The San Francisco call., 1904-06-26
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BY Bernard GhdW

"a elnanaQon from the DTdlu oL
- The bright Irishman. George Ber-
uard Shaw. made into a book
called "Mon and Superman." which at
tracted some attention by its pyrotech-
nicai briliiance when it came spark
lius forth in England last year with
witty sally style. now makes bid for
American favor as it comes from Bren-
tano's. New York. in little two hun
dred and forty page comedy, made for
philosophers to peruse, but not Tor
players 10 play. This sally-of-wit style
lacked but a little more seriousness on
The part Of the gifted writer to have
been the warlike sortie. lance-laid-in
resi- spear point glittering style, as it
swung cut with all the courage and
fame Of new era conviction against
encompassing hosts of conventional
morality and acceptors.
As il is. however, its scintilating as
sault may more amuse than menace
society as at present constituted. Mr..
shaw is not taking himself seriously,
nor presenting opinions Of more impor-
tarce than that of being the mere We
hicle OF the authors wit. 1t is fine
example Of a man so rejoicing in the
possession Of a brilliant brain, and the
exercise and revelation OF il, that in
stead Of his brilliance being obedient
servant to his viii in the execution of
some serious purpose, it makes his
work subservient TO the mere display
OF its sparkling.
The book consists Of three parts:
First, a very long letter in whicn the
author explains that he is writing a
modern Tlrfr1 a. = -.
Of d friend. Second, . sort Of allegori-
cal play, a comedy and philosophy"
IN which the principal exponent OF the
revolutionary views is John Tanner,
which is English for Don Juan Ten
orlo. Third, there is appended the re-
volutionist's handbook written by John
Tanner, wherein you viii find the pol
itics Of the sex question as 1 conceive
Don Juan's descendant TO understand
them. Not that l disclaim the fullest
responsibility for his opinions and for
those Of all my characters, pleasant
and unpleasant They are all right
from their several points of view. -
This may puzzle people who believe
that there is such a thing as an abso-
lutely right point Of view" Mr.. Shaw
tells us that instead Of following the
common practice Of romancers of an
nouncing that their hero is a man of
extraordinary genius and leaving his
works entirely TO the readers imagin-
alton, he actually gives you the writ
ing. which is very naive and nervy, but
il sounds all right from Shaw.
The two main things which the revo-
lutionary thought Of this modern Don
Juan (note that he is not Don Juan
in the old sense, but a comparatively
tame and pious person) deals with are
property and marriage. In the epistol-
ary preface this excuse for vagary was
given: Every man who records his IL
lusions is providing data for the genu-
inc scientific psychology which the
world still waits for" We are told that
there is no future for men who are
neither intelligent, nor politically edu-
Gated enough to be socialists. There is
much about good breeding, and when
Shaw uses the term good breeding
he means eugenics. - if the
SUperhuman is to come, he must be
born Of Woman by Mans intentional
and well-considered continuance. Con-
Viction of this will smash everything
that opposes IT, even property and mar
riage, when IT becomes a. fully
realized vital purpose of the race"
The mating Of uncongenial spirits
would often be a cross productive of
finer types, and, as marriage between
such would be most unhappy, he would
have for the nonce conjunction without
marriage, but yet retain marriage for
the sake Of domesticity.
Hence il would seem that the modern
Don John Tanner would in the process
Of breeding the Superman eliminate
Jealousy from his makeup. The plan
must surely involve the abrogation of
that old Scripture that love is strong
as death, and jealousy is as cruel as the
grave" But probably we need never
doubt that Nature intends rather TO
produce the Superman with mingled
stupidity and jealousy rather than the
superlative intellectual without IL; so
the John Tanner way to such general
production OF the Superman will be
barred by the jealous hand which will
put the supersire up against the exter-
minating gun, and, in order to make
security doubly sure that no such types
are brought forth, may shoot also the
brilliant embryo and its matrix back to
the chaos whence they sought to
evolute; like Francesca, to love for
ever elsewhere. but not to rock the
cradle here.
The most uncompromising thing
that can be said of the book is that
IL is exceeding full Of cerebration. 1t
makes you sit up and listen even when
you don't like II. IT flashes, but it's
1ippant. In IL wisdom is twist awry
10 let wit have the right of way. It's
purpose, II it has any, is too much
subordinate TO play, and it borders
too close on the shocking and the