Professor H L Mencken

Writings in the Baltimore Evening Sun, July-October 1910 Professor H L Mencken

Plunging into work in the newly founded Baltimore Evening Sun, H. L. Mencken contributed an array of articles, reviews, and commentary on a wide range of subjects during the summer and fall of 1910. His philosophical mentor, Friedrich Nietzsche, comes under scrutiny. Several articles on the theatre, including a piece on George Bernard Shaw, display Mencken's continuing interest in the drama. Discussions on the issue of health include a disquisition on cholera and a denial that cigarette smoking is harmful. In "The Two Englishes," Mencken outlines the distinctions between British and American English. Mencken also takes a stand in support of woman suffrage. In his voluminous unsigned editorials for this period, Mencken also spans the spectrum of subjects, from the political fortunes of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson to his customary satirical attacks on the institution of marriage. In all, this volume once again demonstrates why H. L. Mencken was the most scintillating and perspicacious journalist of his era.