720
PARTISAN REVIEW
of gambling. Whenever more money is sought through taxation, the
legislators think of liquor and cigarettes. (Recently, when they moved
to slap another tax on these items, someone started up a terrible row
by suggesting that coffee be taxed instead. Scandinavian coffee-drink–
ers were quickly interviewed by the papers and what they had to
say made very sad reading indeed.)
Catholics predominate in St. Paul, Lutherans come next (they
lead in Minneapolis), and the kind of hot-rod evangelism one sees
down South is also popular, but the accepted religion is Athleticism.
"Why, the best athletes in the world come from these States around
here," Harry Bellamy says. "This is a man's country, I tell you. Look
at John
J.
Fishburn!"- alias
J. J.
Comerford. The name most in–
voked
is
that of Bernie Bierman, coach-genius of the University foot–
ball team, "the Golden Gophers." Mr. Bierman himself is known as
"the Grey Eagle." There
is
a Bernie Bierman Hour on the radio
duril1g which Saturday's game
is
prayed over and incense offered
to the days when Minnesota was great. Six of the seven Twin City
stations carried every home game last year (the backsliding station
played popular records, but one of the others re-broadcasted the
game in the evening). It is a rare household that isn't headed by
a hunter. By-tying is taught at an academy of art. The book page
of the Sunday
Pioneer Press,
since the abdication of James Gray who
used to do a daily review too, has been cut to one AP review, but the
doings of duck and deer are watched closely, and there is a consider–
able body of criticism on these subjects. A
cause celebre
concerns
the pheasant and the fish. South Dakota has revoked hunting privi–
leges for Minnesotans, and Minnesota threatens to retaliate by de–
nying fishing licenses to South Dakotans. Both sides fear an "incident"
in the cold war. Only one man
is
wise enough to arbitrate-Cedric
Adams, the gifted columnist and newscaster, the friend of Arthur
Godfrey and Bennett Cerf-but even he, like the Pope, is not trusted
in all quarters. Meanwhile both sides claim to have the bomb.
IV
In the war to come between New York and Chicago, in
which there should be a P.R. Brigade, it is likely St. Paul would join
whichever side Minneapolis didn't. This is not a certainty, of course,
and one should not, as I do not, reckon entirely without the forces
