768
speaking, such assumptions are no more
reasonable than that other hangover
from witchcraft, that "All created ex–
istence is bad." The rest of Mr.
Auden's statement is on the same level.
He says that antisemitism is a feeling
which all gentiles feel at times- but
how does he know? (Incidentally, from
this statement of his, we may be sure
that he, at least, has occasional feel–
ings of antisemitism, according to his
own confession.) And then he sets
himself up as one who is mature enough
to read anything, although there are
some things which must be kept from
those who have "not yet reached the
age of consent" (i.e., the rabble).
Mr. Tate's protestation against a
charge that wasn't even made is some
evidence that he has the very feelings
he denies; he apparently harbors deep
sensitivity on the subject of antisemi–
tism. This makes him suspect since it
is a well-known psychological fact that
we do not get so excited about charges
of which we are sure we are innocent.
In short, Mr. Tate seemed to prove
the very point that he was attempting
to deny: that is, that so far as he was
concerned, the Bollingen award
was
prompted by feelings of antisemitism.
In addition to this, we have Auden's
confession of antisemitism. Then, from
what we already know of Eliot, War–
ren, et. al., it seems entirely possible
that there was enough antisemitism
among the American Fellows to at
least influence their decision. Mr. Tate's
letter puts this conclusion well within
the realm of possibility.
All this means, of course, that I
for one thoroughly disagree with those
who hail the 1948 Bollingen Award
as a triumph of liberalism. My first
reaction, upon seeing the press dispatch
about the award, was one of admiration
for the spirit of independent cool–
ness displayed by the judges. But sober
contemplation made me realize the
emotional nature of that first reaction.
I knew instantly that professional
Americans-the Legion, the D.A.R. and
company-would oppose the award,
hence I emotionally hailed it. But dis–
tasteful as it is to be on the same side
as the 100 percenters, in this case I
find no alternative. Any thoughts, how–
ever expressed, which have had the
consequences that thoughts like Ezra
Pound's have had, cannot
be
judged
apart from their effects. The purpose
of writing is, after all, communica–
tion, and surely Pound meant to com–
municate more than mere "form";
what he meant to convey has been
discussed at length. The fact that the
Bollingen judges say they were able
to disregard Pound's content leads in–
evitably to one of these conclusions:
either that Pound's poetry failed as
communication, for them, and should
therefore not have been termed art,
or else that the Bollingen judges did
in tact
consider Pound's meaning, and
that this meaning influenced them (un–
consciously if not consciously) to give
him an award as 1948's outstanding
poet.
Thomas Ford Hoult
Downey, Calif.
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