Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1926-05-14 | Page 8 | Americans Buy Criticism

00 AMERICANS BUY CRITICISM Sinclair Lewis made AmerIca mad when he be wrote Main Street Small towns are lousy places was the ot or this novel on folks who lived In Gopher PrairIe Minn Nothing but gossip evil i mInds stupidity grossness and the only salvation tor for a person born or thrust Into Main street vil vil- villages villages lages Is to get out said lId the story Lewis was as born In Sauk Center Minn They say he be has bas not gone home bome much since That made America mad Pul- Pul Pulpits Pul Pulpits pits pita were filled filed with defense ot of the small mall places ot or earth EdItorials remInded the world that Lincoln had come from a log cabin town And Main aln Street sold and sold And and sold and Sinclair Lewis ai- ai al- al almost al almost most ost became a II millionaire Then he be wrote Babbitt Bab Bab- Babbitt Babbitt bitt was an ordinary everyday citizen citi citi- citizen citizen zen Ho went to Rotary notary club luncheons and made speeches lie was a lodge man and thought he be believed In culture but didn't know it from cabbages America Is a nation of ot these yokels these clods these lum lum- lummoxes lummoxes these Babbitts said uld the book Again America got mad and sputtered puttered and tuned fussed and st stormed and called upon the almighty heavens to bear witness witness- witness And Babbitt sold and sold and sold and Sinclair Lewis got tatter fatter and and tatter latter and it he be didn't he be should have bave according to the able cream putts puffs he surely aurely was as able to buy Then Thea Sinclair Lewis wrote Ar About doctors Charlatans Com Com- Come Corn Corn- e or of talent How they would oud kill d k man to get to-get get a medal tot fot research A heavier book than even lh the Uie others Pull Full ot or research Meaty This time nobody but the medi medical cal world howled He doesn't know what hes he's talking about It said Not much of ot the rest rest- ot of the world even read it otI I And the other day the Pulitzer prize committee awarded the Icon Iconoclast Sinclair Lewis Lew 1000 for the best American novel ot of o the year lear treating ot of o some ome AmerIcan condition The novel was Ar Ar ArI And Sinclair Lewis Iconoclast set himself down and I wrote a nasty sassy gassy little UlUe note saying be bad had no need ot of any Pulitzer 1000 thank you ou from any Inquisition of earnest literary ladles who Intend to make Ameri AmerI- American American can literature sate safe polite obedient and sterile sterne He lie plainly said that he be felt al- al almost al almost most aal amed by winning the theaward theaward theaward award as be he had bad no sympathy with Ith the standards of ot the prize awarding body And again we prophesy Ar thrust w well Into the I limelight by this thIa thumbing nose or of orthe the Pulitzer committee by It its author au author thor will sell and sell and sell Is a clever shrewd bred canny salesman Not hot even en good wares sell so 10 well ell as properly ad- ad advertised ad advertised wares warea not so terrIbly good