Evening star., 1939-08-27
Stor-SpongIed Virgin
By Du Bose Heyuard. NeU
York. Enrrnr R Pj,1obort

This somewhat highly publicized
novel has one thing to recommend
tit does present a broadly comic
picture of the according to the
author idiotic measures taken by
the New Deal in the Virgin Islands
during the early effulgent stages OF
the Rooseveltian transmission to
humanity of the More Abundan:
Life. 1t is an effort to present, in
story form as the saying goes,
record of the changes wrought in
the lives of the natives of that
tropic paradise first by their admis-
sion to American citizenship and
second by the sudden dumping into
their placid amoral midst the whole
prissy ladies clubbish, sunshine
circleish philosophy of New Dealism
And the book does do this. Un-
fortunately Mr. Hayward has formed
habit of Writing of the Negro
Seriously and SO, in this essentially
farcial tale, he attempts to fit a
deeply serious story. His book ac-
cordingly falls between two stools
If reader can forget that error,
however, he can find considerable
entertainment in Mr.. Heyward's
account of the native reactions to
their Father Roosevelts completely
unanticipated paternalism.
1t appears from this narrative that
the Abundant Lifers found, on in
vestigation by board of charming
young men with notebooks, that the
lot of the Islanders has been made
desolate by a lack of light opera,
band concerts, classes in handicrafts
and community sings. There was
another detail too-that was that
the financial depression. together
with prohibition, had thrown most
of the natives out of their &C
customed work in the cane fields:
but this was met with the most light
hearted caSualness; the New Deal
assured it's trusting black children
that American citizens did not need
to work anyhow, and issued free
food and clothing. That, theoretical
ly, left them nothing to do but sing
and dance in their natural charming
native manner, and put on Gilbert
and Sullivan operas under the direc-
ton of recreational experts sent out
from Washington to recreate them.
But the theory did not work out.
as Mr.. Hayward makes clear, for
some of the natives, full fed and
entertained, took to beating their
families in sheer boredom, and
others began to fill up time by con-
cocting horrid alcoholic drinks.
After some months of pure-hearted
joyous idiocy, it appears that the
free rations were withdrawn and,
thanks to repeal, the cane fields
reopened. The natives, genuinely
tired to being guinea pigs in a
laboratory for the manufacture of
unlimited sweetness and light,
sobered up and went back to their
customary work. And, since the
private landowners of the islands
had all been broken by the govern
ment policy, many of the laborers
WClC dUAC w Ouy 1AACA oWAA u dSoo'
On the justice of this procedure,
Mr.. HeyWard's comments are, one
feels, somewhat unrealistic.
The book is, then, pretty good
picture of a recent burst of political
folly. If it attempted to be no
more than that, it would be a
genuine success. AS said, however,
the authors habit of being serious
about Negroes has marred his comic
concept, and so a reader has to
deal, throughout the work, with a
heavy-handed and often maudlip
love-story. It would have helped
"Star- r-Spangled Virgin" considerably
if Mr.. Hayward had been able to
forget Mamba for the duration Of
its composition at least.