people off balance." This, if it
means anything, can only mean
that this "emotional people" have
been swept "off balance" by the
pressure of recent events, that is,
the Supreme Court decision out–
lawing segregation. When the pres–
sure is taken off-and not an in–
stant before-this "emotional peo–
ple" will presumably find them–
selves once again on balance and
will then be able to free themselves
of an "obsolescence in [their] own
land" in their own way and, of
course, in their own time. The
question left begging is what, in
their history to date, affords any
evidence that they have any de–
sire, or capacity to do this. And
it is, I suppose, impertinent to
ask just what Negroes are supposed
to do while the South works out
what, in Faulkner's rhetoric, be–
comes something very closely re–
sembling a high and noble tragedy.
The sad truth is that whatever
modifications have been effected
in the social structure of the South
since the Reconstruction, and any
alleviations of the Negro's lot with–
in it, are due to great and inces–
sant pressure, very little of it in–
deed from within the South. That
the North has been guilty of Phar–
isaism in its dealing with the South
does not negate the fact that much
of this pressure has come from
the North. That some-not nearly
as many as Faulkner would like
to believe-Southern Negroes pre–
fer, or are afraid of changing the
status quo does not negate the
©
Cecil Beaton
The art- and the many lives- of
.J1~£
~~
A biography by
MARGARET CROSLAND
As novelist, poet, essayist, critic,
playwright, cinematographer ex–
traordinary, pen-and-ink artist,
propagandist, influence on ballet
and on modern music, wit, gad–
fly of Paris, and public person–
ality, Cocteau has had no rival
for decades.
Margaret Crosland has written a
biography of Cocteau which is
also a critical history of his cre–
ative work. She has told as much
of his personal story as is rele–
vant, and has described and eval–
uated all of his amazingly varied
public activities. The resulting
book is a rich portrait of a Pro–
tean figure, a complex and always
stimulating man.
The book is handsomely illus–
trated with a few line drawings
by Cocteau and many photo–
graphs.
$5.00 at most bookstores
ALFRED
A.
KNOPF
~
Publisher
~
