Evening star., 1938-07-31
A DOCTOR TAKES PEN IN HAND
Country Physicians Memoirs Are Exceent-Medca Profession
Seldom Does Shoddy Wrting-Bioeraphy Marks Chang
KaiShek as One of Great Men of Our Day.

! Is years-complcated, contradictory
fantastic, incomprehensible. It car
only be summarised; Mr.. Tong ha,
presented 1t in immense detail, but
essentially 1t Is q record of a superior
man with an unwavering, selfless idea
triumphing over lesser men animated
by petty. personal ambitions. As said
1t is convincing. And, likewise a.
said, If readers accept the convic-
ton they must think Of Chang Kai-
shek as one of the very great men OF
our times.
THE LIFE OF o. o. MCINTYRE
BY Charles B. Driscoll. New York
The Greystone Press.
COME years ago some friends Of the
~ reviewer were discussing the cul-
tural state of tbs Nation. and ont
of them remarked that our country
was one which had for its favorite
novelist Harold Bell Wright; It's IA
vorite poet. Edgar Guest; its favorite
singer. John Mccormack; It's favorite
actor. william Hodge; its favorite art
ist. Maxfield Parrish, and its favorite
columnist. Odd Mcintyre. Or, in other
words, that America loved its senti-
ment and wanted it served tepid and
saccharine
But in those days it seemed that
Odd Ito single him out) would go on
forever. 1t was hard to remember
when he had not gladdened the in
side pages OF the hometown paper
with his carefree little fantasies about
the bright lights of the city, which he
never understood And certainly no.
body ever thought that he would die
1t seemed impossible. But he did die
And now it is hard to be superior
about him.
So perhaps the best way to ac-
cept this tender volume about the
hometown boy who made good and
still remained the hometown boy
(thereby making still better) Is in
the spirit in which 1t is written. And
that is the spirit of sentimentality,
pure and simple Mr.. Driscoll sees his
hero as a sort Of Sentimental Tommy,
without any whimsicality. He pretends
70 write about him analytically. but he
keeps his handkerchief ready. He sees
Odd as a lonely lad, full Of dreams and
afraid of life. He sees him as misun-
derstood by most Of his associates.
And he is very pathetic about it.
But the facts which he present
bring out curious paradox about his
hero and that is this-if Odd was the
perfect hometown boy in New York he
wasn't that back in the home town
itself. He was misfit there. says Mr..
Driscoll, unable to make friends or
get along with his own family. He
completely lacked the genial rustic
touch which he later professionalism
with such astounding success. And
it was not until he had established
himself in New York that he developed
any affection or appreciation for the
village of his childhood at all
Indeed the book, in spite OF its ten
der tone. shows ODD as creature of
no roots whatever, and OF no particular
talent. He had settled down to an ex-
change editors desk in Cincinnati and
would probably have stayed there the
rest Of his life had it not been for Ray
Long, who, as one of his impulsive
whims summoned him to New York to
take job on the old Hampton's Mag
azine. His incomparably famous coll
umn was the only idea he ever had,
and 1t never developed a particle.
Whenever Odd tried to vary it from its
original formula (and he did so occa-
sionaly, no doubt out Of despair) 1t
suffered rather than improved. It's
popularity was due, of course, to his
very rootlessness: he could be the
country boy in the city. though he
could not be that back home. and If
he could not write of the city as gen.
timely seen through the country boys
eyes. he could write Of 1t as the country
imagined it would be- And naturally
country boys everywhere read what
he wrote. precisely because it con-
flrmed their imaginings.
Pathetic indeed. Yes. He lived at
the Ritz, he liked perfume and had
40 pairs Of brilliantly colored silk pa
jamas which he never wore, he was a
hypochrondriac at times and went in
for quack remedies. BY this books
account, he was born to be q failure
but found himself a gigantic success.
The evidence is that he never accus-
toned himself to the shock.
But what Of it? He told millions Of
readers every day just what they
wanted to believe about the great
glamorous. wicked. shining town, and
made them his devoted disciples. Sup
posing it all was synthetic. even to his
own personality. Still, what Of it? 1t
is 50 easy to be an analyst. 1t is so
easy. indeed, that 1t seems a trifle
shabby.
SALADS AND HERBS. BY Cora,
Rose and Bob Brown. j. B. Lip
pincott Co.
PERUS1NG this pleasantly written
volume, one is inevitably drawn
to the conclusion that there is moth
Ing growing or living upon the face
OF the earth, or in the waters sur
rounding the earth, that cannot be
made into a salad-and a good one
at that. It is truly remarkable what
wide field Of ingredients awaits the
selection of the alert housewife.
As a matter of fact, this impression
is secondary one. The post inter-
esting and informative secHon Of the
book comes first, and is devoted to
listing and describing all the herbs
that enter the culinary department.
One marvels at their number, at their
diversified uses, at their histories and
most of all-at their antiquity. Herbs
have been with us forever, apparently,
and it is only now that they are en-