Judge, 1929-09-14 · page 3 of 36
Judge — September 14, 1929 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis This page contains a book review column ("Judging the Books") alongside a Waterman's fountain pen advertisement. The review critiques **"The Innocent Voyage"** by Richard Hughes, praising its raw depiction of childhood adventure—children captured by pirates who exhibit natural cruelty. The reviewer compares Hughes favorably to other national authors (England's Richard Hughes, France's André Gide, Germany's Franz Werfel), positioning him as America's answer to European literary sophistication. The **advertisement** uses satirical humor to sell pens: "You can't paint the schoolhouse with a Waterman's pen—but" you can accomplish actual schoolwork efficiently. The humor contrasts the pen's legitimate utility against destructive childhood impulses, aligning with the review's theme about children's natural inclinations toward mischief. Both elements reflect 1920s-30s attitudes toward childhood psychology and consumer goods marketing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SUDGING™ BOOKS ouna Richard Hughes, in “The Innocent Voyage,” of the best books of the played piggy-back with ‘childre but, unlike Barrie’s, these chil- dren are equipped with spurs and »res instead of teddy bears and To the naked eye the book is a breathless, blooded ad- | venture of childhood. Deep down it cuts thru the condescending adult illusion of children into the | real barbed-wired environs of the child world. Four children are captured by pirates. They meet life, de: and hate with the natural simplicity of children, with the result that they out- pirate the pirates. It’s a biting satire on adult ideas on children. It suggests the opaque mist which shuts off adult from child: | each inhabits a different world, | and neither is able, or wants, to penetrate the other's. England has its) Richard Hughes; France its André Gide; and now Germany's brought forth | Franz Werfel to look over the mystery that is youth. We, being mericans, are still satisfied with arkington. To Tarkington, the boy of seventeen is a first pair of | long trousers mooning over a Ikin’ lady, with his fingers jampot. To Werfel, who's | just written “Class Reunion,” the | same boy is a Nietzsche sitting on | a lonely mountain top, with home | and companions whittling him | down to man’s size. Bloody and hacked, he crawls into humdrum | oblivion, victim of a bitterly en- vious world. Such is the story of the tersely told, brilliantly tr: uth “Class Reunion n clique of typical prep- | school adolescents, with calcula- | ted if thoughtless sadism, ruin a lad with the makings of genius. Gide, Hughes and Werfel, all being mature, try to understand pre-maturity, 1 ically. ‘Tark- ington, being a super-adolescent, | flashes a smug and_ kidding | superiority to it. He makes | fun of adolescents, thinking he is glorifying them — sentimentally. Some of his fun is amusing but at core he is cruel, We think his cruelty pernicious. For he is, after all, a grown-up. And, even if children are cruel, at least they don’t know what they are doing. And Tarkington docs. Or may- | | hap he doesn’t. —Trp Suanr You can't ____ paint the schoolhouse om witha = Waterman's You can get more out of the schoolhouse if you use a Waterman’s when you are in it. Waterman’s makes writing and studying easier. It helps both thinking and writing. Parents may think it worth while to pass this thought and a Waterman’s to their children. If you know the outstanding features of Waterman's you will know why it is the best fountain pen to buy. Note these features: The hard rubber, perfectly balanced holder that is light and stainless, that will not burn, and feels fine in the hand. The big ink capacity that enables a Water- man’s to do a full day’s work without re- filling. The selection of pen points offered so that any style of writing may be suited, and a range of prices to fit any desired expenditure. Ask to see Waterman’s No. 7, and use it as a pen point guide. Ask any dealer to show you Waterman's No. 7 and select the point that best suits your style of writing. Guaranteed forever against all defects Waterman’s THE BEST COMPANION A STUDENT CAN HAVE