Evening star., 1939-02-19

tance) are unquestionably tho
smartest in the world. She abso.
lutely believes that, if she were to
call Tor help but once, they would
spring, cycle-mounted, from every
bridge and covert and come put.
putting frantically from all direc-
tions. She has never gone out with.
out her drivers permit but once
IN her life, you see. And the COD
stopped her that very day and asked
to see it.
An excellent new reprint magazine
made its appearance on the stands
last month. 1t is called 1.-THE Golden
Door" and is published at Yellow
Springs, Ohio. The list of those
whose work fills up its pages should
speak for itself. 1t includes the
names of Samuel Butler, Charles
Reade, Thomas Bailey Aldrich.
Henry David Thoreau, Andrew
Lang, Oscar Wilde, Sir John Maun.
oevllle, Daniel Henry Holmes, jr..
Charles Lamb and Richard Brinsley
Sheridan. Modern readers can,
OF course, find Hemingway in 'Es-
quire" and Margaret Culkin Ban
ming in the ladies magazines.
The reviewer found much to love
IN the new periodical. Particularly
sne was absolutely charmed by the
reprint Of Andrew Langs How tn
ran OF Literature" How modernlv
mat old essay reads, to be sure,
lake, Tor example, the following
passage OF advice to book reviewers
~ was that which gave this par
ticular reviewer particular delight
she may as we'll admit.
You will of course never read
tne books you review" it counsels.
and you will be exhaustively ig-
norant of the subjects which thew
treat. But you can always find
a fault with the title of the story
which comes into your hands.
stupid reviewer never fails to do
thls. You can also copy out as
much OF the preface as will fill
your eighth of column, and ado.
that the performance is not equal
10 the promise. You must never
!eel or shew the faintest interest
IN the work reviewed, that would
be fatal. Never praise heartily.
that is the sign of an intellipence
not mediocre. Be vague. colorless.
ana languid, this deters readers
from approaching the book. If YOU
nave glanced at it. blame it for NOT
belng what it never professed to be:
II 1t is treatise on Greek Prosodv
censure the lack of humour: If IL
IS a volume of gay verses, lament
the authors indifference to the
sorrows OF the poor or the wrongs
OF the Armenians. If it has humour.
deplore its lack of thoughtfulness:
II IL Is grave, carp at its lack of
galety. have known a reviewer
OF half dozen novels denouncA
half a dozen kinds of novels In the
course of his two columns. the
romance of adventure, the domestic
tale, the psychological analysis, the
theological story. the story Of so.
ciety,' he blamed them all in gen.
eral. and the books before him in
particular, also the historical novel.
This can easily be done, by dint Of
practice. after dipping into three or
tour pages of your author. Manv
reviewers have special aversions.
authors they detest. Whatever thew
are criticizing, novels. poems, plays.
they begin by an attack on their
pet aversion, who has nothing tn
do with the matter in hand. They
cannot praise A. B, c and D with.
out first attacking E. It will gen.
orally be found that E is a popular
author. But the great virtue of a
reviewer who would be unreadable
and make others unread, is q Ian
guid. ignorant lack Of interest in all
things, a habit of regarding his
work as tedious task, to be scamped
as rapidly and stupidity as possible"
Case Against Reviewing.
AAA~AS, oAAAAAASu OP UCduIll ully, Is
the whole case against reviewing, as
indignant authors and their friends
apprehend it. To be sure, in this
present day, the languor which An
drew Lang recommended in his has
given place to another mode-one of
aggressive. cheer leading, sales talk.
ing enthusiasm. But that is a differ.
ence in method rather than in effect.
AS far as this reviewer goes, nothing
Is a quicker killer Of interest in a
work than loud blazing hurrah for
that work from a professional hur-
rah-giver-from, say, Mr.. Christo-
pher Morley, the indefatigable book
back-slapper. The indifference which
seems to have been the fashion Of
Lang's time could hardly have been
more fatal.