Evening star., 1938-10-02

ly like tempest In a tinpot, but what
flnally came out Of 1t all was that
Mr.. Mencken was asked to examine
Mr.. Varney's piece and likewise the
answer to that piece prepared by the
sobbing Union, and then state to the
world his conclusions. He makes his
report in the October Mercury.
1t Is to the effect of yes and no.
Mr.. Varney did not prove his case, says
Mr.. Mencken. But, says Mr.. Mencken
further, there Is reason to believe that
certain officials of the Union do have
Communist sympathies, and he for
his part doubts the human possibility OF
any one leaving his personal sympa-
thies quite outside his job In fact,
he Is pretty sure that the Union ofn-
clals have not left their sympathies
outside their jobs Still, the Union has
done good work. So, says Mr.. Mencken,
yes and no.
| One understands that both the
| Union and Mr.. Varney agreed in ad-
vance to accept Mr.. Mencken's YER
dict; Notwithstanding both publish re-
outtals attacking it on every important
point. To which says Mr.. Menckon
sounding by this time slightly bored:
Il observe that both parties to this
controversy dissent sharply from my
conclusions and present powerful ar
guments against them. Having ex-
amined these arguments in humble
and prayerful spirit, 1 continue con-
vlnced that I am substantially right
and decline to change word"
! And SO, one supposes, the curtain
falls.
| The regrettable thing-and the only
important thing-about the whole
pother is that H. L. Mencken should
be involved in it. He is the very great
man Of the literary scene in this coun-
try. His imprint is so strongly on
the age that today whole genera
ton of young performers think and
write In his tracks without even
knowing that they follow him. He
made the style of this period And a.
to his effect upon the thought, it was
like blast Of high explosive, clear
| ing the way for stream. 1t is al
most impossible today to read any
article by a young writer without
seeing "menckenisms' all over it; this
is as true of the work of those who
profess to abhor Mr. Menckens opin-
ions as it is of that Of his more thor
oughgoing copyists. Say what you
will Of him, he is literary Americas
| Great Man. And this business OF
soothing the hurt feelings of-eood
| lack-the Civil Liberties Union is
somewhat as if the premier Shakes
| pearean actor were to come out In
vaudeville skit. OF course, it gives the
I Union an immense prestige-of which
! unquestionably. it has lately been
standing in need.
THE reviewer has to report that she
has collected number more def
nitions Of sophistication. the repre-
sentative ones of which she will duly
publish. However, before doing this
she wishes to repeat her reason for
asking for such definitions in the first
! place.
/ 1t is that. in the public voca bulary
I today. the word "sophistication' is in
general and even common usage. Un-
/ ouestionably, too. it means something
desirable. 1t is used generally as
term Of admiration. respect or even
awe. To find out what the people
who use it mean by 1t, therefore.
would seem to be to discover some
viewer has asked her readers to let
her know what sophistication means
to them. Here are the weeks defini.
tions:
"Sophistication is a state Of mind,
expressed in action in social contacts,
in which conception of true values,
a perspective of the relative ultimate
importance of things and a broad
mindedness which can receive without
necessarily accepting others points of
! view are the fundamental character
1stlcs. Education, culture and expert.
ence are all helpful and desirable adj
Juncts. but in the finest sense Of the
word are not essential for true sophis-
tlcatlon. Sophistication is an attitude
or philosophy of life, not a product
OF night club finishing school," This
Is from one who signs herself-by the
writing 1t Is woman-"Sunday
Reader"
THE real sophistication is the state
Of mind at which one has arrived
when he has become somewhat cynicsx.
when he looks at the world with more
or less indifference, and says with real
sincerity, Vanity! All is vanity It is
the time when a man is able to see
through the veneer of life-vhen he
realizes that he is not immortal; when
he realizes that the world is not his
oyster; when he realizes that he will
not go to heaven even though he has
always been good boy; when he
realizes that the great mass of hui
mans are just bunch Of puppets
whose movements are determined by
strings in the hands of the few higher
ups. In short. it is disillusionment.
This Is from Mr.. Raymond H. Sned-
eker.
"Sophistication is a state Of inner
awareness Of self which makes per-
son superior to outward circumstances.
This superiority. however, is not ex--
pressed by any mannerism. Your truly
sophisticated person is at home any,
where-and I mean at home It is
genuine self-realization. with the pride
and modesty which that implies" This
is from Mrs. Mark Taynton.
"sophistication is hypocrisy" This
IS from young man two years out of
college.
"sophistication is what you have
when you are 49," This is from A Young
woman whom the reviewer suspects Of
making q wise-crack.
"Sophistication is state of mind
which directs that one put social con-
venience ahead of principle" This is
from widely Travelled gentleman now
living in retirement.