Salt Lake Telegram | 1924-01-20 | Page 3 | Toomer Shocks Gentle Reader with New Book

Toomer Sho Shocks hooks ks Pr Gentle Reader With New Book Cane Dane Deals With Element in Life of Georgia Passages Passages Passages Pas Pas- sages Qu Questioned By HARVEY HANCOCK In every epoch of history there has been the conservative and the radical one alwa always s 's content to keep literature and art as they are the theother other restless attempting to v ven venture von von- n- n ture into uncharted seas t to find something different It is the hatter latter latter lat hat ter that fills every age with sensations sensations sen semi not the former The COnservative conservative conservative con COn- is characterized as yet I branded with those traits of modest modesty modesty mod mod- est esty r sincerity and honesty that emanated from American pioneer life liCe In the new fiction it is the conservative con con- that thatis is shocked and the radical that is doing the shocking And in a new book Cane by Jean Toomer those disciples of Vanity Fair and the Pilgrims Pilgrim's Progress have plenty of or chance to hold up their hands in protest an and hide their faces aghast On the theother theother other hand the readers of Snappy i Stories Stories- Jim Jam Jems and associate asso asso- f elate clate literature have another thrill for their jazz filled minds I Jean Toomer probably wrote Tote his book with all seriousness His fondest desire was to depict the negro life of the South In a manner new As Waldo Frank said It Itis Itis It Itis is the harbinger of or the South's lit literary hit hit- maturity of its emergence from the obsession put upon it its its- minds up the unending racial cri- cri sIs But ut even the serious purpose of Toomer's the splendid execution of ot othIs j his ideas and th the lyricism lyricism- of ot hI his verse will not excuse the obscenity 1 in the book bool If there is rs one element element element ele- ele elef f ment of literature that insults the tho conscience nce of the American public it is a bald bare blunt description of the he disgusting usting side of or vice vicc I Part one of Cane is the primitive primitive primi primi- tive tiye and evanescent black world or of of J Georgia P Part Pert rt two is the threshing and suffering brown world of Washington lifted by opportunity and contact into the anguish and self conscious struggle and part three is is Georgia again the neurotic neu- neu neu-f neu roUe educated spiritually stirring negro Probably Toomer's greatest success sue sue- t cess is achieved as that mat of a poet and not as as s' s a a teller of tales Tn Ta the thel o hi his his' lyric h J a warm splendor that Is unforgettable unforgettable i table A A feast of moon and men men and hounds barking An orgy for some genius of t the thai South South South'S J With bloodshot e eyes es and anS cane cane- cane 1 lipped scented mouth m Surprised in making J JAnd And then again in his same trend of simplicity he says Hair Hair Hair- silv silver gray ray r like steams streams of ot stars Brows Brows- canoes A quivered by the ripples blown b b pain Her eyes eyes eyes- mist of tears tears' condensing on on the flesh below and her channeled muscles are cluster grapes of sorrow p purple in the evening sun N nearly ripe for worms For a man 27 Toomer has a sad sad philosophy of life Ufe a philosophy that is expressed ed in the tho poem above W When en one forgets the ob obscene obscene ob ob-I scene portions of his prose one i is isable able to receive inspiration from his writing Boni Liveright New York