Life — October 25, 1923 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

RECENT contribution to the See-how-much-I- know School of Fic- tion and Belles Let- tres is Carl Van Vechten’s “The Blind Bow-Boy.” Gazing at Van Vechten one George Jean Nathan as through a glass darkly. There is the same procession of obscure composers, manufacturers of perfume. French dressmakers, dramatists and painters. A few Spaniards thrown in, because Van Vechten spe- cializes in a knowledge of Spanish music and life, gleaned partly from personal experience but principally from the experiences of Havelock Ellis, Richard Ford and = Arthur Symons. Mr. Van Vechten also fills a lot of pages in “The Blind Bow-Boy” by cataloguing the furnishings and deco- rations of rooms in the manner of Huysmans. There ought to be re- lief in equity against a writer who stems from so many former writers that his every book is a_ pastiche baffling even to members of his same sees writers, are LIFE Broadcastings By Montague Glass school. In form, it would be an ac- tion for an accounting both as to inspiration and royalties by the trunk authors from whom the defendant stems, ¢.g.—In the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York: Anatole France, Hilaire Belloc, Francois Rab- clais, ef al., plaintiffs, against James Branch Cabell, defendant. On the same calendar, one might find the firm of Mencken & Nathan doing James Gibbons Huneker’s Successors, Limited, suing Van Vechten for unfair competition in that the defendant imitated their trade mark, manner of packing, and merchandise, particularly as to taste and odor, so strongly as to deceive the plaintiffs’ customers, and for such other and further relief as may be just and equitable and the facts may warrant, more especially enjoining the ancient story of the tattooed sailor. might in- * ee O clined to contribute to the quota for Japanese relief if the Japanese had not claimed in news dispatches business as feel much more “DADDY, HOW BIG IS A WHALE?” “OH, A BIG WHALE.” “HOW BIG?” that Koreans set fire to Tokio the earthquake. It is, of course, natural for the Japanese to } that Koreans might seize such < portunity for avenging their a real grievances against the Ja, That fires invariably quakes was lost sight of by thc anese. They could not help ati ing the flames to Koreans with ances rather than to earthquakes out grievances. It reminds «1 a story told by George Marion a Pacific Coast earthquake \ found lodging in a_ thea hotel. Directly above his room the the Six Bow follow him quarters of Ginsburgs, who were accustome | rehearse new features of thei just as George was finishing a night’s rest at ten in the mor When the first earthquake shoch curred, immediately sp out of bed and ran to the phone “Give me the clerk!” he cried he was mentally composing a fin vective against the Six Bow George Ginsburgs, when they were comp! (Continued on page 29) “WHAT KIND OF A WHALE?” comicbooks.com uiter uite ieve op- ttely rese. rth- Jap. but- iev- ith- of rout hich ical ere ing to act ood ing. oc- ang and in-