Life, 1923-11-08 · page 22 of 36
Life — November 8, 1923 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from Life magazine contains an essay by Montague Glass criticizing fiction writers' careless use of ethnic and religious character names. The essay mocks novelist Edith Wharton for naming a Levantine Jewish character "Ladislas Isidor"—names Glass argues were never actually used by such communities. He contrasts this with actual surnames of Levantine Jewish families (Messulem, Besso, Ben Zimrah, etc.). Glass also critiques an unnamed editorial writer who created an "allegory" about Allied prime ministers (post-WWI) meeting at banker Sassoon's English estate, wrongly implying Sassoons were sun-worshipping Zoroastrians rather than Jews. The satire targets authors' lazy, inaccurate ethnic characterization—failing basic research about naming conventions and cultural/religious practices of groups they portray. This reflects early 20th-century anxieties about literary authenticity and representation. The "Old Gentleman Washing Cat" image appears unrelated to the text, illustrating a separate feature about art authentication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
DON’T mind lying, but I hate inaccuracy,” is a phrase much quoted by the essay- ists. It ought to be ap- plied strictly to writ- ers of fiction, for what is fiction but a series of ingenious lies, de- ceiving and intended to deceive nobod Nevertheless they ought to be convincing, at least until they have served their purpose, which is to amuse, and no lie can be either amusing or useful unless in detail it is fairly accurate. Thus it would be an extremely charitable could persevere the first chapter with the reader who beyond fictitious adventures of an Irishman called by the Patrick J. Ra- binowitz. However, most authors know that there never was and never could be an Irishman with a name like that. But when they begin to name characters of other blood, national- ity or race, they come to author grief in so many instances that the Columbia School of Journalism ought to institute a special course in rfomenclature for nov- Mrs. Wharton in her latest book names one elists. of her characters Ladis- las Isidor. He is a Le- vantine Israelite, who is fond of the ladies, and while most of the Levan- tine Israelites of my acquaintance were merely fond of their wives and children and a certain soft black olive pickled in oil, extremely distasteful to non-Levantines, none of them possessed the given or the They distributed among them- selves the “Christian” name “Ladislas” surname “Isidor.” LIP = Broadcastings By Montague Glass disadvantage of such surnames as Mes- sulem, Besso, Ben Zimrah, Habib, To- ledano and Lisbona. A short time ago, the prime minis- ters of the late Allies, France, Britain and Italy, met at the house of Sassoon the banker in England, and one of our leading editorial writers syndicated an entire column of beautiful allegory from the circumstance that these moderns were discussing affai of practical statesmanship in the home drawn of a Bombay Parsee, a descendant of a long line of sun worshippers. The “OLD GENTLEMAN WASHING CAT” A STORM OF CONTROVERSY HAS ARISEN OVER THE DISCOVERY OF THIS Sassoon family came from Bomba be sure, but the allegory was bas« upon a mistake of fact, unless they'y recently taken to worshipping the st in the Bevis Marks Synagogue, Lor don, of which the Sassoons are mem bers. eee SAN DIEGO COUNTY, California. with Switzerland the dis tinction of thriving upon practically industry—the entertainment Nature has lavished upon shares a single of tourists. it a splendid climate and beaut scener. and man ha provided the hotels anu the opportunity for drin!:- ing and gambling at T Juana, Mexico, twelve Diego over an excellent concrete road. After nightfall, this highway is thronged with a proces. som miles from San sion of public and privat automobiles, bound for San Diego's shiwara, and prosperous i every thing possible is done by the United States and Mexican authorities to ease the passage over the border in either tion, for it is recognized direc by the business men of both San Diego and Tia Juana that respectability must have its fling, and the moral lapse invo!ved is a trade to be nourished However, towns and villag there are s in the twelve miles intervening, and the business men of these municipalities feel no obligation toward the tourist. They some of the motor-cycle police on the Pacific Coast, who make employ roughest no arrests for speeding. The traffic is too dense for that. Instead, the of- ficers stand in the middle of the road and halt each HITHERTO OBSCURE REMBRANDT, EM. ROLLY, ART EX- PERT, MAINTAINS THAT IT S BE A REMBRANDT, AS NO CATS IN REMBRANDT’S DAY. IF THIS IS TRU ROLLY CERTAINLY HAS A GOOD CASE. names Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Aaron, and labored under the car as it approaches. They then smell the breath of (Continued on page 32) comicbooks.com