H. L. Mencken (1880–1956)

S.T. Joshi's anthology of Mencken's work on religion is a terrifically entertaining read. Mencken was an equal-opportunity infidel, skewering Evangelicals, "mainstream" Protestants, Catholics, Theosophists, and Christian Scientists entirely without theological favoritism. He did have a special animus toward Methodists, for having been the greatest motive force behind the enactment of Prohibition, which was in effect during nearly all of these writings. He applauds religious diversity and show more argues for freedom and privacy: "Man will never be wholly civilized until he ceases to intrude his snout into the shy mysterious, highly private recesses of his brother's soul" (135). He argues (with tongue deeply in cheek) in favor of the Spiritualist hypothesis of survival, on the grounds that if he himself were to return from beyond the veil, he would be as mischievous, dishonest, and irresponsible as most seance apparitions seem to be (141).

While unpersuaded regarding metaphysical verities, Mencken in these writings never argues for atheism outright. In fact, he pleads for "religious" functions stripped of theological baggage in his fine essay on "Services for the Damned" (78 ff.). He is also willing to credit the great poetic power found in such places as the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer, as descended from the poetry of the ancient Hebrew texts (64). He further opines that the poetic force in scripture and liturgy had allowed religion to survive its own intellectual bankruptcy and would continue to do so.

The largest section of the book is dedicated to Mencken's first-hand reportage on the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee. In his first writing on the topic, Mencken held out for the regulatory authority of the state over rogue pedagogues, no matter how benighted that state's decision might be. Quickly, however, he developed a clear revulsion for William Jennings Bryan and the Fundamentalist cheerleaders for the prosecution. With the event of Bryan's death just after the verdict, Mencken's writing passed into impressively hostile obituary concerning a man who "couldn't be President, but he could at least help magnificently in the solemn business of shutting off the presidency from every intelligent and self-respecting man" (223).

Twenty-first century readers are likely to be taken aback at first by Mencken's repeated references to the "darkies" of the American South and his own Baltimore. His clearest positions on race relations are however set forth in some of the last essays collected here, where he earnestly remarks himself as "a sincere friend of the colored people .... In many and obvious ways they are superior to the whites against whom they are commonly pitted. They are not only enormously decenter; they are also considerably shrewder" (285). In a different, earlier "Venture into Therapeutics" he even suggested with startling prescience that Islam would be a desirable tonic for African-American culture (269 ff.)

Joshi very helpfully provides a glossary of names which Mencken drops and hurls, but whose now expired contemporaneity will make them obstacles to today's reader, and he supplies the text of biblical citations that would otherwise go unappreciated by most readers without scripture at their elbows. Joshi makes a few misses in his efforts to clarify Mencken's cultural references though, such as mis-identifying "September Morn" as "a translation of a German song ... by Joseph Marx" (305), rather than the scandal-provoking painting by Paul Émile Chabas. Joshi would have been better off not to note "The Girl with the Whooping Cough" as "unidentified, possibly fictitious" (273, 305) when it was an actual stage comedy suppressed on Broadway in 1910. Still, his work in organizing and presenting this material is good on the whole, and I'm in debt to his editorial labors for my chance to read this book. show less

As Mencken says toward the end of the book, these people won't be going away. Evangelicals are on a mission, and that mission is to force down other people's throats their anti-science religion. Anyone who embraces a literal interpretation of scripture is destined to be considered a nutcase by rationalists. Demagogues such as Bryan still litter our landscape, herding the thought-challenged for their own purposes. Mencken is ruthless here, and one could say even cruel in his disgust. The show more trial was certainly a farce and I suppose not worthy of detailed descriptions of the day-to-day antics of the fundamentalist zealots. What is especially amusing to me is that anti-evolutionists were so blatantly obvious in trumpeting the foregone conclusion (i.e. conviction) that no one could mistake the proceedings as anything other than a mockery of the justice system, at least as practiced in a backwater town in Tennessee. show less

calumny
[ˈkaləmnē]
NOUN
the making of false and defamatory statements in order to damage someone's reputation; slander.

As foretold by the title, this is a collection of defamatory statements by H.L. Mencken on a variety of topics ranging from religion to art and randomness in between. Mencken was a highly respected satirist of his time, and much of his insights and snarks still maintain their genius and relevance nearly a century since they were published - I personally have 37 highlighted show more passages in my own copy. Mencken has a passion for pointing out the absurd in what is typically held as the mundane or mandatory, and never fails to do so with wit and wisdom. A short read, but a must read. show less

H. L. Mencken was an American journalist and commentator who was famous for his biting commentary on America during the 1920s and 1930s. He was arguably the most cynical and sarcastic writer in America who exuded contempt for many of his fellow Americans. That said, he was also an outstanding writer with a vocabulary that sent this reader to the dictionary every few pages.

This book is a diverse collection of Mencken's writings assembled by Alistair Cooke. Although many of the selections show more will feel dated to modern readers, they are well worth reading. Some of the more memorable essays where his obituary of William Jennings Bryan, his criticisms of Supreme Court Justice Holmes and his report from the Democratic National Convention that nominated FDR for the first time. My favorite articles were, however, his memories of growing up in Baltimore in the late 19th century and his tales of his earliest days in the newspaper business. In fact, the book is worth reading for these essays alone. show less