Evening star., 1938-03-20
CRIMINALS MINDS
Reviewer Closes Controversy Arising From
Book by Quoting Words of Oman.
Genius Rebuked.

only Of himself, and this is best Illus
trated by the actions OF Alvin Karpis
when surrounded by the Atlantic City
IN. JD Police Department in Atlantic
City. He thought only of his get
away, 'and even when his common
law wife. Dolores Delaney, ran out in
the street attired only in night clothes
he paid no consideration to her safety,
despite the fact that a few days
thereafter she gave birth to his child
Thus, believe that your views are
not only reasonable, they are sane and
represent the common-sense viewpoint,
and your contentious are amply SUBJ
stantiated with evidence.
With best wishes and kind re-
CARDS.
Sincerely yours.
u. EDGAR HOOVER"
NEEDLES to say it is immensely
gratifying to have your opinion
supported by authority. and the re-
viewer sees Mr.. Hoover's commenda-
ton as apt to be a complicating fac
toi III Alei AQIuAc CoICcI. why oLouAu
she just 60 on writing about books?
Maybe she has brilliant talent for
detective work. She never thought
of it before, but certainly the possi-
bilities are fascinating. 1t is such
lively work, you know. and it keeps
you out of doors. too. and you meet
such famous people. And you might
be whiz at it and never know un-
less you tried. Who could tell? Well.
temptation is strong, and spring is
here again.
THE March issue Of Asia carries
some interesting articles about
the present puzzle in the Far East.
H. Hessel Tiltman. author of THE
Far East Comes Nearer" contributes
one piece on the irreconcilable nature
OF the contesting nations. China and
Japan. The Chinese, he says, remain
Chinese, and incidentally anti-Japa-
nese, despite manifold horrors and
sufferings," and at the same time "the
Japanese soldier and Japanese man.
in-the-street remain sincerely con-
vinced OF the justice of their cause
and prepared to do or die for Dai
Nihon.'
Apparently, little or nothing has
been learned in those far lands of
the lessons of history-of all history.
ancient and modern. They are still
sure there is Justice in their cause" !"
they are ready to do or die"-as
leaders command. No. doubt they
would tell you. if you Isked them,
that God was on their side.
EDGAR LEE MASTERS has a nos
talgic poem in the same issue of
the same periodical and, while it Is
not specially fine one for him, spring
Is here after all, and the reviewer will
quote it. But first she will do little
reminiscing.
It was her first time of residence
in New York City, and her worldly
equipment was q very provincial
bachelor Of arts degree and such 4
grim cynicism as suited her then
years, they being almost ~. She
went to live in No. 81 West Sixteenth
street, which looked like one more
brownstone front, but was not. It
was Haven. It was q Haven of
quiet and leisure in New York's mad
ness. But young cynics OF ~ have
no need of .havens, and 80 the re-
viewer thought she had rented q front
parlor and no more. She went to
the theater one night and forgot her
key. A little square man vino wore
glasses came along the street and
opened the door for her.
The reviewer, filled with q severe
distaste for casual acquaintance with
such people As could be classified
merely "the other lodgers," thanked
him coldly and said no more. He did
remark. she remembers, that he had
lived at No. 81 for many years, of
and on, but If she made any COM
ment she does not now know what it
was. She can only fear that it was,
"Indeed?" In retrospect, that seems
terribly likely.
But the little square man with the
glasses ate his breakfast at Childs',
around the corner on Sixth avenue.
and 80 did she. And 1t happened that
one morning they sat down together.
And the little man told her that he
sometimes wrote poetry. And she,
looking at his pathetically unromantic
exterior and feeling distant pity for
the timid cropping which she OWNED
to be his souls movement. was gen.
erous enough to give. him some advice.
"1'd quit It," she said. Nobody
should write poetry for hobby. No
body should write poetry for . nice
avocation. Poetry" said the young
woman, lis not nice. It Is awful.
Nobody should even think of writing
1t. Except, Of course" and here
she looked at him condescendingly,
poets"
The square little man peeref ut her
shyly through his glasses and went
on breaking his egg. He turned out
to be. of course. a. you have guessed,
the august author Of Spoon River"
It was Edgar Lee Masters. The young
woman had drunk up his work as /
text in her proud provincial institu-
ton Of arts and letters and could
recite considerable passages Of 1t from
memory. Oh, she knew that Edgar
Lee Masters was . poeti But she had