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prosperous Brooklyn housewife on her way to market。 〃I must ring her up
some day and find out how much she gets。〃
Roger brought out armfuls of books while Titania dusted。
〃One of the reasons I'm awfully glad you've come here to help me；〃 he
said； 〃is that I'll be able to get out more。 I've been so tied down by the
shop； I haven't had a chance to scout round； buy up libraries； make bids on
collections that are being sold； and all that sort of thing。 My stock is
running a bit low。 If you just wait for what comes in； you don't get much
of the really good stuff。〃
Titania was polishing a copy of The Late Mrs。 Null。 〃It must be
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wonderful to have read so many books；〃 she said。 〃I'm afraid I'm not a
very deep reader； but at any rate Dad has taught me a respect for good
books。 He gets So mad because when my friends come to the house； and
he asks them what they've been reading； the only thing they seem to know
about is Dere Mable。〃
Roger chuckled。 〃I hope you don't think I'm a mere highbrow；〃 he
said。 〃As a customer said to me once； without meaning to be funny； ‘I
like both the Iliad and the Argosy。' The only thing I can't stand is
literature that is unfairly and intentionally flavoured with vanilla。
Confectionery soon disgusts the palate； whether you find it in Marcus
Aurelius or Doctor Crane。 There's an odd aspect of the matter that
sometimes strikes me： Doc Crane's remarks are just as true as Lord
Bacon's； so how is it that the Doctor puts me to sleep in a paragraph； while
my Lord's essays keep me awake all night？〃
Titania； being unacquainted with these philosophers； pursued the
characteristic feminine course of clinging to the subject on which she was
informed。 The undiscerning have called this habit of mind irrelevant； but
wrongly。 The feminine intellect leaps like a grasshopper； the masculine
plods as the ant。
〃I see there's a new Mable book coming；〃 she said。 〃It's called That's
Me All Over Mable； and the newsstand clerk at the Octagon says he
expects to sell a thousand copies。〃
〃Well； there's a meaning in that；〃 said Roger。 〃People have a craving
to be amused； and I'm sure I don't blame 'em。 I'm afraid I haven't read
Dere Mable。 If it's really amusing； I'm glad they read it。 I suspect it isn't
a very great book； because a Philadelphia schoolgirl has written a reply to
it called Dere Bill； which is said to be as good as the original。 Now you
can hardly imagine a Philadelphia flapper writing an effective companion
to Bacon's Essays。 But never mind； if the stuff's amusing； it has its place。
The human yearning for innocent pastime is a pathetic thing； come to
think about it。 It shows what a desperately grim thing life has become。
One of the most significant things I know is that breathless； expectant；
adoring hush that falls over a theatre at a Saturday matinee； when the
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house goes dark and the footlights set the bottom of the curtain in a glow；
and the latecomers tank over your feet climbing into their seats〃
〃Isn't it an adorable moment！〃 cried Titania。
〃Yes； it is；〃 said Roger； 〃but it makes me sad to see what tosh is
handed out to that eager； expectant audience； most of the time。 There they
all are； ready to be thrilled； eager to be worked upon； deliberately putting
themselves into that glorious； rare； receptive mood when they are clay in
the artist's handand Lord！ what miserable substitutes for joy and sorrow
are put over on them！ Day after day I see people streaming into theatres
and movies； and I know that more than half the time they are on a blind
quest； thinking they are satisfied when in truth they are fed on paltry husks。
And the sad part about it is that if you let yourself think you are satisfied
with husks； you'll have no appetite left for the real grain。〃
Titania wondered； a little panic…stricken； whether she had been
permitting herself to be satisfied with husks。 She remembered how
greatly she had enjoyed a Dorothy Gish film a few evenings before。 〃But；〃
she ventured； 〃you said people want to be amused。 And if they laugh and
look happy； surely they're amused？〃
〃They only think they are！〃 cried Mifflin。 〃They think they're
amused because they don't know what real amusement is！ Laughter and
prayer are the two noblest habits of man； they mark us off from the brutes。
To laugh at cheap jests is as base as to pray to cheap gods。 To laugh at
Fatty Arbuckle is to degrade the human spirit。〃
Titania thought she was getting in rather deep； but she had the
tenacious logic of every healthy girl。 She said：
〃But a joke that seems cheap to you doesn't seem cheap to the person
who laughs at it； or he wouldn't laugh。〃
Her face brightened as a fresh idea flooded her mind：
〃The wooden image a savage prays to may seem cheap to you； but it's
the best god he knows； and it's all right for him to pray to it。〃
〃Bully for you；〃 said Roger。 〃Perfectly true。 But I've got away
from the point I had in mind。 Humanity is yearning now as it never did
before for truth； for beauty； for the things that comfort and console and
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make life seem worth while。 I feel this all round me； every day。 We've
been through a frightful ordeal； and every decent spirit is asking itself
what we can do to pick up the fragments and remould the world nearer to
our heart's desire。 Look here； here's something I found the other day in
John Masefield's preface to one of his plays： 〃The truth and rapture of man
are holy things； not lightly to be scorned。 A carelessness of life and beauty
marks the glutton； the idler； and the fool in their deadly path across
history。〃 〃I tell you； I've done some pretty sober thinking as I've sat here
in my bookshop during the past horrible years。 Walt Whitman wrote a
little poem during the Civil WarYear that trembled and reeled beneath
me； said Walt； Must _I_ learn to chant the cold dirges of the baffled； and
sullen hymns of defeat？I've sat here in my shop at night； and looked
round at my shelves； looked at all the brave books that house the hopes
and gentlenesses and dreams of men and women； and wondered if they
were all wrong； discredited； defeated。 Wondered if the world were still
merely a jungle of fury。 I think I'd have gone balmy if it weren't for Walt
Whitman。 Talk about Mr。 BritlingWalt was the man who ‘saw it through。'
〃The glutton； the idler； and the fool in their deadly path across
history。 。 。 。 Aye； a deadly path indeed。 The German military men weren't
idlers； but they were gluttons and fools to the nth power。 Look at their
deadly path！ And look at other deadly paths； too。 Look at our slums； jails；
insane asylums。 。 。
〃I used to wonder what I could do to justify my comfortable existence
here during such a time of horror。 What right had I to shirk in a quiet
bookshop when so many men were suffering and dying through no fault of
their own？ I tried to get into an ambulance unit； but I've had no medical
training and they said they didn't want men of my age unless they were
experienced doctors。〃
〃I know how you felt；〃 said Titania； with a surprising look of
comprehension。 〃Don't you suppose that a great many girls； who
couldn't do anything real to help； got tired of wearing neat little uniforms
with Sam Browne belts？〃
〃Well；〃 said Roger； 〃it was a bad time。 The war contradicted and
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THE