Evening star., 1934-08-22
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Mwswss Csymoad

M~gwss CsvmonA.
EAST AND WEST. BY Somerset
Vaughan. New York: Doubleday,
Doran d Co., Inc.
There are two distinct attractions
about this volume containing thirty
stories by one of the most popular Of
modern authors. First, the collection
for this publication In . selection by
Mr.. Vaughan Of those OF his tales
which he likes best. And then there
Ia q preface by him in which he gives
something Of . behind-the he-scenes pic
ture relating to various things which
his readers and admirers win enjoy
and appreciate.
30 much has been written and said
about the work Of Mr.. Vaughan that
1t now appears he has been a. much
befogged and bemused by the conflict
between the opinions of the public and
the critics Is have been the host OF
readers who not only like his plays
and his stories, but who find high
merit in his style Of presenting them
as well.
Critics are a queer lot, generally
speaking. Whether their fine capacity
for Judgment leans toward literature,
drama, painting, music or sculpture,
after % long q time Of devotion to
their work they are almost certain to
develop o fixity of ideas from which
they seldom can be shaken. This Is
not true of all of them, Of course, for
there are many who never lose sight
of the good in the discovery Of the
bad. But, by and large, the convic-
ton Is borne in upon even the casual
observer that the majority OF these
superior beings whose duty 1t Is to tell
the public what Is and what Is not
true art become so engrossed in the
business Of criticism that they all but
lose sight of the object to be criti-
cized.
MIR. Maugham Is not the only out
standing popular author who has been
the victim Of critics and at the same
time an idol Of the public. Three
who come immediately to mind are
Harold Bell Wright. whose books were
best sellers over O period Of years;
Earl Derr Biggers, who was fred from
an Ohio newspaper because he could
not WRITE" and James Oliver Curwood,
whose first novel was accepted reluct-
antly after 1t had Travelled the mileage
of the world In It's journeys to and
from publishers, and then only be-
cause big, blond, stubborn reader
fought for his Judgment against that
Of his superior and won. And there
are many others.
The comment OF Mr.. Vaughan upon
the blasts of criticism and the lauda-
tory esteem with which his stories
have been received Is as interesting
and entertaining as are some of the
tales themselves. His admiration for
the writings of Chekov and Guy de
Maupassant also gives an insight to
his own readers as to the method en-
ployed In the presentation Of o story
in terse and forceful style, free Of
membranes and dynamic in action.
y ~
Few authors are ever 80 frank about
the actual concept of their stories as
is Mr.. Vaughan In his preface to this
voluEnei The initial short novel liz
Rain, and the following quotation Is
but one Of the seyeraR instances in
which the original notek from which
the story grew are given.
II was travelling from Honolulu
to Paso Page. and, hoping they might
ut some time be Of service, I jotted
down, as usual. by impressions OF such
Of my fellow passengers as attracted
my attention. This Is what I said of
Miss Thompson; Plump, pretty in
coarse fashion, perhaps not more than
twenty-seven. She wore O white dress
and O large white hat, long white
boots from which the calves bulged
In cotton stockings There had been
O raid on the red light district in
Honolulu just before we sailed and the
gossip Of the ship spread the report
that she was making the journey
to escape arrest. My notes 60 on:
W., the Missionary. He was q tall
thin man, with long limbs loosely
jointed, he had hollow cheeks and
high cheek bones, his fine, large, dark
eyes were deep in their sockets, he
had full sensual lips, he wore his
hair rather long. He had q cada-
verouS air and q look of suppressed
fire. His hands were large, with long
fingers, rather finely shaped. His
naturally pale skin was deeply burned
by the tropical sun.
"a
little woman with her hair very clabo-
rately done, New England; not promir
nent blue eyes behind gold-rimmed
pince-nez, her face was long like O
sleeps. but she gave no impression
Of foolishness, rather of extreme
alertness. She had the quick move
ments Of bird. The most noticeable
thing about her was her voice, high,
metallic and without infection; It
fell on the ear with hard monotony,
irritating to the nerves, like the cease
less clamor of pneumatic drill.
She was dressed in black and wore
round her neck = gold chain from
which hung q small cross. She told
me that w. was q missionary ON the
Gilberts and his district consisting
OF Wi0ely separated Islands he fire.
quently had to 60 distances by canoe.
During this time she remained ut the
headquarters and managed the mis-
sion. He was q medical missionary.
She spoke Of the depravtty OF the
natives In o voice which nothing
could hush, but with o vehement,
unctuous horror, telling me Of their
marriage customs, which were obscene
beyond description. She said when
first they went 1t was impossible to
find q single good girl in any of the
villages. She inveighed against
dancing. I talked with the missionary
and his wife but once, and with Miss
Thompson not ut ALL" From these
notes Rain" was created.
The original notes out of which
grew Before the Party" were made
In consequence Of the meeting Of O
couple ut dinner party at which the
author was practically . stranger:
"A stout, rather pompous man Of
fifty, with pince-nez, gray-haired, q
fiorid complexion, blue eyes, q neat
gray mustache. He talks with as
surance He Is resident of an out