STATE OF AMERICAN WRITING
little shy, a little sullen, and even now, when it
has
won its way at
least
in
academic circles, quite scaring the old-line scholars into
apologetic self-consciousness, it makes out that it
is
still misunder–
stood. It has mistaken method for ideology, and pretends that
all
it offers
is
method. It should long ago have realized and admitted
its ideology and carried its ark into battle. That it did not do so
was an act of provincialism-or
is
this what you mean by academ–
icism? Whatever name you give it, this
is
the fault of serious culture
in general; it isn't serious enough, it doesn't properly estimate the
seriousness of the situation, for it is only a frivolity to say that the
situation is hopeless.
H.
L.
Mencken:
(In reply to the questionnaire, Mr. Mencken sent us a brief
letter from which we take the liberty of reprinting the following ex–
cerpt, for its intrinsic interest.)
Sirs:
Unhappily, I have done so little current reading of late that
I can't answer most of your questions. The samples I have tested
convince me that the brethren and sistren of today have been very
seriously damaged by the New Deal and Communist crazes. A good
author is almost always against the current politics of
his
country–
indeed, I can think of no exceptions. The literary heroes of war
time blow up quickly and never come back. The literary reviews
for five or
six
years past have been whooping up
all
sorts of palpable
quacks. It
is
as impossible for a writer to do good work on Commu–
nist terms as it would be for him to operate within the shadow of
Holy Church. Good writing demands freedom above all things, and
there can be no freedom in the face of an innocent faith.
My guess is that we'll come to blows with Russia soon or late,
and that most of the writers who are now demanding a rapproche–
ment will land behind barb wire. This
is
certainly not a pleasant
prospect. Personally, I am in favor of the utmost freedom at all times,
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