Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-07-25


the success Of its pred
ecessor. Now we have Mr.. steinbeck's
first novel republished-the present
work.
It originally came out in 1929. The
publishers apparently feel that the
modest success which it had at that
time was not just to its merits, and
hope to win for 1t the praise which
they feel it deseryes-now that its
authors reputation has been estab-
lished. 1t would be laudable under
taking thus to rescue q book from
obscurity, but for one thing-"Cup OF
Gold" is a poor performance, over
written, immature and generally sappy.
Even a fulsomely admiring preface by
Louis Gannett Of the Herald Tribune
New York, N. W cannot smile that
hard fact away. Cup of Gold" shows
promise-that Is all, and 1t is such
promise too as Is to be found in the
projected masterpieces of a thousand
bright college seniors every commence
ment.
The idea back of Mr.. Steinbeck's
maiden venture is the one which was
brought widely to middle-class aware
ness through the clever and oh so
wicked play by Mr.. Robert Sherwood
some years ago, The Road to Rome"
That is, the idea that physical achieve
ment does not necessarily bring hap
piness, even though it may bring glory.
1t is very profound.
Like Mr.. Sherwood, Mr.. Steinbeck
takes a historical character for hero.
Like Mr.. Sherwood he carries him to
the peak of his dreams and then lets
him see the folly of all dreaming
through the eyes Of woman. Like
many young men writing novels, he
takes all this with great seriousness
and uses a heavily empurpled style.
And like most books written with
desperate seriousness. his is only funny
where it is not dull.
One could forgive the writing Of it.
It Is hard to understand the author
permitting it to be republished, now
that he has done mature work.
ANTHOLOGY OF Yin E
VERSE FOR 1895 AND YEAR
BOOK OF AMERICAN POETRY.
Edited by Alan F. Pater. New
York: Poetry Digest Association.
IT WOULD seem that this volume
accomplishes very well the pur-
pose which its edieor declares in his
introduction-"It is hoped that the
Anthology will provide yearly
barometer of the trend of poetry in
this country, as reflected in the pages
of the magazines :" For there Is
practically no distinguished verse in
it, whether distinction Is to be con-
ferred for goodness or badness. 1t is
all level, well-meaning, conventional
and dull. Even the contributions from
the men Of high poetic reputation are
of this quality. Such level is, Ger
tainly, representative of magazine pub
LEGATION in this country at the present
time. 1t seems curious that any editor
would think the fact interesting
enough to require proof through the
substantial labor Of compiling an
anthology.
The volume contains selections by
such outstanding poets as Stephen
Vincent Benet, Witter Bynner, Wal
ter de la Mare, Arthur Dawson Ficke,
Robert Frost, Edgar Lee Masters,
Christopher Morley, Jesse Stuart,
Charles Hanson Towne, Robert P.
Tristram Coffin, Langston Hughes,
Josephine Johnson, Alfred Kreym-
borg, Elizabeth MADDOX Roberts, Louis
Untermeyer, Mark Van Doren, the late
John Reed, and the evergreen Helene
Mullins and Margaret Widdemer.
Still, the level remains very level
indeed. Our more famous poeteers
have contributed neatness and COM
petence to the collection, but very
little inspiration.
1t would seem that this Is charac-
teristic. Most of the work Is neat;
little of it is downright incompetent.
But it all bears the badge of con-
ventional thinking and correctly
poetic" feeling. Our writers have
recorded that they have loved, that
they have meditated on death, that
they admire beauty land admire" Is
an adequate estimation of the decor
GUS nature of their aesthetic emotion),
that they deplore social injustice and
that they think friendship is lovely
and babies are cute. Their language
Is that of the cautious student OF
form and their power to arouse SYM
pathy or convey belief in the validity
of their emotion is nonresident. To
read the volume is practically to be
bored to death.
Still, one wishes to congratulate the
editor. His has surely been labo-
rious undertaking, but if, as he says,
he has wished to give a sample OF
magazine verse, he has carried it of
brilliantly. For the assistance OF
next years candidates Che is going to
carry on, for which he deserves a
medal for endurance) he also in
cluded in his book q list of volumes
of verse published during the past
year and of magazines and publishers
who handle poetry. The Muse
ndTCkl6S OH. May SklC OilC udy bACoh
out of her lockstep. An authentic,
even though vulgar shuttle, would be
q distinct relief.
THE EARLY MEDICI. BY L. colli-
son-Morley. New York: E. P. Dut-
ton g. Co.
THE author of this history says
in his preface that ito anticipate
the obvious comment upon the ap-
pearance of a new book on the Medici,
I may be allowed to point out that this
Is the first attempt to give their his
tory as q connected story" His long
interest in medieval Italy, however,
might be advanced as SUFFICIENT reason
for the work. He is the author Of
two other family histories out Of that
period, 1.-THE Story of the Borgias"
and 1.-The Story of the Sforzas." Habit
alone might indicate that the Medici
be added to the list.
The work Is conventionally written
and presupposes certain knowledge
of the background against which the
Medici lived. It begins with the