Evening star., 1937-12-05
STEIN WRITES A NEW VOLUME
The Verdict Is That Book Review Is Book Review Is Boo
Revew-Iife of Madame Curie Revealed Marvel of
Personaity-C Christopher Marlowe Mystery.
BY Mary.Carfer Roberts.

4
4 Random House.
#THIS, children, is the story of the
p Sphinx The Sphinx, as
Is you have heard, lived all by
* Il herself, far out in the desert.
sf,he was known to be unlike all the
Other creatures and. more than this,
sshe was known to observe one truly
remarkable rule in living-the Sphinx
snever said a word. This, though
hardly credible. was told on such ex-
.cellent repute that nobody could dare
to doubt it. The Sphinx could not be
induced to speak. Travellers crossing
sthe desert first found out this extraor-
tdirrary thing; they returned to the
world and reported it to those who
had remained at home. They then,
in turn, went out to see for them
selves and they, too, came back with
the marvellous tale. The Sphinx, they
said, lived quite alone in the desert
and would not say a word
And so. in time (for it was a dull
age in which very little happened),
great many people made the journey
TO the home of the Sphinx and stood
about before her, astonished by her
great silence. Indeed, it became so
much custom to go and look at the
Sphinx that there was hardly any
time when the Sphinx did not have
visitors. Before them all she was
calm, unmoved and superior. And
also. of course, perfectly silent. No
one knew whether she liked having
people about or not, for there was
hardly any way to tell, but most of
her visitors felt that she privately
preferred the great spaces of her own
soul and only tolerated other beings
f. from politeneSs. This of course, made
every one very humble, and, when
they had looked at her little while,
ther visitors would go away, moving
sbn tiptoe and saying nothing until
they were well out of hearing, when
they would burst out to one another,
Ibid you notice? She did not say
word! just like every one has told
us!" And then they would shake their
heads over this indisputable proof of
the Sphinx's greatness.
And so it went on for quite while.
And then, in the way that things hap
pen. somebody discovered six-day
bicycle race which had been running
for 10 years behind an abandoned
: speakeasy in Hoboken, and this dis
tracted public attention from any
ether matter. One and all, the people
! rushed to see the bicycles going
around the track and, in the excite
ment of asking the riders for their
autographs, they forgot the Sphinx
and she was hardly ever mentioned
any more.
WHAT happened next, children, was
that the Sphinx looked out over
the desert one morning and could not
see. in any direction, the usual line of
humble wondering visitors arriving,
end she said to herself, silently, of
course, What relief" But on the
rext day. when nobody came, she said.
silently, Il wonder what is wrong?"
And on the third day-for it is al
ways on the third day that the inn
portant thing happens-she said moth
Ing at all, but got down off her desert
pedestal and came herself to the cities.
= And there she began to talk. For, if
the truth must be known, she rea-
soned in her soul as follows: 1T seems
that they have had all Of the silent
Sphinx they want and silence is no
longer novelty. But as nobody in
ehe world has ever heard of a Sphinx
talking. there is great novelty in that.
So shall talk"
And so she talked. She talked all
: the time and everywhere, and sure
enough the same people who had so
admired her for saying nothing now
came, running back from the bicycle
race to see her talk, for, if it must be
known, they cared more about seeing
her than hearing her, although there
were few who declared that what
she said was profoundly wise. But
most Of them did not care what her
words were, provided only that they
might watch her uttering them. And
few more said that the Sphinx
understood this and did not care
whether what she said made sense or
noa, but only that some one should
stand by watching. And, as there was
70 much disagreement, the numbers
who came to see her grew steadily.
80 AT last the. Sphinx decided to
exhibit herself in truly large
way, and she went on lecture tours
all over the world, and still she did
not care much what she said, but
only that people came to see her saw
1t. And, as this is what people 20 to
lectures for, she was very popular.
and 1t seemed that an ideal combina-
ton OF lecturer and public had been
found at last. She did not care what
r she said, you understand, and the pub
lie did not care either, but she did
like to be looked at and they liked
TO look at her. So everything was
practically ideal.
But alas, no ideal combination re-
mains forever, and so, in time, even
the talking Sphinx ceased to be a
wonder. and people began to ask one
another, Il wonder if the bicycle race
Is still running?" And then the
Sphinx talked louder than ever, and
began to hurry from place to place
20 that she could be seen more fire.
Quently by larger numbers of people.
and-alas!-when that happened,
everybody suspected that she was not
so wonderful after all.
But what finally spoiled it was that
one day when she noticed the people
s her lecture quietly slipping out
the poor Sphinx began to talk sense,
or partly sense, and then those who
had not wanted to slip away, but who
were sitting happily dazed by her un-
intelligibility, suddenly were reused by
1.-THE unfamiliar sound, and, looking
= around them, they said Indignantly:
"Why this is perfectly ordinary Any
body can talk sense!" And so they
r politely, but unmistakably, looked
bored
And, children, the Sphinx has never