Evening star., 1938-03-06
RIVALS ANALYZED
Sour Note 1ntrudes Upon Discussion of
Tastes and Literary Fare in Current
Issue of Magazine.

ceeding from issue to issue on the
theory that repetition Is his only pos
sible course, and is animated more by
fear Of letting some accidental innova-
ton slip into his pages than by any
other policy.
John Jones, we will say, had an
article published in Whoosis in July.
In August Tom Brown ard Henry
Smith both submitted pieces Smiths
was not particularly well-written and
not particularly interesting. Browns
was good. both in composition and
subject. But Smiths was noticeably
like Jones, and Jones had been ac-
cepted by readers without . ripple.
Browns, on the other hand, was dan
gerously near being original in sew
eral respects. What does Whoosis'
editor do? Ask any Constant Reader.
Let us only hope that poor Tom Brown
inclosed postage for his manuscripts
return.
THE reviewer may remark here that
she frequently has appealing let
ters and visits from young people who
want to write (as the poor dears put
it, the purpose Of which appeals is to
ask her advice on how to proceed
toward that supposedly glamorous
end. Sorrowfully she has worked out
the following answer, and 1t suits
practically all comers:
If you want to be commercial
writer-thst is, If you want to sell
stuff to magazines and make o liv-
ing out Of it-God be wi you, for I
know nothing. 1t may be that our
periodicals have standards, but If
standards exist they are inscrutable.
They elude any critical test. One as
sumes that they take account Of that
quality called 'saleability' to be sure
saleability in magazine offices more
than one hears of any other requisite.
In fact, one does not hear OF any
other requisite. But what is sale
ability? Trash is published by the
steam shovel load and that in highly
thought of magazines as we'll as in the
frankly trashy. But freshness alone
seems not to be enough, for these
eyes have seen much trash of purest
ray serene turned down repeatedly.
Neither is a certain flaccid smartness
all that is required, nor that slinlv
sweetness which appertains regularly
to the story called love nor yet will
solemn triteness inevitably do the
trick, though quarter Of what We
can buy to read each month is solemn
ly trite and not any other thing in the
world. These. be mysteries, and mere
intelligence cannot cope with them.
But yet if you want to know my
opinion, my son or daughter, here it
is-that no editor ever buys anything
unless he can safely point to some
previously published thing and cry
to any possible objector, But so-and-
So did it!' And that If your story.
which is most heart-rendingly faith
full little reproduction OF So-and-Sos
monthly masterpiece, was turned
down. why that is because 100000
other youths clipped that coupon
which asked so alluringly how they
knew they couldn't write, and there
simply were not 100000 empty spaces
that month And that Is all.
IF, on the other hand, you want
to be literary artist but here
the reviewer always finds that she is
talking to vacancy. Her aspirant has
gently slipped away, convinced that
a venerable dodo such as herself
cannot possibly know what she Is talk
ing about, which may be Just as well.
Still. be sure and inclose return
postage.
AN ENLIGHTENING studJ Of the
Spanish War is contained in the
March Atlantic Monthly in two ar
ticles representing, in turn. the rebel
side and the government side. Ian
Colvin writes for Franco and John
Langdon- Davies for the loyallsts.
Reading either piece you would think
you had a complete case. The catch
is that the two writer's simply con-
tradict one another on every impor-
tant point. You pays your money and
you takes your choice.
The reviewer found the Colvin
piece the more interesting. because
it gave side of the war which has
been little mentioned in this country.
where all interpreters seems to be
Loyalists in sympathy, and that to
an emotional degree. Mr.. Colvin is
emotional too, to be sure. and,
further, what he says is true Mr..
Langdon-Davies says is not true. So
you are not necessarily on any firmer
ground reading him. He merely has
the freshness Of being in a minority.
and in time when majorities are
becoming steadily larger and more in
tolerant, any one who dares to break
out of lockstep Originally designed for
convicts) has certain quaint sweet
charm. Such literary debates as these
seem an excellent idea. They give.
better than reams of comment. clear
idea of the reliable nature OF most
writing Of contemporary history. Ana
tole France would have loved the At
lantic's little demonstration.
THE March Harper's Magazine con-
tains the second prize-winning
essay in that periodicals recent con-
test for solutions Of our current
economic problems according to The
American Way" The author Is Carl
Dreher. The winner Of the first prize
was David Cushman Coyle. whose es-
say was published last month.
Mr.. Drehers piece is subtitled, "A
Note From the Left" 1t may mean
neutrality-suspicious. it does mean
something to its author-but 1t has
that turgid choked congested style of
verbiage which generally appertains
to economic ,theorizing, and so the
reviewer is constrained to say that.
after reading it, she merely has an i'm
preston that Mr.. Dreher believes that
collectivism will help us. Mr.. Coyle
held the idea that individualism would
do the same trick. No doubt the 4
world will continue to turn on it5
axsis whichever of the two thinkers
has accurately pointed the races way
~ TIA f,,t,,ra