New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-08
A CYNIC'S CONFESSIONS
CANDID REMINISCENCES OF GEORGE
BERNARD SHAW

George Bernard Shaw INDUCES In a curor,
and most interesting mixture Of frankness and
irony:
There is an old saying that if a man has M,
fallen in love before forty, he had better not
fall in love after long ago perceived that
this rule applied to many other matters AZ
well: for example, to the writing Of plays; ana
made a rough memorandum for my own
/ guidance that unlesA could produce at least
half a dozcI plays before | was forty. had
better let playwriting alone 1t was not m
easy To comply with this provision as might b
supposed Not that | lacked the dramatista
gift As far as that is concerned. have en-.
countercd no limit but my own lazness to my
power OF cOnjurng up imaginary people In
imaginary places. and finding pretexts for the.
atrica scenes between them. But to obtain Z
livelihood By this insane gift must have con
| iured 50 as to interest not only my own imagt
nation but that of at least some seventy or 4
+ hundred thousand contemporary London play.
go.rS To fulfil this condition was hopelessy
ont of my power. | had no taste for what Is
called popular art no respect for popular
morality no belief in popular religion no ad-
miration for popular heroes. AS an freshman
could pretend to patriotism neither for the
country | had abandoned nor the country that
had ruined it, As an humane person detested
violence and slaughter whether in war, sport.
or IN. butchers yard. ! was socialist de-
testing our anarchcal scramble for money and
believing in equality as the only possible per-
ruau.nt basis Of social organization. discipline,
suborlinati0n. good manners, and selection Of
fit persons for high functions. Fashionable
life open indulgcnt terms 10 un'ncumbered
"brilliant' persons. could not endure. even II
had not feared its iernoraiizng Eject On
character which required looking after as much
as my own. was neither scrptic nor a cynic
i'm thes, matters. simply understood life diff
frrently from the average rrspecta"i" man, and
as certainly enjoyed myself NOR mostly In
WAYS which would have made him unbearably
miserablc-l was not spen"uc oyer our Var
anc"
writ. frtlon that should delight thu public In
my nonaE. / had tried - obtain a ioothold in
literature by writing novels. ana hai actually
/ rrnluc.l fyr long works IN that TORN without
| rrtting further than an encouraging ''mph-
/ ru.nf nr two from the most Ilguln.i u The
London and American publishers "ho unanl.
! mously declined 10 venture lh'ii 'allldl upon
mo Now it is clear that a novel cannot be 100
bad 20 b., worth publishing provid ! i Is novel
nj all. ana not merely an ineptitud" 1t GER
tainly Is possible f)r 4 novel To 10" 700 goo1 70
be- worth publishing. but ! d"Hot ms vas
the case With mine. ! might .ni'"l nave con-
sol.l myself hy saying with What",y. These
silly people don't know their own silly ousi'
ness: for when those novels Of MIN" di SUD-
I sruu.utly hluuIer into typ - MI up -dpS IN
Sorialist magazines financed hy s"n"roW
friends. On or two specimens t."t shallow
root Ike weeds. and trip me- up from me 70
,iuo To this day. But | WAS c'nf. n'ei t"st
thu publishers view Vas CONNER t.H 5ound
by getting lust then ciew To my r"a' c1niiton
from A friend Of mine. physician VINO hai de'
voted himself specially To OphthalWic surgery
formed me- that II vas quite undressing 10
him because it was normal | naturally TOOK
this 70 mean that IL was like everybody Else s.
but H.. rejected this construction A. pdradoM
cal and fastened To explain 10 m" thAi was
an exceptional and highly fortunate person op.
tically "normal'' sight conf"rrlnE the power VI
seeing things accurately. and being "nJNFd ~
only about 10 per cen; ~ the ppp"' 1, "I' INC
remaining 10 per cent being abnormal I'M
mediat.ly perceived the explanation ~ my
want If success in fiction My ininN eye. the
r,.f'' slN n
emily from other peoples eyes. ana NJ" THEM
better
This revelation produced considerah'e erect
on me At first il struck me that might I'VE
by selling my works To- the ~ per cent VINO
we're like myself but a moments rrhrc,'oh
showed me that these must all b" A. i'hhlless
as / and that We could not live by. 50 10 peak
taking IN one ano,her's washing. How - earn
daily bread by my pen was then thr pI'oe'h
Had been a practical. common sens" Nnohey.
loving Englishman the matter would nave o'Vs s
easy enough. | should have put On par Oh
abnormal spectaclos and aberrrd my VISION u
the liking OF The 30 per cent Of potential book'
buyers But was prodigiously sell -satis'
fed with my superiority. 50 nater'i ~ my
| abnormal normalitv. that the resource ~ ny
pocrisy never occurred to me. Better see rightly
on a pound week than squint IN mHio'L
The question was how To get IN" pounn
week The matter. once ! gave up writing
novels was not So very difficult Every iespo'
i must have dslOyal subject To keep MN
sane Even Louis the NIth had 10 tolerate nus
= confessor standing for the eternal against .he
temporal throne. Democracy has no" hahueu
the scrptrr ~ the dcspot 10 the sovereign Peo
pie: but they too. must hay" their con'ssy '
whom they call critic Criticism is not Onv
incidentally salutary. 1t has positive p'pua,,
attractions In its cruelty. its giadiatorshlp. anu
the qualification given 10 envy by lis dt'a'N'
on the great and tn enthusiasm 10y its praises
II may say things which many would IKE " y,
say. but dare not. and indeed for want 81 shn'
Y could not even II they burst It's icoho'las'1
% scdtions and hlasphcmirs. If well turl.u
tickle those whom they shock so that the cru. lo