The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 53, July 1949 - April, 1950 Page: 338
538 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
words and thoughts on the printed pages. You have to see them
to appreciate them as indeed you have to read the ballads to en-
joy them. Both enjoyment and appreciation await the reader in
the ballads and the illustrations. Texana has been enriched by
this book.
RUDOLPH L. BIESELE
The University of Texas
Words to That Effect. By John Gould. San Antonio, Texas (The
Naylor Company), 1948. Pp. x-4-194. Price $2.50.
For nearly forty years John Gould has been on the editorial
staff of the Wichita Falls, Texas, Times Publishing Company,
and during those years he has written a daily column in the
Times. The column is headed "Roughly Speaking" on Sunday
and "Furthermore and However" on week days. Words to That
Effect is a collection of ninety-four of these light essays on con-
temporary events and human foibles which Mr. Gould and his
colleague, Mr. Ben Donnell, probably consider to be the choicest
selections over the years.
Mr. Gould's down-to-earth and good-natured comments and
grouches are not hilariously humorous, but every entry is good
for a chuckle. The topics are commonplace and the language
conversational. A Fadiman or a Canby would not class the
writing as exquisite, but the column is rarely slangy and never
obscene. Mr. Gould makes no vicious attacks upon the senseless-
ness of the habits and customs of his fellows; rather, with a gentle
irony and wit, he unmasks and probes in a deft manner that is
not personal and not calculated to arouse resentment. Being a
real liberal, he is tolerant and recognizes the inherent right of
his readers to be somewhat incorrigible. The column is at times
factual reporting of events, sometimes entirely local, but in no
case does the columnist raise and offer the solution to profound
public problems. Primarily, like Will Rogers in his day, he in-
tends to entertain and amuse and not to reform. Gould is no
crusader for any issue or cause.
The little volume is worth its purchase by the Times clientele,
especially, and it will be re-read with interest and amusement.
To prove this I cite a typical entry, "I Don't Like 'Em," pp. 66-69.338
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 53, July 1949 - April, 1950, periodical, 1950; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101126/m1/414/?rotate=90: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.