tor brief period, Of religious ex-
altat!on Through the influence of a
MRS. Neely, farmers wife, who gave
MN Logging and abundant, pampering
1000 on his rides across the country
from Sacramento, "Lennie" learned to
pray with JUNCTION and decided to be-
come a preacher. When Mrs Neely
was very i'll, "Lennie" went out to the
stable and, kneeling beside his ponev,
prayed for her recovery. He praved
not simply and sincerely, but self
consciously. 1T was an exqtisite pleas
ure, that prayer; SO I prolonged it until
l was lifted into state of bliss" When
be told the family about 1t at the
breakfast table the next morning
there was universal admiration and
sympathy excepting. as I noticed on
the part CT my father. He looked
Sharply at me for a moment, and he
might have spoken If my mother had
not caught his glance and warned him:
Now, Joseph He obeyed He snap
ped his morning paper and read it."
The crisis of Mrs. Neely's illness was
safe!y passed and there was a brief
perlod during which 'Jennie" and his
mother believed that the crisis came
while he was praying; then the father
told them that it came the night be-
lore while 'Lennie," forgetful CT his
responsibility. was chasing a hare. in
company with crowd of other bows
ana their dogs and horses.
TIE attitude OF Lincoln Steffens
toward the different steps of his edu-
cation this father gave him a very
good one) suggests that of Henry
Adams in THE Education of Henry
Adams" that. in general, "all is van
lty. But Lincoln Steffens has a more
active. aggressive temperament than
Henry Adams, is not such a philosophic
pessimist. He entered the University
OF California in 1885 and might have
comfort had they known what was in
his mind. He says: Il entered the
University of California with a set of
examination questions for the faculty.
for the professors, to answer" and con-
tinues: 1T is possible to get an edu-
cation at a university. It has been
done; not often. but the fact that
proportion, however small of college
students do get start in interested,
methodical study, proves my thesis. and
the two personal experiences have to
offer illustrate it and show how to cir
cumvent the faculty the other stu
dents. and the whole college system
of mind-fiXing." So he was not. and
is not, altogether hopeless over the pos
sibilities of college as an educational
medium. For college degree in itself
he has scorn. but he received one from
the University of California Then his
father, rather sad because he would
not go into the business that was being
held for him, indulgently financed for
IiliIl EuIOpedIi IldNtl anu SIuQV, This
European period became a pilgrimage
in search of the real meaning of art,
music, philosophy, or more specifically,
"a basis, probably in some other
SCIENCE, for a science of behavior" He
came back to his own country without
finding this to his satisfaction, though
he attended lectures by Kuno Fischer
and Wundt He may not have found
answers to the problems either of alb
stract ethics or of practical human be-
havior; he may not have arrived at a
belief in the sound value of education
as he had experienced it; but on his
arrival in New York he almost i'm
mediately secured an opening in
journalism, modest Job" on the Eve
ming Post Perhaps, it was due to good
natural intelligence, for which he could
thank his parents and more remote
ancestors; perhaps, it was partly due
to his not overestimated education: but
whatever the cause, Lincoln Steffens