Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1936-03-13
~
from the
Democrats Pen

since I paid my respects to my old
chump, Harry Russell. Harry's the
guy who edits "The Enterprise, a
weekly flare-up published in Chester
town, the place l used as hang-out
for some years, and occasionally visit,
as I grow into the sere and yellow.
I want to congratulate Harry for
speaking right out in meetin' and Civ
ing his opinion of that pot of mush
would-be writer-one known to all
Chestertown people as James W. Cain
is serving to readers in the maya
zine known as Liberty" blest If l
don't think the editors of that period
ical are taking quite liberty with the
public to offer such indigestible lite
rary food as Double Indemnity"
Now, Harry says the hearts of the
people of Chestertown are not burst
ing with love for the said Mr.. Cain,
because Of some very equivocal re-
marks he made about their city. But
I like Jamie real well-you see how
easily l slip into the endearing form
of his sturdy Christian cognomen. If
I didn't like him probably would have
spit out between my teeth the more
solemn epithet-"Jim," b'gosh! The
only thing 1 object to in these days
and times, since he has developed into
an ink singer, is that he doesn't seem
to have relished the sort of English
I presented for his inspection, when
we were in the throes of a teacher
pupil relationship.
1 started to read this "Doubly Be-
damned" thing he has evidently hood
winked Liberty into buying, but after
a few chapters I found a dirty in
tellect producing like brand of ver-
bal expression, and really, became
almost mentally ilP'-I believe that's
the phrase they use now to apply to
crazy people; wasn't quite that far
gone, but was meS~lly nau seated.
Just to relegate myself back to the
days when l looked at pile of Eng
lish papers to correct and sighed for
better luck, l thought I would blue
pencil a page or two of the famous
authors composition, and honestly you
could hardly see the original when 1
had finished. It was certainly eng
lish as she is spoke" or writ, as the
case may be.
And 1 wondered if this were a part
of his plan to gain the notice of the
world. You know there are fearfully
and wonderfully made specimens of the
Mother tongue displayed in ads some
times, simply to catch the commercial
eye. l thought maybe he had per-
Suaded himself that these grammatical
and rhetorical inaccuracies were
marks of an unfettered genius and
he gloried in them-even as some of
our greatest men appear consciously
to adopt signature no one can de-
cipher. But Jamie certainly does sling
a nasty line of English construction.
and this is conveyance of trend
of thought equally as nasty.
I was gratified, Harry, you let out
with that Lancer" column of yours,
and gave him gentle CD stab. He
deserved all you said and then some.
Not that it will have any effect on his
future "scribulations," he'll go on
turning out swill that some will swal-
low as the finest of connections. And
no matter what he produces he'll look
upon it and call it good. That's the
nature of the beast. Jamie, bless his
heart, is an individual who has ut
most confidence in jamie and all the
rest of the walking sticks. Why, he
even thought he could beat out any
player for the football team, as l re-
member, and when he went out on the
field that idea was beaten out of him,
although, according to his version,
his studies would not allow him to use
the time necessary to get into chape.
Prudent chap!
You know, 1 believe 1 can write as
bad as he does, but 1 don't believe
my efforts would bring in the shekels.
1t would lack some salable ingre-
dent Pm sure. But if the putrid stuff
he foists on gullible public can be
called literature, then Pm the Prince
of Wales, Mussolini, Hitler, Roose-
welt and the devil himself rolled into
one-that's some combination and
don't you forget it.