Evening star., 1938-12-18
Europe 'sConf|id Held
Climax Of Worldwide
Struggle Of Glasses
Scholar Nicholson Says
We and Art Are Built
On That Struggle
BY the Associated Press.

SOUTH HAVEN. Mich, Dec. IT,
A small, shy scholar who makes you
think of some of Anatole Frame s
fictitious characters, and who for
some so years has analyzed and
lamented repreSSive movements, said
today the European conflict was
the climatic act of class struggle
with worldwide ramificationS.
The septuagenary Watson Nichol-
son, who has hidden plenty of liter
ary candle power under the bushel
basket of ancient report, asserted:
'We like to deny that we are
involved in class struggle, but it is
useless. 1t is there. We are in it.
Much of our art today-dramatic
literary, musical, painting-is built
upon class struggle. So are We"
Terrifying? Well, so are a lot of
other truths, he suggests.
1t is altogether possible that you
never have heard of Mr.. Nicholson.
No publicity seeker, this philoso-
pher, who regards with delicate
commiseration those he considers
foolish enough to chase after the
chimera of enduring fame.
In No Hurry to Publish.
Empires do not acquire panoply
and puissance overnight. Nor are
good books whacked out in the
blink of publishers eye.
Mr.. Nicholson writes books.
His magnum opus is an exhaus-
tive study of the English stage,
with especial reference to censor
ship.
He started the work when he was
studying teaching in college and
published the first section, "The
Struggle for q Free Stage in Lon
DON" 80 years ago.
He has continued that work ever
since, but he is in no haste to print
the rest of his story. In his words:
II want to wait until feel myself
declining; then I will publish the
work in full One of the faults of
scholars, particularly young ones. is
to publish their work immaturely,"
When finally brought out, Mr.
Nicholson said, the work would COM
prehend the entire history of the
English theater, land, therefore, Of
England itself"
Authorities say THE Struggle for
a Free Stage in London" estab-
lished the first intelligent base for
an understanding of the historical
development of the acted drama in
England and legislation governing
the theater after 1860
Expatiating upon one of his favor
tie subjects, Mr.. Nicholson declared:
'The spirit of censorship is the
very basis of dictatorship. especially
the Fascist brand. Those birds
translate Am I my brothers keep
er?' into I am my brothers jailer'
Censorship has it's basis in the
static and the stagnant 1t is the
view that what is good enough for
me and what was good enough for
my ancestors is good enough for
anybody
"One of the penalties we pay in
a democracy is that your neighbors
will tell you how to live.
Psychology and psychiatry have
done a great deal to curtail the
practice of criticizing our neigh
bors for faults we have ourselves.
But there still is plenty of work to
be done in that direction"
Criticism Never Hurt Art.
"A sharp Cleavage" he continued
should separate criticism however
severe and whatever the motive)
from repressive censorship. There
can be no advance along any line
of human endeavor without the
most scrutinizing examination from
every angle, even the bitterest at
tacks
'Lusty criticism never destroyed
any art worthy of the name.
"Repressive censorship is quite
another matter. Wholesome criti-
cism is stimulus to art; the throt-
ting and prohibition of plays by
legal sanction not only tends to
destroy art as such, but also, and
of equal Importance, stiles criti-
cism itself of manners, morals, re-
ligious hypocrisy, political chicanery
and government itself"
The philosophers gaze fitted over
the gravid shelves of his library,
characterized by remarkable ca
tholicity of taste. Reflectively, he
said he wanted to make it clear he
"still believes in full freedom" for
everybody.
IT think censors are confounded
nuisances," he emphasized, but if
they want to be nuisances, let them
go ahead. If they get too much in
the way Of progress there are laws
covering public disturbances. Cen
sorship can be fought without our
resorting to the tactics of censor
ship"
Taught at Harvard.
A doctor of philosophy, Mr.. Mich
olson taught at both Harvard and
Yale, and then embarked upon a
career of writing. To perfect his
chronicle of the English stage he
devoted five years of study in Great
Britain and many other years Of
effort on this side of the sea.
He said he passed two years of
the hardest work of his life on q
study of Daniel Defoe's journal of
the Plague" which avowedly pre-
sented Defoe in a new light. He
Had found that, contrary to a pre-
vailing opinion that Defoe's book
was fiction, not one important pas
sage of the famous story of the
London plague Of 166364 was un-
true. Thus Defoe emerged as a
historian as we'll as novelist.
Some 20 years ago Mr.. Nicholson
settled in South Haven, where he
writes untiringly, tends his flower
gardens in summer, reads his wife's
verse and receives distinguished
writer's from all directions.
The theater being one of his
major loves, Mr.. Nicholson added a
final word apropos the American
drama:
I'VE have gone beyond Eugene
O'Neill. With playwrights such as
Clifford Odets I feel very hopeful
His Waiting for Lefty just missed
being a great play. But he should
grow
There is no question about it in
my mind-we are due for a new,