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Show WHAT IS READ BY AMERICANS Historians complain that Americans today read little history much less than did Americans forty years ago. Recently John Masefield, British poet and novelist, bemoaned the lack of interest in poetry. People, he complained, sit in dark chambers and watch flashy and vulgar motion pictures rather than listen .to poetry beau- tifully declaimed. When did many persons gather to listen to declamations of poetry? Never, save perhaps in Homer's day. What reason is there to believe that the motion picture has alienated affections from poetry? None at all. Thei motion picture has created its own public instead of depriving either poetry or high-class drama of its natural .public. As to history, it will be recalled that Wells' "Outline" "Out-line" was a best seller for many months. Let anyone writel an original, orig-inal, stimulating, readable volume on history and the public will read it with avidity. Great histories are exceptional, as are great plays, or great novels, or great biographies. The present generation is not less eager or less curious or less -i -. thirsty for knowledge and culture than was any of its predecessors. Librarians will testify to that fact. So will the conductors of night schools and; summer classes, and other competent judges of the intellectual in-tellectual interests of the day. Chicago News. |