Pearson, Martha

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38MANUSCRIPTSEffects of Modern InventionI.:Barbara KnottsDespite the obvious advantages to civilization brought aboutby such innovations as the radio, improved printing andtransportation methods, and the resultant wieler dissem-ination of newspapers, these inventions have brought abouta distinct decline in the subtlety and eloquence of language inthe form of the written word. This is most vividly true inthe field of political and social criticism. True, modern Amer-ican literature has turned out such creditable factual exposesas Gunther's Inside U. S. A., and such forceful criticilsmsas Gentleman's Agreement and Knock On Any Door, butthese books are blunt, candid. In them no attemptis made at satirical fantasy or shaded implication. Thesebooks need not be entertaining; their readers, since they mostlikely have been informed of the general situation by radio ornewspaper, expect only the impressive details.Social evils have not disappeared, but a new Dickens hasnot appeared. Government is still corrupt, but another Swifthas not yet arisen to write of the travels of a modern Gulliver.And though we have no social problem today to equal thatof slavery, many other issues exist worthy of the poeticalefforts of a new Whittier. But the type of literature which thesemen wrote is no longer the only means by which the people'ssocial and political consciousness may be restored; therefore,it need not be so painstaking nor so masterful in its use of lang-uage. This literature is, in effect, actually unnecessary becausemuch that it says is more easily conveyed to a wider audienceby radio broadcasts or by terse newspaper articles. Thus theradio and the wider-reaching newspapers, although they un-doubtedly effect the desired reform more quickly, have a de-cidedly discouraging effect on reform literature and, conse-quently, on the eloquent employment of language.§ § § §MetropolisMartha PearsonIhave visited New York City three times. Each visit wasunder completely different circumstances, and it would bedifficult to determine which visit I enjoyed most. However,all things considered, I believe I should have to rate my. firsttrip as being far more exciting than the others, and an experIenceMANUSCRIPTS 39I shall 110tsoon forget.~t was eummer, 1945. lI:1y telephone rang one morning,and 111 answenng I was surpnsed to hear the voice of my highschool music teacher asking me if I could arrange to go to NewYork with her the following Sunday. I most certainly could~rrange to go. I had had previous plans, but they were immed-iately forgotten. I had always wanted to see New York City,and here was an opportunity to fulfill my desire.We left Indianapolis on Sunday, June 26, at 6:00 p. m.,on the Knickerbocker. Miss Scherf, my teacher, had obtained?ullmal~ reservation.s for us. This was also my first experiencem sleepmg On a tram, and I was surprised at how comfortableand restful sleeping on a train could be-in spite of the factthat I was excited in the anticipation of arriving in New Yorkthe next day.I shall never forget Grand Central Station. What a con-trast to Indianapolis' Union Station! And Where on earth waseveryone going in such a hurry? We were thoroughly shovedabout by the time a porter rudely grabbed Our cases and hurriedus to a waiting taxicab. I had never ridden in a cab with anopen top (1 was told one referred to them as Sky-View cabs),and how happy I was to be ushered into one my first minutein New York. As we slowly made our way through a sea ofcabs, I became aware of the noises of the street. Noises, butthey Sounded beautiful to me-like music-George Gershwin's"An American in Paris." But I wasn't in Paris; I was in NewYork-and I was thrilled!We had rooms in a comfortable but modest hotel in Green-wich Village. At first I was a little disappointed that we werenot to stay in mid-town New York, but in the days to followmy disappointment changed to delight. As Soon as we hadarranged to have our clothes taken care of, we put on our walk-ing shoes and 'set out to explore the immediate vicinity of ':Vas~-ington Square. I had read interesting stories about life InGreenwich Village, and thus I surveyed with interest the manypeculiar activities going on in the square. I stopped a.t everyartist's exhibit-in Some cases more to observe the artist thanhis art. There was a woman who was -rnaking buttons fromshelIs, and just two doors down from her, anothe:- woman wasmaking earrings from buttons. On a corner a htt~e _old manwas selIing nylon hose (they were stilI hard to obtain 111 1945).I had never seen anything like this before. It was extren;elydifficult to keep from staring at these characters.. I noticedsomething else about the square. Noone was 111 a I.~urry.Everyone seemed to saunter along the street, and the park 111 thesquare had an occupant on almost every bench./40MANUSCRIPTSWe boarded a Fifth Avenue bus, and within fifteen minuteswe were in mid-town New York. Again we were rubbingelbows with people who evidently had only one minute to getwhere they were going-and woe to anyone who got in their way.N ever in my life had I beheld so many things of interest. Itwas like Christmas morning-so many presents that it washard to decide which should be opened first.In the days that followed, we managed to include visits toSt. Patrick's Cathedral and the Little Church Around the Corner,a boat trip around Manhattan Island, a ferry trip to StatenIsland and to the Statue of Liberty, trips through all the depart-ment stores, and dinners in interesting restaurants. I have tosmile when I recall the restaurants.Miss Scherf had been interested in my music activities inhigh school and, because of the encouragement she gave me, webecame great friends. Her attitude toward me was motherly,and she wanted to do things for me that she would have donefor her daughter. However, she operated on the strict principlethat one should never permit a person to give him anything.That is, some compensation must be made by the receiver.We went to the best restaurants in New York, and after a$2.50 lunch she would say, "Now, dear, that will be fifteencents." Never before had I enjoyed such luncheons for fifteencents, and, needless to say, I have never enjoyed them at thatprice since. My taxi fares were always five cents, no matterwhat the meter read. She was rather eccentric, as these inci-dents would indicate; but can you deny that, though eccentric,the idea had merit? One's companion on a trip, you know,has a great deal to do with whether or not the trip is enjoyable.Because my teacher was an individualist, she hesitated atnothing. I laugh when I recall how she would stop one ofthose pained-looking persons who was in a metropolitan hurryand ask, "Would you recommend a good play for us: to see?We're from out of town." The responses were surprisinglypatient. I really believe they enjoyed telling us.Our visit ended too soon. Although I had decided I wouldnot want to live in New York City, (the trip, I learned, wasprimarily to interest me to live there and go to school at JuHiard)I left with reluctance. liVe had had a gay time.

Metropolis

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