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This article presents the author's early and childhood experiences. I am twenty-nine years old, and I know that this is the end of a part of my life, the end of youth. Sometimes it seems to me the end of the world's youth too; certainly the Great War has done something to us all. But it is also the beginning of a new phase of life, and the world we live in is so full of swift change and color and meaning that I can hardly keep from imagining the splendid and terrible possibilities of the time to come. A great deal of my boyhood was illness and physical weakness, and I was never really well until my sixteenth year. The beginning of my remembered life was a turmoil of imaginings--formless perceptions of beauty, which broke forth in voluminous verses, sensations of fear, of tenderness of pain.

Presents the author's traveling experience on Toronto Express, which leaves the Grand Central Station at eight-thirty in the morning. Impression of the author on passengers in chair cars traveling by the same train; Remembrance of the author's other train trips; Concentration of crowd in a third-class carriage; Observation of the author for the ordinary people in the train; Concern of the authors for all those people he saw in train during his various trips; Approach of the author to perceive ordinary life.

Presents the poem "This Crowded Life," by W.H. Davies.

Presents an account of two natives of Peru, dictator Augusta B. Leguía and poet José Carlos Mariátegui. Similarity in the attitude of dictator Augusta B. Leguía of Peru and Porfirio Díaz, President of Mexico towards their occupation; Details on features, dress-up and characteristics of Leguía; Plans of Leguía to utilize the export potential of Peru; Favors on Mariátegui by Leguía; Overview of Mariátegui's trip to Europe; Respect gained by Mariátegui from his contemporaries for his credentials.

Focuses on the career and life of artist John Marin from Paris, France. Appearance of Marin; Exposition of the carefree attitude of Marin towards discussions on art; Comparison of the characteristics of Marin with that of other artists; Account of the initial days in the career of John Marin when he had the artistic ideas in him but had no authority to actualize them; Insight to the relationship of Marin with mariner Alfred Steiglitz who gave Marin the freedom required to actualize his thoughts.

The article gives a description of evaluation of different authors, novelists and short-story writers whose interviews had appeared in "The Paris Review." This evaluation reveals an extreme diversity of characters and talents. The authors presented have come from the ruling class, the middle class or the working class of six different countries. Author Frank O'Connor started life as a gunman, and also Joyce Cary, an author, started his life as a colonial official. Furthermore--any writer--is a person who believes in the magic efficacy of words. That belief is central in any writer's personality. Among those who believe in the strict magic of words, fiction writers are a special type, distinct from the essayists and poets.

Discusses the philosophy of life in the twentieth century. Comment of philosopher William James on the philosophic movement which began in the twentieth century; Possible reaction of a classical philosopher toward the modern philosophy; Reference to the confusion of moral theory by the eulogistic use of the word "life"; Analysis of the theory of a vitalistic intuition superior to knowledge; Discussion of the use of the word "experience" without any ascertainable meaning; Ignorance of the fact that where a diversity of religion exists it is impossible to stop a process of reflection as to which of two conflicting claims is true.

Presents an insight into the concept of art in relation to children. Statement that all children are potentially artist; Reference to features of the quarterly review, "Progressive Education"; Description on the status and teaching of art in American schools; Information that the new schools in America view that one does not have to posit a building instinct or an expressing instinct to explain the child's reaction to art; View that art is the topmost expression of life in its moments of creative intensity.

Presents the short story “A Spiritual Drama: The Life of Man,” by Arkadi Averchenko, translated by Jacob Wittmer Hartmann.

Cites the author's views about war. Author's description of the sublimity of war; Discussion of the exaggerated notion of the importance of human life; Acceptance of the inevitableness of war; Consideration of evolution as an orderly progress toward the realization of some arbitrary ideal based upon considerations of individual human wellbeing.

Comments on the democratic attitude towards life of philosopher John Dewey depicted in his published writings. Popularity of the book "Educational Creed"; Philosophy of Dewey challenges the whole machinery of the world of right and wrong, law and order, property and religion and the old techniques by which society is still being managed and regulated; Incapacity of Dewey of imagining his own distinction.

Provides an opinion on the value of human life during war. Platitude expounding that wartime life is cheap; Perspectives of different cultures on war casualties; Enlargement of the value of human life in democracy; Relationship between social reform and the problem of peace; Value of a woman's life and her contribution to peace; Role of men in the industrial world; Investment in human life; Waste of investment in each person with the incidence of war.

Presents experience of the author regarding his experiment with painting. Information that since boyhood he had an ambition to be a painter because he always liked the life of a painter; Apprehension of the author about women in flesh; Argument that a painter should be the judge of his own work and not embarrass his fellow painters by asking such questions; Advise of the author to his friend regarding one of his paintings; Presents experience of the author regarding his experiment with painting; Information that since boyhood he had an ambition to be a painter because he always liked the life of a painter; Apprehension of the author about women in flesh; Argument that a painter should be the judge of his own work and not embarrass his fellow painters by asking such questions; Advise of the author to his friend regarding one of his paintings; Inheritance of a small fortune to the author from his father's sister.

Offers observations on the characteristics and the day-to-day life of several persons whom the author came to know about. Attitude of a person when his colleagues call him Joe; Views of a lady regarding Italians; Information about the work of a night watchman; Views regarding a person who going back to his job in France, after a vacation, and he is wearing white shoes.

Discusses the work of art within the frame and apart from the world in which the people live. Relation of the work of art to the general current of life; Authority of criticism; Character of art when taken within the limitation of the frame; Prevailing attitude toward the classics.

Discusses how the Jews survived in the United States. Focus on the rationale of the land's material progress; Symbol of a separate ideal; Irrationality of the American Jew; Creation of the movement called the Menorah; Jewish contributions to American life; Jewish schools of thought.

Considers heathenism as the religion of will. Consideration of the Greeks as the least heathen of men; Description of the Greeks' docility to political experiment, law, methodical art and to the proved limitations and resources of mortal life; Discussion of the need for heathenism to be posed as constructive reform.

Presents the poem "To F. F.," by Ethel Hobart.

Presents the poem "Ephemerae," by Leslie Nelson Jennings.

Comments on several issues concerning the pursuit of the secret of life. Understanding how the human race has survived when one views himself as a human machine; Concept of scientific management and its effects on one's life; Implications on the conduct of life.

Presents the poem "A Great Fall," by Charles Burton Marshall.

Presents the poem "To the Librarians of Montgomery, Alabama," by Eric Bentley.

Presents quotes from various publications related to literary events. Information on the review of the book "The Prickly Pear"; Report from a review by Peter Munro Jack in the newspaper "The New York Times" related to life and literature; Comments of artist Kenneth Roberts on artist H.M. Pulham; Recommendation of his favorite book list as a basic guide for Christmas shopping by American philosopher and author Mortimer J. Adler in the Christmas Book Section of the Newspaper "The Chicago Daily News"; Advertisement related to a book and author luncheon published in the newspaper "The New York Herald Tribune."

Presents the poem "The Wall," by Mary Oliver.