Evening star., 1938-09-18


Copyright. 1881
sophisticated" 80 sophistication can
also mean mixing fancy drinks.
WILL you take your choice? Is
w your idea of sophistication
state Of having enameled hngernails,
state Of using foreign phrases or \
state Of mixing drinks? How did
such amazing interpretations get
themselves fastened on 20 self-ex-
planatory . word?
The reviewer can answer these ques-
tions. She knows-alas. She is an
old, old woman and she knows every
thing. But sometimes she gets . bit
tired Of being Sybil and just now
she is going to play Sphinx. She
will riddle you . riddle. What Il
capitalization? Will her faithful
readers and correspondents give her
their opinions?
The opinion Of the editors Of verve
may be submitted. just ~ matter Of
interest These editors believe. evi-
IDENTIFY, that sophistication Is strongly
tied up with art, and that art is
4 vague matter about which edifying
conversation can be made by people
of good intentions. and that costli-
ness and capitalization are insep-
arabic. Sophistication Is the great
quest Of the innocents these days. just
as refinement was in the time Of
the gentle Queen Victoria. and then
there were those who believed that
they demonstrated success in the
search by crooking their little fingers
as they lifted 4 cup. The children
and grandchildren Of these blessed
ones today should get much solace
from verve. that gorgeous brainchild
of Mister Smart Of Chicago, late Of
the garment trade.
But Verve Is not the only magazine
preoccupied with art which has come
to the reviewers notice this week.
There Is another one; 1t Is called the
London Studio. 1t Is, however. = solid
thing. It carries some critical essays
which read like critical essays. In its
pages there is = complete absence Of
junky dilettantism. And yet-is there
really any need At all for art masa-
zines? Who. oonoeivably, will fnd
use for them?
To the reviewer 1t would seem that
an artist who Is worth . plugged
nickel Is not going to take another per-
sons word on anything concerning his
field of work. Therefore, essays written
in such language - AMI artist can re-
spect Will affect no practicing artist.
And no one else will be able to under
stand them.
And it would alSo seem that masa-
zines designed for yeArners after So
phistication will affect nothing but the
conversation Of those same yearners,
which may be shortened to read-it
will affect nothing. since two things
equal to the same thing are equal to
each other.
Therefore-why art magazines? A
question for your idle dreaming hours.
(The answer lies, the reviewer be-
lieves, In the circumstAnce that most
art periodicals regularly carry repro
ductions of famous paintings in their
pages. And people like to look ut pic
tures)
THERE has just come to the review
er's attention the July land first)
issue Of The Atlantic Presents, . mag
axine published BY the Atlantic Month
ly Co., and given over to current events.
Although this issue Is now in the past,
1t seems to the reviewer well worth
comment. The entire magazine deals
with the question Of Mexico, its social
istic government and It brings out
some very interesting facts indeed.
IN the main the magazine is given
over to condensation Of articles which
have appeared elsewhere. There are,
however. some original failures, too.
What interested the reviewer most were
the statements made concerning Mex
icos widely advertised agrarian pro-
gram and her naturalization Of the
oil industry.
In . condemnation Of an article which
originally appeared In the Country
Gentleman and was written by Arthur
W. eBAum, there are these statements
concerning the effort Of Mexico's gov-
ernment to raise its Agricultural pro-
duction to high peak BY placing the
land under the control Of the peasants.
who are TO hold and work 1t In small
plots:
I'm July, 1897. an exposition Of the
P. N. r. National Revolutionary
Party and the six-Year Plan BY Gil
berto Dosques was publiahed contain