Judge — December 15, 1923 — page 26: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

CHRISTMAS AND PSYCHOANALYSIS Ts CrristMas SEASON would seem a good time to read about Jesus, though perhaps it is not. Christ- mas is a time for lovely legend—sweet- breathed kine around the — manger, adoring shepherds, Wise Men from the East, and multitudes of the heavenly host chanting “Peace on Earth” as the nations fight. Most people probably nt a dispassionate, reasonable con- tion of Jesus and his life at this for that matter, ny season, ‘That is why the 1 Papini's book about Christ. re- y published in English, sells by the thousands of copies, while Rollin Lynde » searching, original and inspiring hook, “The Man Him. self” (Doubleday Page & Co.), will doubt- less not reach a quarter of these sales Papini was utterly orthodox, and (to this reviewer at least) not a little insincere. He merely poured a spring freshet of Italian rhetoric through the old channels of Bible story, basing his “historical re- construction” of Christ's life upon a childish acceptance of all the contradic- tions and obvious myths of scriptural narrative. But the pious fell down as hefore a revelation. Mr. Hartt, how- ever, in’ a spirit which seems to us far more truly rever- ent, has re-read the Bible from Genesis to Revelations, and then attempted to explain Jesus rea- ably, as a Jew of his time who be- lieved himself the last of the Messiahs, who believed — the world was soon to end and nothing mattered but to get men ready for the judgment. His greatness lay neither in his powers as a mental healer nor in any ability to found a world religion. He possessed no such ability, and no such dream. His great- hess Was quite un- known to him, prob- ably, and only dimly felt by a few fol- lowers. It lay in the fact that he was the first mortal to re: ize and make clear to others that true religion works from within, and consists — [ of a recognition of — Drawn by EoNa Drraen. the spirit of God in the soul of man. And he is. still a pioneer. “Certainly, wi by Walter Prichard Eaton Mr. Hartt sa “The mission fie are altogether wrong when they say that Christian nations allowed the catastrophe of 1914. There were no Christian nations involved. Instead there were nations persuaded by theorists and metaphysi- cians into imagining that they could fc low the N ne without obeying him Certain) churchmen, of course, who have recently reaffirmed belief in’ the Virgin birth and the Apostles’ Creed and considered their duty done, will dissent violently from Mr. Hartt’s boc But we fancy that some millions of Americans to-day who seldom go to church any more, they don’t quite know why, would read it with something close to a thrill—if they could only be reached and told that it exists. We hope, as our Christmas offering, that this paragraph may catch the eye of some of them, qVLEANOR AND VAN Wyck Brooks have translated, and Harcourt, Brace have published, “Some Aspects of the Life of Jesus, from the Psychological and “Hubby, dear, do you still love me as much as ever?” ifie—why do you ask?” “Well, every time I call unexpectedly at your office your beautiful stenographer is just beginning a letter.” Psychoanalytic Point of View Georges Berguer, of the University, of Gene This work will b i i ment to the cur wavelie-bi lysts of Greenwich for they will learn therefrom, to their distress, that psychol ogy can be concerned with other matters than sex. It will also prove a pretty stiff dose to the “average reader” (who. ever he is), for it approaches its subject by the methods, and) employing the terminology, of science. ‘To the ortho- dox, no doubt, it will appear blasphemous, as any employment of the human in such matters always does. But a minority of readers will find it profoundly interesting, and they will discover that quite a different’ path the author arrives at conclusions not unlike those of Mr. Hartt. you can never speak I [°“ EVER, since even of a book about religion without getting somebody mad, we hasten to talk of “Beach Grass,” by Charles Wen- dell, Townsend (Marshall Jones Co.). Mr. Townsend is an ornithologist and observer of nature who lives in Ipswich, Mass... near sand dunes, book, and a loving heart, he has tramped and waited waited for the crows to come home to roost at night, watched for the tracks of bird and beast, noted — the shifting march of the sands and their endless subtle beau ties, counted as his friends. the clumps of beach grass and the dusty millers. Such things, — of course, are not so important. as Mrs. Horatio Jones's walk down Main street to buy three lamb chops for Horatio's supper, and the amorous glance cast upon her by Vivian G. Boltwood, a drummer for Snappy Clothes for Men, who chanced to be standing in front of the Union Hotel. (Here fol- low three pages of description of how Vivian wore his watch fob and smoked a cigar, and six pages describing Mrs. Horati (Continued on page 26) « Profe Dri ve chop the scien that caret on tl entit tou be q Py fort new the « who just priv fh ings of own thir tim y lum inte hol all lab comicbooks.com